Gopeesingh challenges Garcia on GATE

In a statement yesterday, Gopeesingh said that just weeks before the new semester, Garcia was allegedly further punishing tertiary students with dark threats of means testing to access GATE.

“Mr Garcia is compounding the severe cuts to GATE funding with menacing warnings to students, without even the courtesy of appropriate and relevant information of how the means tests will be implemented.” Gopeesingh claimed the information on the relevant internet website is vague and ambiguous and leaves students with more questions than answers.

“The minister’s sketchy particulars and haughty tone are only serving to create more stress among students,” Gopeesingh said. “Adding to their stress, potential students are also being asked to upload personal information on an unsecured website, without knowing the rate of response from GATE officials.

“Mr Garcia’s handling of this matter is typically high-handed, oppressive and arrogant, lacking the requisite detail, care and support.” Gopeesingh said the GATE matter follows the scrapping of the free computer laptop and textbooks programmes, shutdown of after-school homework centres, abandonment of the Continuous Assessment Programme and sharp cutbacks to the School Feeding Programme.

Further pointing his finger at Garcia, Gopeesingh alleged that the construction and repair programme of schools and Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) centres has been virtually cancelled, leading to major dislocation and inconvenience.

“It is a further illustration of a Government devoid of vision and leadership and which has cavalierly abandoned the goal of developing a knowledge- based society to be competitive in the modern globalised economy,” Gopeesingh said.

He added, “The Minister of Education and the Rowley-led Government has betrayed the trust of the parents and students of the nation based on their own 2015 manifesto promise that GATE ‘remains relevant, easily accessible and available to all citizens.’” Gopeesingh said that over the last two years there had been a swift and precipitous reversal of the gains and successes made under the past administration.

“The Minister of Education stands condemned for his failure to completely allay the fears of all potential GATE applicants and must be immediately removed from office.”