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Around Trinidad and Tobago
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Blanchisseuse must not be forgotten - Pt 2
Blanchisseuse Government Primary School
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Staff Article
Interview Recorded: March 01, 2005
Posted: March 07, 2005
When the Common Entrance started in Trinidad and Tobago, children passing from Blanchisseuse had to go outside to Arima because we hadn't yet de North Coast Road. So everybody traveled to Arima to go to Secondary School. Now, it was very hard, because the transport was always ah problem here. PTSC was always ah problem with transport, so they use to go to Arima. About fifteen years now, since de North Coast Road opened, children more go to Port of Spain Secondary School and for de past twelve years the government has been providing free transport for the children to and from school. By that time we were also complaining because we were concern about the children's education, because when you have to leave to go to secondary school, you have to be up about 3:30-4 in the morning because the bus was ready to leave Blanchisseuse for 5:30am. So the children have to be up to get themselves ready for 5:30, an' then when yuh come back in de afternoon, yuh come back about 5 - 5:30pm sometimes. That was a problem with us, because sometimes we weren't getting the best results from the children. We see the children tired, dey driving on dat rough road to come back, they cannot study, an' by the time dey go to sleep dey have to get up. So we fought and we eventually got the secondary school built. The school has been built five years now. When the secondary school started, it was in the Blanchisseuse Community Centre and they stayed there for a year before it was completed, then they moved in the present school. The school has children from Maracas Bay, Las Cuevas, La Fillet, Morne La Croix and Brasso Seco Paria. All these children attend the secondary school and transport is provided for them.
We are not satisfied with the public transport (PTSC) at present. We used to have a bus service with a stop along from Arima coming to Blanchiessue three four times ah day. An' then you also had a bus from Arima going into Brasso Seco three four times a day also. An' yuh have from Port of Spain to Blanchiessue four times ah day, so yuh had de transport. If yah getting it regular, dat will be alright, but we are not. As a matter of fact, since about ah year now, they stop Brasso Seco complete, because PTSC always complain dey have no money, dey have no bus, so dey stopped going to Brasso Seco. Since the landslide, they haven't passed through the Arima Blanchisseuse road yet. The whole North Coast had landslides. So you have the service, but they have no service on public holidays, Saturdays and Sundays. The reason is, they don't want to pay overtime or pay extra people to come out and work those days, they have people working on a shift for long hours. I would say dat the amount of people they have working there is insufficient and if they continue, they might have to pay overtime and they don't want to do that. But then that is a handicap for the poorer people, because when you reach to Port of Spain, or both sides, Arima or Port of Spain, to come to Blanchisseuse, as one person in a private vehicle it cost yuh thirty dollars. An' if you have a family, yuh cyar come an say yuh have ah family of four or five, is almost two hundred dollars in transport, one way or even if it is two way from either side. We have a quarrel with that because we are trying to develop the area for Eco Tourism so people could come to your area, but when you have that, who yuh encouraging to come, the poor folks cannot come. Yuh know, long ago, it was much better when yah come up in de morning with de bus and bathe, an' by four o clock in de afternoon yuh sure yah getting ah bus going back home. But, yuh cyar do dat. If yuh do dat, yuh have to do dat by yuh self, but if yuh come with ah family of four, it discourages you one time. We have people transporting, but it is expensive and we are not satisfied to a point. While we are happy for the transportation we are getting, it is with unlicensed vehicles, so if in the events that something happens, you in trouble without insurance, no compensation. But you have to travel because you want to go home. We are tired of having meetings about it.
I discussed the matter on Saturday 26th February, 2005 with Penelope Beckles. The main thing is, to build the North Coast Road from Matelot to Blanchisseuse, will cost about eight hundred millions dollars. What we are saying, is dat the different communities need so many things to be done before thinking about the North Coast Road. It wouldn't do anything for us, we don't want it, because dat is de only rain forest area remain in Trinidad. It real beautiful, we want people to come an' enjoy it, and if yuh going to put a road there, we are saying it going to be destroyed. We really don't want it. I wrote a letter to the Minister of Community Development asking about a Community Center for Las Cuevas, because they don't have one. Right now I have an issue with the Ministry of Education. We protested in Brasso Seco Paria with the condition with the R.C. School. Arrangements have been made to meet with Mr. Barb next week (week of the 07-03-05) in Brasso Seco Paria to discuss the school and hope they might start something. So that is my work at home. What we do is, we keep meeting every month, so it is not just one meeting. The last meeting was in Blanchisseuse, the next meeting we have is in Las Cuevas and then from there we go to La Fillet and then we go to Brasso Seco, we spin around. These are the things that we are still doing. In dis day an' age, yuh want to spend so much ah money to build ah road, and they don't have a recreation ground in Brasso Seco. When the children have to play, the few children that they have there, is on the streets they have to play. So what they saying, is they encouraging the children to start to break the law from small, they have no choice due to lack of conditioning and facilities, an' then when they start to break de law yuh saying they breaking de law. In Brasso Seco you have no bus service. So no agriculture, no bus service and if yuh living Brasso Seco, yuh cyar travel when yuh want, you have to know in advance. So these are some of the handicaps of our villages.
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View Blanchisseuse Photo Album at:
www.trinisoca.com/gallery/blanchisseuse
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