Former Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves has launched a scathing attack on the administration over the chaotic start to the 2026–2027 academic year, characterizing widespread delays, unfinished infrastructure, and severe furniture shortages as a “large scale mess” caused by administrative laziness, incompetence, and a total vacuum of leadership.
Addressing the situation during his radio broadcast, Gonsalves asserted that the opening day of the new school year represents the single most important event on the national calendar—outstripping Carnival, Christmas, or Independence celebrations in terms of public impact and participation. He stated that despite explicitly warning the government back in May regarding the four critical pillars of school readiness—repairs, furniture, equipment, and staffing—the administration “dropped the ball terribly”
According to Gonsalves, official negligence directly delayed preparations across the nation’s network of more than 100 educational institutions, which includes 22 government early childhood centers, 61 primary schools, 26 secondary schools, seven technical institutes, three special education centers, and the Community College.
He pointed out that repair work by the Buildings, Roads and General Services Authority (BRAGSA) stood stagnant throughout July and only commenced toward the end of the first week of August. Furthermore, Gonsalves accused officials of playing politics with contractor selection, distributing mobilization funds to inexperienced individuals who mismanaged funds and failed to pay workers on time.
As a consequence, when schools attempted to reopen, classrooms were left filled with construction rubble, unpainted surfaces, and toxic paint fumes, forcing principals to send students home at lunchtime on the first day.
Highlighting a breakdown in basic logistics, Gonsalves noted that annual wear-and-tear requires a 20% to 25% replacement buffer for school furniture each year. Instead, severe shortages left students standing or sitting on stools—such as at the Kingstown Grammar School—forcing better-off parents to personally purchase desks and chairs for their children.
Simultaneously, Gonsalves revealed that several schools remain without full teaching complements, including vital subject teachers in English Language and Mathematics. He added that relief teachers were actively telephoned and instructed not to report for duty because the government lacked the funds to pay them.
Gonsalves also condemned the government’s severe retrenchment of social financial support for vulnerable families. He highlighted that the previous administration’s National Lotteries assistance program—which allocated approximately $500,000 per month to assist secondary and Community College students with tuition and supplies—has been gutted, leaving parents empty-handed at social welfare offices.
Additionally, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) students who were promised financial stipends are now being forced to pay exorbitant tuition fees out of pocket.
