By Dr Jack Warner
An urgent appeal to the Government, the Anglican Diocese, alumni, the corporate sector in Trinidad and Tobago, and the national community to help provide a modern school for more than 600 students.
For 85 years, Fyzabad Anglican Secondary School has served as a centre of learning, discipline, faith and opportunity. Generations of students have passed through its classrooms, gaining knowledge, developing character, and preparing to contribute to Trinidad and Tobago.
But today, the institution that has helped build so many lives desperately needs to rebuild itself.
As the school approaches its 85th anniversary next month, its ageing infrastructure has become a source of serious concern. Teachers and the Parent-Teacher Association have drawn particular attention to deteriorating prefabricated structures and the old library area, raising safety concerns.
Although some remedial work has been undertaken, including demolishing an old prefabricated structure and improving ventilation, these interventions cannot provide a lasting solution.
Fyzabad Anglican Secondary School needs a new building, and the time to act is now.
With approximately 600 students enrolled, the co-educational institution needs modern, permanent classrooms that can accommodate classes of more than 35 students, adequate ventilation, dependable plumbing and electrical systems, and properly equipped science laboratories.
The school also needs a multipurpose hall for assemblies, religious services, achievement celebrations and parent activities; safe recreational facilities and a multipurpose sporting court; appropriate spaces for its arts programmes; administrative offices; a conference room; and a chapel or prayer room reflecting its Anglican heritage.
These are not luxuries. They are essential to delivering quality secondary education.
Importantly, land is available for expansion. The school therefore has an essential resource on which to build a modern educational facility. What is now required is a coordinated commitment to planning, financing and construction.
The responsibility cannot rest solely on teachers, parents, and the school board.
The Government of Trinidad and Tobago has a vital role in ensuring that students attending government-assisted schools enjoy safe and suitable learning environments. No child should be disadvantaged because the institution entrusted with their education is struggling with deteriorating infrastructure.
The Anglican Diocese must also be an important partner in this rebuilding effort. The school represents part of the Church’s longstanding contribution to national education, and its renewal would strengthen that legacy for generations to come.
But perhaps the most powerful appeal is to the school’s past students.
Fyzabad Anglican Secondary School has influenced former students across Trinidad and Tobago and throughout the diaspora. Many have established careers, businesses and families. Their achievements reflect the school’s enduring contribution to society.
Now comes an opportunity to give something meaningful in return.
Some alumni may contribute financially. Others can offer professional expertise in architecture, engineering, construction, fundraising, project management or education. Every contribution, however modest, can help move this initiative forward.
Corporate Trinidad and Tobago should also recognise the significance of this undertaking. Supporting the construction of a school is not simply an act of charity; it is an investment in human development, community advancement and the country’s future.
A transparent development plan, realistic construction estimates, professional oversight and accountable fundraising arrangements should support the rebuilding initiative. Such measures would build donor confidence and allow the project to advance through clearly defined stages.
On November 6, the school board, under its chairman’s leadership, plans to commemorate the institution’s 85th anniversary with a Mass. The school expects to invite past students and interested stakeholders to discuss the way forward.
That occasion should become more than a celebration of the past. It should mark the beginning of a determined campaign to secure the school’s future.
Imagine students learning in safe, well-ventilated classrooms, conducting experiments in properly equipped laboratories, developing their talents through sports and the arts, and participating in school activities within facilities worthy of their aspirations.
That vision is achievable if the government, Church, alumni, businesses and the wider community work together.
For 85 years, Fyzabad Anglican Secondary School has helped shape the lives of our nation’s children. Now the nation has an opportunity to help shape the school’s future.
Let us not wait for further deterioration or a preventable tragedy before responding.
Let its 85th anniversary be the turning point where gratitude becomes collective action.
More than 600 students deserve a safe, modern school. Their future should not be held hostage by ageing buildings.
Fyzabad Anglican Secondary School has served Trinidad and Tobago for 85 years.
It is time for Trinidad and Tobago to give something lasting in return.
