Trouble brewing at UTT

This caring Government, in its haste to “look good” has eliminated Technical Education and in so doing alienated thousands of youths who found refuge and a way of life after O’Levels.

The situation as it exists is frightening. We have a senario where students are required to achieve five ones at CXC to be accepted to do degree programmes at the technical institutes. They would most likely prefer to move on to A’Levels. What happens to the students who achieved three O’levels? Well the bosses said they can pursue craft courses under MIC at the San Fernando Technical Institute (SFTI) and John Donaldson Technical Institute (JSDTI).

But I spoke to numerous students who went to SFTI to apply for the craft courses, and were told by the Registrar that they had been given strict instructions by someone in authority not to give out forms for these programmes.

It seems that there are some people at this Institute who are adamant that no craft courses (even though they were advertised in every newspaper) must be offered at SFTI. It was a different case at JSDTI. I want the Minister to investigate the persons responsible for this.

All the keys from staff members (including teachers) have been taken back and teaching and support staff are now forced to park in the students’ car park, even though there are many cases of vandalism of teachers’ cars in the students’ car park. Staff members were also threatened in a recent staff meetings that they would be locked out come September 2006 because they choose not to work for University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT).

But come September, 2006, I will be returning to my place of work, and I want to see who is this person who is threatening staff members. I am also not applying for any job with UTT because I find their terms and conditions of employment to be unacceptable.

For example two weeks holidays in one year but you must complete one year before being eligible for holidays. The funny thing is the UTT contract is only for one year. It is amusing the type of contracts being drawn up. This is the first university in the entire universe that has three semesters. Even UWI has holidays. Are they trying to give me a nervous breakdown? Or are they trying to give the students a nervous breakdown?

The powers that be at SFTI are trying very hard to frustrate staff members. Mr Manning, a word of advice, to control crime, you must educate the poor. By eliminating Technical Education, you are marginailizing 80 percent of the youths in our society.