Former Education Minister, Dr Tim Gopeesingh is warning the various denominational boards of Trinidad and Tobago that their constitutionally enshrined authority, autonomy and independence to manage the hundreds of primary and secondary schools under their purview may now be under serious and dangerous threat.
This after the Rowley Cabinet has received the report of the Committee it commissioned last year to review and recommend changes to the conduct of Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) and the Concordat.
Thus far, Gopeesingh said, the Government has not made this report public, as it must do, in order to preserve the democratic principles that govern the education sector, and indeed, all national public systems.
He said, “Notably, this Committee comprised 24 handpicked PNM appointees. Therefore, the public cannot be assured of their independence until the report is made public, and unless its findings and recommendations reflect thorough and fair investigations, independent of political biases and dictates.”
“It is therefore incumbent on the Government to urgently make this entire report available to the public, in the spirit of democratic fairness and transparency.
Further, the Education Minister must NOT, in any way possible, seek to implement any of the report’s recommendations without comprehensive consultations with all stakeholders in the education sector, especially the 17 denominational Boards who currently operate some 340 primary and 44 secondary schools throughout T&T.”
Gopeesingh said the reality is that the Rowley Government simply cannot be trusted to uphold democracy and fairness in Trinidad and Tobago, given their dangerous and damning track record of outright nepotism, and dictatorial actions and policies in the past eight years.
He added: “This is especially true with regard to the education sector, buffered by the fact that one denominational Board has already threatened legal action against the Education Ministry over what it contends to be a violation of the Concordat.”
“Another example of same is the ongoing fiasco involving the Education Minister’s arbitrary, highly questionable interferences in the publication of the SEA results.
Most recently, Minister Gadsby-Dolly has undertaken the unprecedented move to not include the percentile ranking in the student performance reports for the 2023 SEA examinations, causing outrage among parents, according to media reports.
“This follows her equally questionable, prejudiced, arbitrary move to stop the public announcement of top-ranking schools and SEA performances, forcing parents to file Freedom of Information requests to get the information.”
Gopeesingh said, all of these actions point to a concrete pattern of dictatorship and general undermining of the integrity and fairness of the education sector, as well as the autonomy of denominational schools and relevant education stakeholders by the Rowley Government. “It is wrong, unconstitutional, and dangerous.”
“I therefore call on the Denominational Boards in particular to take a strong, determined, fearless stance against the Rowley Government’s galloping dictatorship. Do your duty and take all legal measures available to protect your constitutionally enshrined rights, and the democratic principles that govern our education sector, and nation, for the sake of our children’s future,” said Gopeesingh.