By CECILY ASSON Friday, January 27 2012

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PROTEST: A woman holds up a placard as she and other persons including children staged an early morning protest yesterday outside the South Oropouche ...

ANGRY parents and students of South Oropouche Government Primary School yesterday staged a noisy protest outside the school as the parents called for the immediate removal of acting school principal Surujdaye Jaglal, whom the parents claim is not properly managing the school.

“We want her to go and we will protest until she is transferred,” said a protester as he referred to Jaglal who took up duties at the school last October. As she arrived at the school yesterday.

Jaglal was confronted by the parents who accused her of banning the use of the school’s library, computer laboratory and science room, disallowing use of the school for Parent Teacher Association (PTA) meetings among other issues.

Jaglal had to be escorted on foot by a security officer as the protesters blocked her car from entering the car park. Under the watchful eyes of the community police some of the protesters who held up placards started shouting, “Jaglal must go!” The protest started at 7 am and ended three hours later.

A parent who asked not to be identified told Newsday: “This has been long in coming. Since she came here in October, the school has not been the same.” Parents yesterday vowed to keep up the protest until they get a meeting with Education Minister Tim Gopeesingh. “We will be protesting again tomorrow (today),” the parent vowed.

A week ago, at the same school, On the Job Trainee (OJT) Kelli Ann Allsop who lives near the school was not allowed to take up duties as an administrative assistant. The OJT office had assigned Allsop to this school.

Local Government Minister Chandresh Sharma intervened and following an official meeting with the authorities, Allsop was told that there was no vacancy at the school. When contacted yesterday Communications Specialist at the Ministry of Education Yolanda Morales-Carvalho told Newsday she was not aware of the protest. She however advised that if parents were experiencing problems they should take their complaints to the ministry.

“Once there is a protest in a district I know the school’s supervisor will monitor the situation but in the meantime if there are problems, the complaints should be officially made to the ministry,” Morales-Carvalho said.