SEVERAL hundred parents and children dotted themselves around Queen's Park Savannah, Port of Spain, displaying placards expressing their frustration at the ongoing closure of the nation's schools owing to the covid19 pandemic (except for forms 4-6 allowed back to secondary school.)

The placards read: "Free our children," "Remote learning is not education," "Mental health crisis" and "600 days and counting."

Newsday met Lara Littlepage, of Open Schools TT, protesting outside Whitehall, the seat of the Office of the Prime Minister.

She told Newsday the group was founded in September when it had become clear that most schools would not yet reopen.

"I think parents at that stage realised we had had enough, particularly because the economy was opening back up, we had to go back to work so what were we to do with these children who were home. Originally we were waiting on vaccines, but now vaccines are here so what are we waiting for?"

[caption id="attachment_926960" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Caroline Gomez supports an Open Schools TT protest over the continued closure of schools at the Queen's Park Savannah, Port of Spain, on Monday. - ROGER JACOB[/caption]

Littlepage said there was nothing else to wait on.

"The pandemic is here to stay. Covid19 is here to stay. We are not asking for irresponsibility in reopening the schools.

"We are asking that a plan be shared, particularly for daycares, pre-primary and primary schools. Right now we've been told no information on when they will be coming back out and it is a very big concern."

She said global child advocate groups have attested that much development takes place before age eight – cognitive development, self-esteem, self-confidence, working together "and many things you can't do online." Littlepage said, "So we've been very concerned nobody is addressing those issues."

She said the school closure was also tough on adults, as often mothers worked and both parents but without any schools or daycares to care for their children.

"Parents are really struggling to balance both. Children and parents are suffering mentally. The exhaustion...

"I'm a teacher as well as a parent and I say that I just can't do this any more.

"What happens is that somebody is suffering. Either I have to take a mental health break from my students or I tell my kids that we'll do the next assignment because right now everybody is tired."

Littlepage said it has been very hard on children. "It has been hard for them to stay engaged with online schooling. They are not able to do sports or see friends. It's been tough. We have a lot more depression, cutting, pulling out hair."

[caption id="attachment_926966" align="alignnone" width="743"] Lara Littlepage of Open Schools TT speaks to Newsday at a protest over the continued closure of schools at the Queen's Park Savannah, Port of Spain, on Monday. - ROGER JACOB[/caption]

She said doctors were now seeing children not for physical s