Classes at several schools which have been closed for a number of different reasons are expected to resume on Monday, according to the Ministry of Education.

In a telephone interview on Thursday, the ministry's media relations co-ordinator, Yolanda Morales-Carvalho, said Balmain Presbyterian School, Carapo RC School, St Augustine Secondary School and Malabar Government Primary School will all reopen on Monday.

"These schools we will open on Monday. Last evening we had a meeting with ministry officials, the Parent Teachers Association, the Education Facilities Company Ltd, and the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association representatives as well as the Member of Parliament of the area, Rudy Indarsingh, and we gave them an update of how the electrical work will be done at the Balmain school.

"It will be ready on Monday because they will be working over the weekend," she said.

Morales-Carvalho said work at Carapo RC, which had a sewer problem, will also be completed in time for Monday.

She added that the stakeholders of St Augustine Secondary School were also pleased with the work done at that school and agreed to its reopening.

"We met yesterday and it was decided that after all the work that has been done so far school will reopen on Monday as well."

Morales-Carvalho added that the Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (Cariri) conducted tests on the organism found at the school but they were still awaiting the results.

The ministry also confirmed in a release that classes at Malabar Government Primary School would resume on Monday.

"The construction and installation of pre-engineered classrooms will be completed in time to house infants to standard three students of the Malabar Government Primary School from Monday next week," the release stated

Meanwhile, arrangements have been completed for standard four pupils to join standard five in the concrete structure of the original school, where the standard five pupils are currently receiving classes. This temporary arrangement aims to facilitate the construction of the new school, as promised by the Minister of Education," the release added.

And classes for forms one, four and five pupils of Malick Secondary were held for the first time on Wednesday, since the reopening of the September term.

Pupils are being taught at the building which formerly housed the Aranjuez North Secondary since the school's building in Malick has been deemed unfit.