Close school for one week for carnival: NPTA president

The National Parent Teachers’ Association (NPTA) has a solution to the problem created this week when thousands of students and teachers failed to turn up at school on Ash Wednesday - close all schools for a week for Carnival.

NPTA president Zena Ramatali told the Newsday newspaper the time off is a good idea and it won't mean an actual loss of teaching time because the authorities could compensate by taking back the week from then long July-August school vacation.

“I would like to suggest that if absenteeism continues to be this bad, and we are not reaching into the soul of the people, we should consider taking the week off,” she said.

The Manning government experimented with the idea in 2005, when it closed schools for a week and took it back from the long 'summer' holidays.

Education Minister Dr Tim Gopeesingh told reporters on Ash Wednesday that the turnout among teachers and students across the country was lower than from last year. 

He said in seven of the nine educational districts there was a 79 per cent teacher turnout and 23 per cent student turnout in secondary schools. He said one only 20 per cent of students went to school on Wednesday.

Ramatali said parents and teachers must be more responsible. “We have to show how disciplined we are. There must be a plan in place long before holidays to encourage students and teachers to attend school,” Ramatali said.

She said last year the NPTA and the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers’ Association (TTUTA), in conjunction with the Ministry of Education, embarked on a back-to-school media campaign weeks before Carnival.

“These advertisements had an impact on attendance last year. This year there was another campaign, but it was done too close to Carnival, and it was not wide-reaching,” she said.

TTUTA’s General Secretary, Peter Wilson, told Newsday absenteeism is not unusual. “Students are always absent, however, 80 to 90 percent of teachers are normally present. He said TTUTA is also concerned about the loss of teaching time over the Carnival week.

“This is a societal problem, where there are problems with transportation, children who are tired after attending Carnival and children spending time with relatives who are here from abroad. We need to encourage parents to see the need for children not to lose this teaching time,” he said.