JavaScript is disabled in your web browser or browser is too old to support JavaScript. Today almost all web pages contain JavaScript, a scripting programming language that runs on visitor's web browser. It makes web pages functional for specific purposes and if disabled for some reason, the content or the functionality of the web page can be limited or unavailable.

Sunday, July 6, 2025

Time to review GATE funding requirements, says Opposition MP

by

1390 days ago
20210914
Khadijah Ameen MP.

Khadijah Ameen MP.

Mem­ber of Par­lia­ment for St Au­gus­tine and Shad­ow Ter­tiary Ed­u­ca­tion Min­is­ter for the Op­po­si­tion, Khadi­jah Ameen, is call­ing on the Gov­ern­ment to re­view the GATE pol­i­cy, with a view to re­build­ing the na­tion­al econ­o­my.

Ac­cord­ing to the MP, it is time to take an­oth­er look at the re­quire­ments for young peo­ple to be able “to study and train in ar­eas that can help the econ­o­my grow, de­vel­op and come out of the eco­nom­ic and so­cial down­turn brought on by the COVID-19 pan­dem­ic.”

Stat­ing her com­mit­ment and will­ing­ness to work with all key stake­hold­ers in­volved, MP Ameen pledged her sup­port for the de­vel­op­ment and ed­u­ca­tion of young per­sons in all fields of en­deav­our, in an of­fi­cial state­ment re­leased ear­li­er to­day.

She cit­ed new re­search from UN­ESCO’s Glob­al Ed­u­ca­tion Mon­i­tor­ing (GEM)Re­port, which not­ed:

"Gov­ern­ments in low­er and mid­dle-in­come coun­tries must re­sist pres­sures to cut their bud­get for ed­u­ca­tion be­cause of the dif­fi­cult fis­cal en­vi­ron­ment. In­vest­ment for schools and learn­ers must be main­tained and if pos­si­ble in­creased. Gov­ern­ment must al­so di­rect parts of their ed­u­ca­tion bud­get to the most mar­gin­al­ized re­gions and schools."

The shad­ow ter­tiary ed­u­ca­tion min­is­ter ob­served:

“It is a known rec­om­men­da­tion that when­ev­er a coun­try is in a pe­ri­od of slump and slow eco­nom­ic ac­tiv­i­ty, it is the best time to in­vest in ed­u­ca­tion. When eco­nom­ic ac­tiv­i­ty picks up, then the new grad­u­ates will be able to quick­ly fill new po­si­tions pop­ping up. Ad­di­tion­al­ly, at this time, gov­ern­ment should great­ly con­sid­er in­vest­ing in ed­u­ca­tion, es­pe­cial­ly in sec­tors that can help di­ver­si­fy the econ­o­my.”

She fur­ther ad­vised the Min­is­ter of Ed­u­ca­tion and gov­ern­ment that if the GATE pol­i­cy is re­viewed to re­move some of its re­quire­ments, there would be greater in­ter­est for young peo­ple and any­one de­sirous of pur­su­ing stud­ies in need­ed ar­eas.

“In or­der to boost the ed­u­ca­tion sec­tor and in turn boost the econ­o­my, gov­ern­ment should hold con­sul­ta­tions with all stake­hold­ers to de­ter­mine what are ar­eas in need of more in­vest­ment for stud­ies,” the MP stat­ed.

MP Ameen re­vealed that over the past year, since be­com­ing the Mem­ber of Par­lia­ment for St. Au­gus­tine, many young per­sons had reached out to her beg­ging for some form of as­sis­tance to get GATE fund­ing—or any form of as­sis­tance—to be able to un­der­take stud­ies.

“In many cas­es some per­sons men­tioned that even though their in­comes were over the lim­it, they were still un­able to af­ford to pay for their stud­ies due to oth­er fi­nan­cial pres­sures and com­mit­ments be­ing faced at the time,” she not­ed.

OppositionCOVID-19EconomyEducationGovernment


Related articles

Sponsored

Weather

PORT OF SPAIN WEATHER

Sponsored