Oropouche West MP: Education Minister continues to shift blame

The Member of Parliament for Oropouche West, Mrs. Vidia Gayadeen-Gopeesingh, is criticizing recent statements made by the Minister of Education on the weight of student’s school bags.

Earlier this week the, The Ministry of Education issued a statement highlighting that the weight of the school bags of primary school children are significantly above the internationally recognized standard. The average school bag of a primary school student in Trinidad and Tobago is 30-40% of a student’s body weight while the recommended weight should be approximately 15%. Mrs. Gayadeen-Gopeesingh stated that this is not a problem experienced only by primary school children but also by form 1-3 students in secondary schools.

The MP criticized Minister Garcia for placing the blame on teachers and his comments that teachers need to be less dependent on the use of textbooks.

Mrs. Gayadeen-Gopeesingh challenged “How can teachers depend less on textbooks when the syllabi have not been altered to facilitate this change?” She continued “this is why the People’s Partnership administration under the leadership of Kamla Persad- Bissesar made a commitment to introduce e-books in Math and English for students in forms 1&2 and distributed thousands of laptops; the former Prime Minister had the foresight to implement initiatives that would have alleviated the issues raised by this incompetent Minster.”

The MP stated, “The People’s Partnership Government was on the path to integrate modern methods of teaching and learning through the use of information and communications technologies to prepare the children of the nation for the transition into the technologically advanced era.”

Mrs. Gayadeen- Gopeesingh concluded “it is now clear that the education system has regressed under this inept PNM government.”

“The Honorable Minister should open the schools and Early Childhood Centers that were completed under the People’s Partnership which remained closed by this wicked PNM government.”

Dated: 28th February 2018