Moonilal says under the Rowley-led PNM Administration, it’s “Castles before Schools”

As the new school term begins Oropouche East MP Dr. Roodal Moonilal is pleading with Education Minister Anthony Garcia to act swiftly to open the Ramai trace hindu school in the constituency of Oropouche East. This school was 90% completed in 2015 when the People’s Partnership left office.

Though it was constructed three years ago and is over 90 % complete the Ramai Hindu Trace Primary school has yet to open, forcing nearly 300 students to travel to a temple over an hour away at Penal Rock Road every day for school. Students, parents, the member of Parliament, the councillor and concerned residents of the area have staged numerous placard bearing protests. Including journeying to Port of Spain in March 2017 to protest in front of the Parliament building. On that occasion both Ministers Garcia and junior Minister Francis Lovell had pledged to have the school reopened for the new school year in September 2017. That did not materialize. Several questions have been asked in parliament on this matter with little results.

In the meanwhile the students have had to wrap their head around the baffling problem of why it is taking longer to finish 10 % of a school , than it was building the 90% of it. Today we hear of $ 16m spent to refurbish the Stollmeyer’s castle to view paintings while the government could not find much less money to complete the school. So now the children of penal and debe don’t have a school but can go to the castle to view paintings.

In the time it is taking to finally open the Ramai Hindu Primary School , the Government has completed the Toruba Stadium , renovated Stollmeyer’s Castle and paid a Minister’s Sexual Harassment lawsuit.

Minister of Education Anthony Garcia has said the remaining works at the school will take another year to complete but If we are to judge Minister Garcia by his performance and the priorities of this government , the school will be finished just in time for the students to collect their pension. It is a case of terribly misplaced priorities!!! How can the government find $100M to fix the Toruba stadium but cannot complete a school or open a hospital. That stadium was used for one fete match and closed since then.

The Rowley Adminstration is demonstrating a Napoleanic affinity for imperial pursuits as opposed to providing the basic goods and services to the people. Not surprising therefore that children don’t have schools, villages don’t have water but we have castles and paintings to savor.