These “lessons” rob children of valuable time to develop their psycho-motor and affective learning domains through play. The high-stakes nature of the SEA forces most parents to ensure that the vacation is not “wasted” but rather that the time is spent preparing for the dreaded SEA to ensure that they get into a “good” secondary school. Such is our misplaced understanding of education.

Many teachers will opt to voluntarily give these “lessons,” sacrificing their time to ensure their charges are not disadvantaged.

There is no doubt that by the time the exams are over children, parents and teachers all express a collective sigh of relief. Why we subject our precious young ones to such pressure continues to defy logic, given what we know about the nature and purpose of education in a modern society.

Vacation time is essential for children to develop social and emotional skills through play, exploration, and adventure. They learn to negotiate with each other, resolve differences of opinion and conflict in an informal atmosphere while at the same time having fun. Their muscles are stimulated through physical activities, thus promoting normal physical growth and development.

Communication skills are also developed in situations of play and the overall mental state of the child is enhanced.

Through involvement in organised sport and related activities children learn about rules of engagement and limits of behaviour, teamwork, respect for authority and an overall sense of discipline while pursuing activities they enjoy.

Valuable learning takes place in an informal manner, enhancing their life skills, sense of identity and self-worth. They eat and rest better, enabling healthier brain and physical development.

Against this background, parents are urged to ensure that their children are given ample time to play in both structured and unstructured settings. While supervision is important, older children need time to be on their own, guided by strict rules so that they can develop a sense of responsibility.

Parents should also make time to play with younger children to develop stronger bonds and as a means of knowing their children.

Every effort should be made to get children involved in organised sport if only as a means of exploring areas of potential. Vacation time should not be wasted and if used in the manner outlined above will augment and enhance schooling efforts. Using the vacation time to engage in remedial work is one thing, but using it as a means of robbing children of play time is another.

Childhood taken away from children is lost forever. Our obsession with getting children into a “good” secondary school robs thousands of children of their childhood annually, causing them to become dysfunctional adults.

Given that the preparation for SEA begins from Standard III, with “lessons” before and after school as well as at lunch time, it is imperative that children are allowed to play through their vacation as much as possible without the imposition of “lessons.” There is no substitute for good constructive play during these critical years of development and parents are reminded that SEA is not the most important examination in a child’s life or that quality education is not exclusive to a few secondary schools.

The advent of electronic games and social media make the active involvement of children in play and sport even more critical.

A release from the UWI regional headquarters in Mona, Jamaica said the university welcomed Chancellor Bermudez, to mark the change in leadership as he assumed the post of the highest office-holder in the UWI system. Bermudez as Chancellor shall preside at meetings of the Council (the highest governing body of the regional university) and any Convocation and shall have such powers and perform such duties as may be conferred upon the holder of the office of Chancellor by The UWI Charter or any Statute, Ordinance or Regulation, according to the university’s statutes and ordinances.

Bermudez has been an entrepreneur for over 40 years. He led the growth of his family- owned firm, to a regional business throughout the Caribbean and Latin America.

He has enjoyed a distinguished career in business, serving as either chairman or board director for several corporate bodies in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean.

The UWI said his vision for the UWI outlines a keen sense of the mission, effectiveness, relevance and interdependence of academia and the economy.

His professional experience as a Caribbean- wide entrepreneur with business acumen garnered from across the region suggests that, the UWI said, he will continue the outstanding tradition of chancellorship at the university.

A week ago, changes were made across the city including relocation of several taxi stands and a change in traffic flow. Regrello hosted a meeting with members of the Marabella Taxi Drivers Association and senior police officers yesterday following which, the Short Street change was announced.

The Couva Taxi stand will now be relocated to Upper High Street opposite Republic Bank. The Marabella Taxi stand will be relocated along Pointe-a-Pierre Road in front Royal Castle. Regrello said plans were implemented following recommendations by taxi drivers.

“Vehicles from Pointe-a-Pierre Road would enter Short Street and exit unto High Street and make that short route back onto Pointea- Pierre Road. It makes a lot of sense,” he said.

The new traffic plans should greatly reduce traffic congestion and pressure on police officers to maintain law and order. The mayor said that he and his team will look into implementing strategic drop off points around the city.

“It should not be ‘drive, I’ll take it here’ scenario. Drivers have to decide where a passenger would be dropped off and we have already established certain drop off points,” Regrello said.

“We are taking measures to ensure that those who were responsible for the design would be held accountable, because we cannot understand how a school could be built in a swamp. In addition to that, we have identified a number of schools that we are going to continue the construction and as soon as we have the requisite funds, the Fanny Village Government School would be among those that we would be constructing,” Garcia had stated.

But following statements by former Education Minister Dr Tim Gopeesingh who questioned the amount of money spent on the incomplete school, the Ministry gave a time line on the school’s building programme and subsequent stalling of that programme.

