A meeting between the Education Ministry and the association representing teachers to discuss the physical reopening of schools for vaccinated students in Forms 1-3 failed to reach an agreement.

The Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association says its members left the talks yesterday with no way forward on the matter.

President Antonia De Freitas says teachers got no straightforward answers from Ministry officials.

In a statement following the meeting the Ministry said feedback had been received of the difficulty some schools are experiencing in delivering online classes to Forms 1-3.

And physically to Forms 4-6 students – despite the presence of connectivity infrastructure at the school, or the provision of MiFi devices and laptops to teachers.

The Ministry said it is for this reason and after analysis of the physical attendance data for Forms 4-6 students, that the government has proposed the reopening of physical school for all vaccinated secondary students of ages 12-18.

It said this would be advantageous to both teachers and students, many of whom have been outside of the classroom for the past 19 months.

The Ministry noted TTUTA’s position that the return of teachers to the physical classroom should be accompanied by a cessation of virtual or remote teaching, in order to preserve the work-life balance of teachers.

However, Ms. De Freitas said the education of children continues to hang in the balance and this is not good enough.

And TTUTA’s Tobago officer Bradon Roberts said the meeting was bitter.

The Ministry has said at this time the safest cohort of students for physical attendance at schools is the vaccinated.

The Ministry said further discussions are scheduled with the wider stakeholder body today.