Have all schools repaired, NPTA

In a telephone interview with Newsday yesterday following the National Budget Presentation for the 2017 fiscal year, Ramatali said she welcomes the prospective efforts to repair schools, as dilapidated school conditions is the major concern amongst parents and the reason behind constant protesting.

“I would like to see all schools that were started by the PNM (People’s National Movement) completed,” Ramatali said, “and the repair of all the schools across the country in a timely basis.” She lamented that due to constant protesting over worn down school buildings, sewer and electrical issues, students have lost a lot of teaching time over the past decade.

Ramatali, however, is not ecstatic about the $7.22 billion allocation to education and training, announced by Finance Minister Colm Imbert. She said that even though the education sector has been one of the bigger receivers of budget allocation over the years, the bountiful sum does not “reflect in resources.” Speaking on the potential curriculum reform and integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) management, Ramatali said she welcomes the idea as it will help keep youths away from crime. She also said that ICT management for teachers will be very helpful in preventing the “misuse” of the laptops given to students.