‘I will tell him of TT’s ruinous state’

Speaking at the UNC’s Monday Night Forum at the Bamboo Presbyterian Primary School, she told supporters, “I will meet with him because there’s so much I want to tell him. I want to tell him that he has brought this country to a ruinous state.” She lamented the high crime-rate and added that the prime minister had not fulfilled a single undertaking he had given her at that first meeting.

“Not one thing they said they would do, has been done.” She hit Government for many pupils failing the SEA exam and for their decision that those under age 13, must repeat the SEA if they scored below 30 percent instead of advancing to secondary school. As then education minister in the Basdeo Panday government, Persad-Bissessar said she worked to ensure all pupils moved on to secondary school notwithstanding some hiccups. “Under the Panday Government we had a policy, ‘Not a child left behind’.” Persad-Bissessar said in the past pupils had been excluded from secondary school not because they failed the SEA but because not enough school places were available and at Panday’s behest she caused schools to be built quickly and new teachers hired to alleviate this shortage.

She accused Government of ignoring children’s needs in education and health.

Lamenting recent cases where two ill children could not access the Children’s Life Fund, Persad-Bissessar said legal action is being taken on Shannen Luke, four, and five-year-old Terrance Chandoo’s behalf.

She hit Government for failing to buy $80 million worth of laptops for students but allowing State-owned TSTT to spend $200 million to buy Massy Communications.

She urged Rowley to set up a tribunal to probe the case of Marcia Ayers-Caesar and the Judicial and Legal Services Commission under Chief Justice Ivor Archie’s tenure.