STUDENTS of the St Dominic RC Primary School often have to share washrooms with strangers, and the heads of the school's Parent Teacher Council and the TT Unified Teachers' Association (TTUTA) are flagging this as a major safety risk, amidst other issues plaguing the school's population.
Since 2017, students have been split between the Penal Community Centre and the St Dominic's RC Church, after an earthquake compromised the school structure at Oliviere Drive, Penal. It is now being demolished.
Of the 170 students enrolled at the school, the infant classes are at the church, under the supervision of a senior teacher, while Standards One to Five are at the community centre.
During a peaceful demonstration outside the community centre on September 19, Parent Teacher Council president Sharon Baptiste said the situation was unbearable, as students and teachers were plagued by air conditioning, plumbing, water and safety issues.
"We want a new school. We don't want to be placed somewhere else.
"A lot of parents have decided they are transferring their children out to other schools."
She estimates there are already between 30 and 40 fewer students enrolled for this academic year compared to last year.
"We know the budget is coming up, and we would like our school to be on the list. We don't want to be left behind. It is time now. We take a stand here to let the government know, the ministry know, that we are serious."
Also at the small demonstration was TTUTA president Martin Lum Kin, who said his organisation stands in solidarity with the parents.
He expressed similar concerns to Baptiste's, but took particular aim at the students' security on the premises.
He said there are no security officers for the infants at the church, and the students often have to share limited washroom facilities with the migrant school at the back of the parish hall. Additionally, he said students at the community centre often share spaces with adults who come to the community centre for various other programmes.
"There are adults who are using the bathroom facilities with the children. We have no background, the school has no background as to those persons, so we cannot talk about the school safety of sharing the bathroom between an adult and a student.
"That should not take place in this day and age."
He said the school's principal has reported this and many other issues to the Ministry of Education, but no action had been taken.
[caption id="attachment_1109597" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Martin Lum Kin, TT Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) President, Sharon Baptiste, President of the Parent Teacher Council of St Dominic's Penal RC School and concerned parents protest outside the school's compound in Penal on September 19. - Photo by Venessa mohammed[/caption]
"The first thing if anything untoward happens, guess who's going to be blamed: the principal. 'Why the principal allowing that to happen? She ain't know better than that? Duty of care.'
"The ministry likes to throw 'duty of care' on our member
