The PNM Government has rolled back the past PP administration’s projected streamlining of the Government Assistance for Tuition Expenses (GATE) programme in certain areas and is prepared to fund all medical students accepted at Mona and Cave Hill Medical School Campuses.
The Education Ministry issued a brief release yesterday stating: “With immediate effect, the Government is prepared to fund all medical students who have been registered and accepted to enter the Medical Schools at Mona and Cave Hill Campuses.
“The Government is prepared to fund, through the GATE system, all medical students who have been registered and accepted to enter Medical Schools at UWI: Mona, Jamaica, Cave Hill, Barbados and St George’s University Grenada.”
The ministry initially issued a release noting the past PP’s streamlining projections on GATE in such areas.
That release was recalled and a brief four-line release was subsequently issued, minus the PP’s decisions, stating that the current Government would fund all medical students accepted at Mona and Cave Hill Medical School Campuses.
Former science, technology and tertiary education minister Fazal Karim, now UNC/PP shadow minister for education, said yesterday the PP’s planned streamlining of the programme in those areas overseas, was not only to meet the economic challenges facing the country, “but it had resulted from an increase in the capacity for students’ intake both at Mt Hope Medical Sciences Faculty and an expansion of the San Fernando Teaching Hospital.”
Karim, who was on his way the to UNC’s weekly caucus, added: “I want to make it clear the PP government’s plans were not intended to disenfranchise any student who was suitably qualified to pursue medical sciences.
“But the GATE committee had recommended this (streamlining) since there would have been expansion of places in T&T not only at Mt Hope and San Fernando but also wherever we opened new hospitals which would have been teaching institutions, such as the Children’s Hospital at Couva and even the Scarborough Hospital in Tobago.
“The intention was to have as many, if not all, applicants who would have been suitably qualified and accepted to pursue medical degrees in Trinidad and even Tobago and as we built capacity at home, there would have been less dependence on sending students outside of T&T.”
Karim said clearly the current PNM administration didn’t see the situation of funding the students overseas as a challenge “as they have now indicated they can support all students who have applied.
“However, in our tenure, taxpayers funds were used to build capacity locally to provide more space for students to study at home in T&T and that investment would have also ensured students did clinicals at home also,”
Economist Dr Patrick Watson, in giving his opinion on the upcoming 2015- 2016 budget, had warned against increasing what he deemed unproductive expenditure, such as URP, CEPEP and even GATE, where he noted wastage had been reported. Outlining the challenges facing T&T, Watson said he hoped GATE would be streamlined.