A Trinidad mother is expressing frustration over the lengthy delay in transferring her son to a secondary school in Tobago. She says the process has taken more than four months and the 14-year-old has now been out of school for two months. Elizabeth Williams reports.
00:00I came, September school opened, when I came to the office of division in Tobago, they keep saying, you know, the chance of having come over us there, the chance of having come over us there. I was like, okay, no problem. And they're saying, they're waiting on Trinidad, they're waiting on Trinidad.
00:13Mind you, in the second month of school opening, and when I came back, every day I've been here, signing in, signing out, and they keep saying the same thing over and over and over. And Trinidad called me like two weeks before and letting me know Tobago only now sent over the transfer form for my son.
00:37The frustrated mother told the TV6 the process has been a back and forth between Trinidad and Tobago, with officials giving her the run around over her son's transfer request.
00:50So now my son is out of school for whole, October done finished, already nearly finished. So my son not in school, and mind you, you know, they say transfers take long and so forth, but mind you, this is like four months prior, before school has closed.
01:07She says she was later contacted by an official of the Division of Education and advised to purchase school supplies and uniforms, but two months later, her son still hasn't been placed.
01:22I went ahead, I bought the uniform, which I should have never, but she gave me the okay to do it because, you know, he was getting through with that school. So I bought the Mason Hall school uniform.
01:32My new one, Trinidad called me to let me know that your son has got you with good wood. So now me spend money buying uniform for Mason Hall, and he would not be going to attend Mason Hall, which is good wood.
01:45I'm still waiting on the call still for him to go into school. So my son is out of school two whole months.
01:52Despite the delay, she says his son remains hopeful that he'll be back in the classroom soon.
01:59How does he feel?
02:01He's frustrated. He's stressed out. He keeps asking, mommy, why the government, why the ministry not letting me go to school? I'm missing out on this. I'm missing out on that. You know, he loves football. So, you know, he keeps saying, mommy, I can't get to go and play football. He loves pan also. You know, he's like, mommy, I want to do pan. I want to do these things. You know, so he's so motivated and going to school.
02:20When contacted, Education Secretary Zorisha Hackett told TV6 she will look into the matter. Elizabeth Williams, TV6 News.
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