The Ministry noted that in September 2005, the Education Facilities Company Limited (EFCL) was mandated to provide “project management, designs, construction services and outfitting for twenty one (21) replacement government primary schools of which Fanny Village Government Primary School was included.” A contract was awarded to Ashana Civil Mechanical Contracting Limited in July 2008 in the sum of $39,454,887.79 for a package consisting of Cap-de- Ville Government Primary, Fanny Village Primary and Fanny Village ECCE. “Progress was hampered by slow and inadequate supply of design related information to the contractor,” the Ministry stated, adding that the original design consultant was subsequently fired and a new design contractor hired.

Another contractor was also hired and presented two options as the way forward: firstly, structural retrofitting of all existing structural members at an estimated cost of $33,400,000. Secondly, restricting all blocks to single storey buildings, limited structural retrofitting and redesign of the roofs to make them lighter.

This option was estimated to cost $27,700,000.

EFCL subsequently selected the second option and awarded a contract initially valued at $19,100,000.00 VAT Exclusive.

The court is being asked to appoint Hugh Dickson and Marcus Wide of international accounting firm Grant Thornton as joint provisional liquidators.

The application for the appointment of the liquidators is in conjunction with action taken by Government which has also petitioned the High Court to have CL Financial wound up because it is unable to pay its $15 billion debt.

The winding up hearing is set for July 25, the same day a meeting has been convened by shareholders who are in opposition of the move by the Government. At the hearing for the appointment of the provisional liquidators before Justice Kevin Ramcharan in the Port of Spain High Court yesterday, former attorneys general John Jeremie, SC, and Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, SC, gave notice of their intent to seek to intervene in the proceedings.

Both Jeremie and Maharaj are representing two groups of shareholders of CL Financial. In support of his application, which will be heard on Wednesday along with the application for the liquidators’ appointment, Jeremie described the move by the Government to have CL Financial wound up as ‘corporate murder and homicide.’ He said the conglomerate was not a grocery or parlour on the corner and his clients had rights under the Companies’ Act to be heard. He said the Government has been in control of CL Financial for almost a decade and one third of the debt owed to the Government had already been repaid.

“Unless they can say those payments were made unlawfully, they (the repayment) adhered to the Companies’ Act when the company was solvent,” he argued. Jeremie also said it was an abuse of process to not allow his clients an opportunity to be heard on the applications.

In strenuous opposition to the intervention, Senior Counsel Deborah Peake, who represents the Government, accused the shareholders of waiting to derail the appointment of the liquidators and suggested that they instead seek to intervene in the winding up proceedings.

“My client is only one creditor… We are seeking to preserve the company’s assets. The Government is owed $15 billion and they (the shareholders) can only obstruct our application if they can say and prove that the company is solvent,” she said. The $15 billion is the balance owed to the Government for its bailout of CLF subsidiary CLICO in 2009 which amounted to $23 billion in total.

In its winding up petition, the Government has argued that CLF is insolvent and its continued operation is reckless. It has also said that it was in the public’s interests to have the conglomerate wound up to repay its debt to the Government and other creditors.

It also noted that shareholders have sought to undermine the conditions under which the Government agreed to provide financial support to CLF and its subsidiaries by seeking to remove the government’s directors on CLF’s board.

Paul, 15, was on a motorcycle operated by her father when they were struck by a vehicle. Nicholas died on the spot. Speaking to Newsday yesterday Nicolette’s aunt Roxanne Dookhantie said her niece is responding by nodding her head and squeezing the hands of relatives.

“She does not know her father is dead and we are not going to tell her that right now. She is slowly recovering and that news could send her into shock, which we do not want,”she said. Dookhantie added that everyone is praying for the teenager’s full recovery. Nicolette had been anxiously awaiting the purchase by her father, of a new Suzuki motorcycle three weeks ago.

When Paul brought the bike home he promised to take Nicolette for a ride. Paul often took his other daughter, Nikisha, 14, and Nicolette for rides. Both girls attend Gasparillo Secondary School.

Police said Paul was an experienced rider. At about 5.30 pm on Saturday, Paul decided to take Nicolette for the ride he had promised.

Relatives yesterday said the girl was all smiles and seemed so excited as she left home. According to a police report, Paul headed towards the Reform Link Road which leads to the southbound lane of the Solomon Hochoy Highway near the newly-opened Brian Lara Cricket Academy.

Tragedy struck when a white Elantra car travelling in the opposite direction, attempted to overtake a line of vehicles along the link road. The driver of that vehicle, according to the report, crashed head-on with Paul’s motorcycle.

Paul and his daughter were thrown several feet into the air and both landed on the road.

Nicolette was rushed to San Fernando General Hospital in an ambulance.

The driver of the Elantra was also injured, the report stated, and was also taken to the hospital.

Paul lived with his wife Vicky, 38, and their daughters and worked as a crane operator at Paramount Transport Ltd. Gasparillo Police officers are investigating.

The vessel which was initially expected to arrive in Trinidad on Sunday night was delayed briefly in the Panama Canal Sinanan told Newsday yesterday. Barring weather challenges, the vessel, which had already left the Panama Canal, was on schedule to arrive last night, he said. The vessel is expected to make a run to Tobago even before it begins its service. Sinanan said that the cargo service will ease the inconvenience of truckers who had to use the air bridge to get to Tobago while their vehicles went by sea.

