Finance Minister Colm Imbert says there are adequate resources in the Gate fund to ensure that all demands from tertiary students are met.
Imbert gave the assurance during yesterday’s Standing Committee meeting on the 2016 national budget in the House of Representatives.
The meeting, being chaired by House Speaker Bridgid Annisette-George, resumes today at 10 am and is scheduled to conclude at 4 pm.
In response to questions from Caroni East MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh, Imbert said Gate was funded by a special fund, adding that $650 million is being transferred into the fund to cater to students’ needs.
“When you add this $650 million that is there, you would have the required amount to pay for the expenditure of the required $700 million (plus) in 2016. So we are comfortable at this point in time with the balance that already exists in the Gate fund that this transfer of $650 million is adequate to meet all the demands of this fund in 2016, including the payment for the medical students who were denied funding by you (the People’s Partnership),” Imbert told the meeting.
Gopeesingh also asked Imbert about a proposal by the new Government to establish a means test to qualify for Gate funding.
Imbert said that was a matter the nation must talk about.
“If you take a combination of (Gate) expansion and a means test it may be revenue neutral. You add and you subtract and you might get the same figure,” Imbert said.
He said the financing of those who could pay for tertiary education should also be discussed.
“We need to talk about it as a country...that whether the very rich, wealthy, should also be entitled to free (tertiary) education. We need to talk about it. We need to have a dialogue on this,” Imbert said.
But Gopeesingh said education should be equitable and accessible.
Imbert also said the modest decrease of $6 million in the Food Card programme would not negatively affect the initiative, which was started by the former People’s Partnership regime. He said the new Government “will be cutting out corruption, waste and mismanagement” from the programme, which provided assistance to the poor.
Based on the increased allocation to another PP initiative—the Children’s Life Fund—Gopeesingh asked Imbert if the PNM Government would be contributing to the fund. Imbert said he would respond to that question in writing