Sixty schools in central Trinidad were dismissed early yesterday due to the contamination of the water at the Caroni Water Treatment Plant. The Education Ministry also suspended school feeding meals in the Caroni area. Some 41 primary and 12 secondary schools in Caroni, three primary and two secondary schools in St George East and two primary in Port-of-Spain and Environs Educational District were affected by the incident, the ministry said in a release.
“As a precautionary measure, the Ministry of Education, through the National Schools Dietary Services Ltd, has advised caterers affected by the Caroni Water Treatment Plant to suspend their services until WASA advises that the situation is resolved. “This means that a number of ECCE centres and primary and secondary schools on the attached list will not be supplied with lunch/breakfast meals (school feeding) tomorrow (today),” the release added.
Parents of students attending schools in the affected areas today have been asked to ensure students are provided with an adequate supply of safe drinking water. Patrice Williams, parent of an eight-year-old child who attends the Chaguanas RC School, was anxious yesterday, as she said her son had been drinking the water all day. “We both drank the water and now I am frightened because I don’t know how it would affect us,” she said.
Williams, who was heading home after going to collect her son, said she was glad to be taking him home so she could monitor him. While some schools dismissed early, others continued with their classes while ensuring the safety of the students. Linda Maharaj, principal of St Helena Community Early Child Care Education Centre, said the school remained open but many parents chose to pick up their children early.
When the T&T Guardian visited the school around midday, approximately 16 parents had taken their children home. The other students who remained were carefully watched by the teachers. Maharaj said all the children who stayed were given bottled water and were monitored by the teachers when they went to the bathroom. She said that was to ensure the children did not drink the water when they were washing their hands.