Contractor Ted Ramkissoon has been pursuing the Ministry of Education for payment of nearly $300,000 for work on the St Rose’s Girls’ RC school since 2005.

In an interview with Newsday, Ramkissoon provided documents to support his 16-year battle for payment.

Ramkissoon said it was in 2005 that his company, WestWeld Engineering Services, was called in.

“We started the work in the summer vacation, between August and September,” Ramkissoon told Newsday.

He said the work was completed a week before the school opened for the new term.

“The principal was satisfied, and the school reopened without any hiccups.”

The work included removing furniture, sanding and varnishing, carpentry work on the upper and ground floors, installing doors and locks, plumbing, roofing, and electrical work.

He said an invoice for $345,000 was then submitted in September, a week before the school reopened.

But, he said, soon after the work was completed, the principal resigned and the ministry refused to acknowledge the invoice without the principal’s signature.

“They tried to locate the principal and they could not locate her…The principal resigned, and she wasn’t living in Trinidad any more. No one knew where she was until some communication was made with the ministry.”

In 2011, Ramkissoon said the ministry revisited the school and re-estimated the work at a reduced price of $290,849.95.

He said it wasn’t until May 10, 2018 that a visit to the school was made with the former principal, a project manager and representative from the School Supervision division of the ministry, along with Ramkissoon, and everyone signed off on the payment. Ramkissoon provided a copy of the agreement.

He said in the time between 2005, when the work began, and 2018, when the ministry finally approved the invoice, there was little he could do because the ministry told him it could not pay until the principal signed off on the invoice.

In November 2017, Ramkissoon said, he wrote to the ministry inquiring about the payment and received a response from the Permanent Secretary.

He gave Newsday a a copy of that letter, which said additional documentation was being sought from the Palo Seco Agricultural Enterprise Facilities Company ltd to ensure completion and verification of the work.

“With respect to the St Rose’s Girls’ RC primary, the ministry is in the process of making the necessary application to the Ministry of Finance for release of the necessary funds to facilitate payment to your organisation,” the letter said.

In 2020, Ramkissoon wrote to Minister of Education Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly and Minister in the ministry Lisa Morris-Julian, but has not received a response.

“Despite all the phone calls and letters, I am at a standstill on payment and everybody signed off on it…

"The two ministers never responded. The minister’s secretary said they got the letters, but they never responded.”

In a WhatsApp message to Newsday, Gadsby-Dolly said Ramkissoon should address the new Chair of the Education Facilities Company Ltd.

“These th