New Minister of Education Dr Tim Gopeesingh says first on his agenda is to deal with the violent activities and high level of indiscipline in schools. Gopeesingh, a former chairman of the North West Regional Health Authority was sworn into office along with other members of the newly-installed Cabinet by President George Maxwell Richards yesterday. The swearing-in ceremony was held at Knowsley Building, Queen's Park Savannah in Port-of-Spain. Gopeesingh who is also the Member of Parliament for Caroni East spoke briefly to the media after the ceremony.
He was one of two MP's who agreed to speak with the media before leaving for a Cabinet meeting. The other was Chaguanas West MP Jack Warner, who was given the portfolio of Minister of Works and Transport. Gopeesingh said the Education Ministry was "a very tough ministry," and likened it to the Ministry of Health. He said many people wanted him in that ministry. Gopeesingh is a gynaecologist by academic training. He said he was honoured and felt very privileged to have been given the opportunity to serve the country "at this level."
He said he hoped to make a difference for the future generation "because the future generation depend upon a very sound education system ranging from early childhood education straight on to tertiary education." MP for Moruga/Tableland Clifton De Coteau, a former principal, will be a minister in the Education Ministry. "My role is to ensure that first of all, the violence and the indiscipline in schools are stomped out to carry the human resource capacity from the early stage through to the fulfillment at tertiary education," Gopeesingh said.
"So it's going to be a long and arduous task. "We want to raise the performance levels of students from 30 per cent pass rate in secondary schools to 100 per cent and we want to make sure that all schools have tremendous discipline and the violence ought to be stomped out." Asked about De Cotoeau's role, the Education Minister said it would be discussed in Cabinet. The promise of free laptops to all students who wrote the Secondary Entrance Examination will be honoured, Gopeesingh assured. He said the promise was made by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and the laptops would be delivered.
Responding to the question of the implementation of single-sex schools which was a policy of the previous administration, Gopeesingh said that was an issue which would have to be raised in Cabinet. He added there would be many areas to be examined to determine how to bring male students up to par with females. "We have to look at the physical activities in terms of exercise and the psychological components of young men from teenage years going astray and therefore we have to bring them back on board," he said.