“Truckers can expect relief,” he said.

The Cabo Star, he said, will take over the services that the Trinity Transporter and the Atlantic Provider, had been providing.

The Cabo Star is one of two vessels, the other being The Ocean Flower, that Government has leased to ease the transportation problems that were being experienced following the departure of the Super Fast Galicia in April. The situation worsened when the T&T Spirit, one of the passenger boats that plied the route, was put in dry dock for repairs.

The vessels are being leased from Bridgemans Services Group of Vancouver, Canada. The Cabo Star is being leased at a daily cost of US$22,500 (TT$157,500) and the Ocean Flower for US$26,500 (TT$185,500).

Dead is Manza Samnath, 38, of Bholai Trace, Quinam Road in Penal. According to a police report, at about 9.30 pm on Sunday, Samnath was watching television in the living room of the family home when the male relative raised the volume of a radio.

Reports are that Samnath became upset and told the relative to turn the volume level down.

The relative refused and the two began arguing.

The argument escalated and the two men began fighting.

Samnath was dealt several blows to his head.

Police said the relative used his fists to cuff Samnath who fell unconscious.

The enraged relative then began throwing Samnath’s clothing out of the house. Neigbours contacted Siparia police. Samnath was rushed to San Fernando General Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. A 27-year-old man remains in police custody.

An autopsy is expected to be performed today at the Forensic Science Centre in St James and investigations are ongoing

In many ways, the meeting is a repeat of history. A similar meeting took place last year.

And long before the current Government administration, the Office of the Prime Minister has often hosted the Opposition.

Indeed, a similar exercise was undertaken by Persad-Bissessar during her tenure as prime minister.

And before both Rowley and Persad-Bissessar, several prime ministers have held meetings with Opposition legislators to agree on new provisions being passed in Parliament.

Unfortunately, when it comes to Government-Opposition collaboration, the record of achievement has been fairly dismal in recent times. The anti- gang legislation, the rules governing the selection of a Police Commissioner and even the infamous Section 34 law were all passed with bipartisan support, some as a direct result of Government and Opposition meetings.

Former PNM prime minister Patrick Manning famously trashed the laws governing the selection of a police commissioner which had been promulgated during his tenure, saying they represented “compromise” positions having come out of collaboration with the UNC.

The timing of Manning’s reappraisal of the law (his government had just rejected the Police Service Commission’s top choice for commissioner — Stephen Williams) distracted from the truth of its substance: a High Court judge eventually struck down portions of the law years later and today few disagree that it remains unsatisfactory.

Is it really the case that when legislators cooperate the resulting measures are more likely to be defective? In theory, listening to the views of others who do not have to toe your line enhances decision- making. Any government will always have expert advice at its disposal, but the wider its pool of expertise the better.

Still, it is also clear that when the stakes are high and both sides have much to lose, compromises will result in a loss of quality. There is something called objection for objection sake and it is not conductive to good law.

But without an adversarial process, it is also the case that hidden flaws may not come to light. It is the job of Opposition and Independent legislators to be extremely vigilant on behalf of the population as a whole.

What matters most is that the politicians realise there is a time and a place for collaboration as opposed to theatrics. Both sides must also be fully committed and must not, years after the fact, then engage in a revision of history to suit the current political climate.

The agenda for the meeting has given us some encouraging signs. We truly hope progress can be made on campaign finance reform, a matter left in abeyance by the Persad-Bissessar regime after five years. It is also encouraging that the Prime Minister has returned to the fore his plan for a code of conduct for parliamentarians, a matter that is urgently required given the faltering of the Integrity Commission and the matter of the management of constituency office funds and employment practices across the floor.

Crime, however, remains the most pressing matter and should also be on the agenda, whether special majority matter or no.

We need, by 3.30 pm today when this meeting ends, some real results.

Yesterday, records from the bank indicated that $600,000 was deposited in the two vaults to service ATM over the weekend.

On Friday at 6 pm, the bank was secured by the branch manager and security officers.

However, on Sunday when a security guard arrived for work at the establishment, he detected the scent of burning metal inside the branch and alerted the branch manager.

When the Manager arrived, it was discovered that a hole had been cut from the roof of the building and the two vaults were also cut open.

All cash inside the vaults were missing and officers of the Cunupia Police Station, located a stone’s throw away from the bank, were contacted.

Officers walked from the station to the crime scene and carried out checks.

The bank’s surveillance footage was made available to investigators and officers of the fingerprint section dusted for prints.

The bank’s ATM remained closed on Sunday to facilitate the police investigation.

Yesterday, ACP (Central) Surujdeen Persad met with the Manager of the Bank and its Head of Security to discuss the way forward in improving security.

Sources revealed that the police are following certain leads and were viewing surveillance footage to assist them in making arrests. Police believe that the same persons who attempted to cut open the vault at the bank’s St James branch two weeks ago may be linked to this latest robbery.

A release from the bank yesterday stated the Cunupia branch was opened for business yesterday as normal and apologised for the ATM’s closure on Sunday to facilitate investigations by police. The bank assured that every effort is being made to ensure the safety of its premises