TT London-based scholars in limbo

“The situation is even more critical and urgent because London is one of the most expensive cities in the world and the forecast is for an extremely cold winter. The students are enduring untold hardship,” Gopeesingh stated, and alleged that the education sector was riddled “with an endless stream of schools repair issues” while cutbacks have occurred in the laptop grant, School Feeding Programme and After-School Homework Centres.

“In the interest of the entire education fraternity, Mr. Garcia must be removed from this critical portfolio.

He has inflicted widespread damage at all areas of national education and is clearly on a path of destroying all the major academic and infrastructural gains of the prior electoral term,” Gopeesingh stated, and called on Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley to “show a commitment to the education sector by dismissing his pathetic and useless Minister of Education.” Meanwhile, former Trade and Industry Minister, Vasant Bharath, also described the situation as “nothing short of an abject failure of the Government to secure the well-being of Trinidad and Tobago citizens both at home and abroad.” Bharath stated: “It is completely unacceptable that eight weeks into a new semester, not even tuition fees and stipend payments have been made to these children of Trinidad and Tobago who have sacrificed so much and are courageously making their way in education in a foreign land.”