First day back

We all wish well to parents, teachers and educational administrators, and all who help to shape our youngsters’ hearts and minds.

An awareness of impending exams at Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA), CSEC and CAPE will surely focus minds and help pupils quickly settle down to a work routine.

We’d like to remind youngsters of words famously uttered in their grandparents’ day, by first prime minister, the late Dr Eric Williams, “The future of the nation is in the children’s school bags”.

These words are as true today as when declared 60 years ago, as the need to diversify the TT economy away from the depleting oil and gas sector will require us to put all heads together to craft a new knowledge-based economy, as per Japan and Singapore. To this end all parties must give of their utmost to ensure our youngsters have the books, equipment, accommodation, teachers and lesson plans to succeed.

We note the raging debate in Parliament over cuts in the provision to pupils. The Opposition has alleged cuts in textbooks and school-meals, plus a shift in laptops now to be supplied to schools rather than individual pupils, but the Government’s reality is that of a tight economy even as it faces debts run up by their predecessors.

The Government is also facing last week’s rumblings from TTUTA rejecting any idea of a zero percent salary increase for teachers, even as the Early Childhood Teachers Trade Union (ECTTU) is calling on Education Minister, Anthony Garcia, to meet to discuss fresh legislation to govern nursery teachers, who fall outside the Teachers Act that governs just primary and secondary level.

Last term pupils stayed home for days due to school infrastructure woes, such as mites at Montrose Vedic School, blocked sewer at El Dorado East Secondary and Chaguanas Primary School, faulty air-conditioning at Aranguez North Secondary School, pest infestation at Santa Flora Government Primary, electrical woes at North Eastern College, and cramped labs at San Juan South Secondary. While many are long-running problems, it will certainly be a shame if pupils must face them again in this New Year.

On a positive note, the Ministry can boast of having curbed school violence last term, including re-deploying certain errant pupils to other programmes in technical/vocational pursuits. A firm message must be sent so each pupil understands that his/her place in school is a privilege — funded by taxpayers — to be gratefully utilised for his/her career advancement. The country simply cannot afford otherwise, literally in terms of dollars and cents.

This year’s allocation for education (recurrent costs) is $800 million less than the sum spent last year, which itself was $1,500 million less than initially allocated.

While $6,800 million was spent on education (including tertiary education) in 2015, last year it was just $5,769 million spent (out of $7,221 million allocated), and this year it is allocated at $4,965 million. So, amid these hefty sums, the Ministry lost about one-third of its budget over two years.

Prudent spending of these sums and the repair of schools largely relies on the health of the Educational Facilities Company Limited (EFCL) as the Ministry’s executing agency. The EFCL Board recently prevailed over a ministerial team to fire CEO Louis Frederick, reportedly for refusing Board orders to approve school repairs without getting a ministerial nod, all amid allegations of exaggerated invoices from contractors and of favouritism to pay certain contractors. Education Minister, Anthony Garcia, or even Prime Minister, Dr Keith Rowley, must settle this row quickly and fairly, so the EFCL can get on with its work of maintaining the nation’s schools.