Couva West Secondary School Library

31/08/2026

Happy 64th Independence to our Nation! 🇹🇹

Narrated By: Karl Hudson-Phillips

11/08/2026

11/08/2026

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01/08/2026

Trinidad and Tobago made history on 1st August 1985 as the first independent country to declare a national holiday to commemorate the abolition of slavery.

Today, we honor the profound strength, resilience and rich cultural heritage of our African ancestors. Learn more from Pleasantville Secondary School’s SLMC.

13/07/2026

How to access your child's report ONLINE ?

Click on this link
https://ereport.couvawestsec.com/

08/07/2026

2026- 2027 Form 1 Student ONLINE registration process.

Please click the link for further details .

STEP 1: ​Parents must complete and submit an Online Registration Form . A link to the Online Registration Form has been placed on the School Website . Access the school website at ...

08/07/2026

Congratulations and Welcome to Couva West Secondary School !

18/06/2026

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Celebrated as a pioneer of Trinidad & Tobago’s nationalist and labour movements, Captain Arthur Andrew Cipriani was known as, “the champion of the barefooted man” due to his efforts as a labour leader and politician who organised our country’s first major industrial strike in 1919.

Best known for his role as the Mayor of Port of Spain from 1926 to 1941, Cipriani was also the founding leader of the Trinidad Labour Party (formerly the Trinidad Workingmen’s Association).

Cipriani was born on January 31st 1875 to a family of Corsican descent in Trinidad. He attended St. Mary’s College (CIC) in Port of Spain, where he was actively involved in sports. After leaving school he worked temporarily as a jockey, combining his love for athletics and horses.

During the outbreak of World War I in 1914, Cipriani was tasked with recruiting soldiers for the British West Indies Regiment (BWIR)—a separate contingent of non-white soldiers from the British colonies. He was awarded the title of Captain and left for the battlefront in 1917.

While at war, he witnessed the discrimination and neglect suffered by soldiers from the British colonies. Upon his return to Trinidad, he led a campaign against the British authorities for their mistreatment of non-white soldiers but the case was dismissed.

In November 1919, after a labour dispute took place at the Port of Spain Wharf, Cipriani called on the workers to withhold their efforts, resulting in the first large industrial strike of the 20th century. At the time, Cipriani was a member of the Trinidad Workingmen’s Association (TWA), which fought for the improvement of worker’s rights. Cipriani worked with the TWA for many years, furthering the trade union’s commitment to labour activism. He eventually became the organization’s President in 1923.

Over the years, Cipriani’s efforts to seek justice for the ex-soldiers and other disenfranchised groups earned him the nickname, “Champion of the Barefooted Man.”

Copyright ©️ The National Archives of Trinidad & Tobago. All rights reserved.

This photo of Arthur Andrew Cipriani is from the National Archives of Trinidad and Tobago Exhibition, “The Road To Nationhood” (2014). To view or download the file, please follow this link: https://natt.gov.tt/.../pdfs/the-road-to-nationhood.pdf.

References: James, C. L. R., and Bridget Brereton. “The Life of Captain Cipriani: An Account of British Government in the West Indies, with the Pamphlet The Case for West-Indian Self Government.” Duke University Press, www.dukeupress.edu/the-life-of-captain-cipriani.

Samaroo, Brinsley, and Cherita Girvan. “THE TRINIDAD WORKINGMEN'S ASSOCIATION AND THE ORIGINS OF POPULAR PROTEST IN A CROWN COLONY.” Social and Economic Studies, vol. 21, no. 2, 1972, pp. 205–222. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/27856529.

16/06/2026

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Every child deserves to feel safe, heard, and supported.

Between 2020–2025, over 11,000 children reached out to Childline, with family and social problems, abuse, psychosocial challenges, and high-risk behaviours among the top concerns affecting children in Trinidad and Tobago.

Behind every number is a child with a story, and together, we can make a difference.

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