A delay in the payment of a monthly stipend to nursing students prompted protest action on Monday.
An official of the College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of T&T (Costaatt), who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the delay arose because of the transition from one fiscal year to another resulting in a late cash flow.
The official said the students did not seek clarification from management before embarking on the protest action.
A final year student receives $1,400 while the first, second year and third year nursing students receive a $1,200 monthly stipend.
On Monday, during a noisy protest, nursing students demonstrated in front of the Costaatt’s South Campus to voice their frustration with the non-payment of their stipend and mismanagement of courses among other issues.
Calling for the intervention of the respective Government ministers, they threatened to withhold their services at the various public hospitals if their issues were not rectified.
Carrying placards and umbrellas scores of students protested in front the San Fernando campus and in the carpark as they demanded a meeting with Costaatt officials.
The T&T Guardian was told the Costaatt president Gillian Paul was out of the country and would convene a meeting with the students upon her return.
Student Michelle O’ Connor said some students have been pursing the bachelor of science degree in general nursing for the past six, seven and eight years when the programme was really supposed to last four-and-a-half years.
“It is not that students are failing courses. What they (Costaatt) do when you do a course they drop the course and add other courses to the curriculum. They splitting courses without consulting you. How could you do that? When you enter the college they told us this is the curriculum and they not following that. Costaatt is very dysfunctional. They do not communicate with students at all. They make their decision and we just have to go along with them,” she added.
In addition, she said, they have not been paid their stipend.
“No one has been paid since August to now. People have families, rent, bills to pay. Some people leave their jobs to pursue this programme full time and this is what you all doing.”
She also claimed students NIB contributions were not being paid even though the respective deduction was being made from their stipend. “It have students who got pregnant and when they went to NIB not a single contribution was made for them. That is real nonsense,” she added.
Another student, Kelly Phillip, who has been at the college for five years complained: “We cannot take it anymore. We are fed up. This protest was our last resort. We sent letters, we spoke to officials asking for answers, but we got nothing.”
When we complain about the stipend, she said: “They are telling us ‘why don’t we get a part-time job. We are already working and going to school.”
They are demanding a meeting with officials to discuss their issues. If their issues are not addressed, she said: “We going to stay away from the wards. No stipend, no work. We cannot take it anymore, enough is enough. It have people here who struggling, who feeling suicidal, you losing your zeal, people have rent to pay like myself with no family support, you depend on your stipend.”
She pleaded with Education Minister Anthony Garcia, Health Minister Terrance Deyalsingh, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and even President Anthony Carmona to help them.