By Sue-Ann Wayow
THE decision to have both vaccinated and unvaccinated children back in a physical school environment is a welcomed one by the Citizens Union of Trinidad and Tobago (CUTT).
In a press release on Monday, by CUTT’s media liaison Janice Learmond-Criqui stated that it was at the forefront of advocating for all pupils regardless of vaccination status to be able to attend school which was evidenced by the issuance of a pre-action protocol letter to the Government signed by several stakeholders.
Learmond-Criqui said, “CUTT assembled a battery of attorneys who provided legal assistance to parents whose children were adversely affected by the Ministry of Education’s decision to deny access of unvaccinated students to attend school and have direct contact with teachers and classmates. CUTT welcomed the Minister of Education Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly decision to rescind its policy to deny unvaccinated students access to schools thus avoiding litigation.
“We would also like to thank those parents who availed themselves of the legal assistance provided by the attorneys. These parents are the true patriots of T&T.”
On October 20, Dr Gadsby-Dolly announced that all pupils attending forms four, five and six will now be allowed on the school compound even if they were not vaccinated from October 25. Some parents were still hesitant to send their children out to school and the ministry has been taking note of the attendance figures for both government and denominational schools.
On October 4, physical school was re-opened for pupils in the higher forms but only for those who were vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine.
Dr Gadsby-Dolly had said the children’s educational future was being placed at a prolonged risk with the disadvantages of complete online learning and after consultation with stakeholders, decided to change the policy to allow all pupils to attend school.
