MP Ram: Preysal Secondary a Danger to Students and Teachers

The Preysal Secondary School has become a health danger and a severe risk to life for students and teachers, which the Ministry of Education has failed, and continues to fail in finding a clear solution. This according to Caroni Central Member of Parliament, Arnold Ram.

In a statement issued Thursday, Ram quoted from an Occupational Safety and Health Agency report dated 28 October 2024, following months of complaints over severe issues including rat infestations, collapsing ceilings, lack of sanitation and maintenance and an Aedes Aegypti mosquito infestation.

The report was submitted to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, by Dianne Edwards, a Safety and Health Inspector II of the OSH Agency. The report tracked complaints from as early as April 2024 when a rat infestation was detected.

Further, the Edwards report detailed a number of very serious concerns which was deemed

“hazardous to the health or life of the staff and students of the Preysal Secondary School.”

The report added: “Such conditions if left unabated predisposes the students, staff and visitors of the school to serious risks of ill-health effects associated with the exposure to rat droppings and urine, from falling objects, and waterborne diseases. This is contrary to Sections 6 (i), 6 (2)(a), 7 (i), 31 (a), 31 (c), 31 (d) and 8(4) of the OSH Act.”

The dangerous issues have caused the cumulative effect of 43 Teachers refusing to work. According to MP Ram, while some measures were taken through the School Infrastructure Management System (SIMP), the Building Maintenance Company Limited and the Couva, Tabaquite, Talparo Regional Corporation as well as other agencies and officials, the issues are yet to be resolved.

Ram was clear that the response has been woefully insufficient, leading to the Edwards Report of 28 October 2024 describing the school as being a hazard to health and danger to life.

“This is a stark and unfortunate example of the level of negligence and incompetence on the part of the Ministry of Education. While the Minister, Nyan Gadsby Dolly, has used recent opportunities to complain about a lack of financial resources, one expects that when such serious risks to health arise, endangering young children and Teachers, immediate and comprehensive solutions would be pursued.”

The MP added: “It also makes one wonder whether this a case of sheer incompetence, with a strong undertone of willful neglect. The Preysal Government Primary School which just needed completion has been left abandoned for nine years, and now the Preysal Secondary School has become a health risk. The Minister must be reminded that whatever her personal views and preferences, she has a duty to act to protect the lives and safety of students and children, whatever their location, or ethnic and cultural background.”