September 28, 2016: The Ministry of Education is expecting new school construction to be reinitiated in the new fiscal year subject to budgetary allocations by the Ministry of Finance. The Honourable Anthony Garcia, Minister of Education has noted recent reports which indicate that the Education Ministry has not been effectively dealing with new school construction, but he reaffirms his position that every student would be able to attend classes at the start of the new term.
He said, “As everyone is aware, a school can be opened one day and due to unforeseen circumstances, be closed the next day. There have been a number of protests by various Parent Teachers Associations that are calling for their schools to be completed. These projects do not fall within the School Vacation Repair programme. They fall under the remit of New School Construction which had been put on hold since last September for various reasons.” The reasons, Minister Garcia noted, included the commencement of an audit into the operations of the Education Facilities Company Limited (EFCL) and the partial payment of debt amounting to approximately $800 million which were owed to contractors, before they recommenced work.
Minister Garcia wishes to emphasize that there are two different processes involved in school construction, namely, New School Construction and the Vacation Repair Programme.
Under the Vacation Repair Programme, all types of repair, refurbishment and improvement works are considered. As part of this process, the School Principal submits a report outlining the physical plant issues that have developed, and their effect on the operation of the school. The information is then sent to the EFCL where a technical team visits the school and provides a detailed Scope of Works based on engineering considerations and recommendations.
The EFCL then forwards these recommendations, which include preliminary budget estimates to the Educational Facilities Planning and Procurement Division (EFPPD) in the Ministry of Education. A comprehensive review of the scope of works is undertaken to ensure proper alignment of the proposed remedial actions with desired outcomes, and to determine whether the budget estimated costs fall within the current market rates associated with the type of work required. The proposal is also assigned a priority rating and all documentation is then forwarded to the Ministry’s Accounting Officer (Permanent Secretary) who will convey approval to EFCL to commence the procurement process once the budget estimates fall within the financial resource allocations assigned by the Ministry of Finance. The objective of the EFCL’s procurement process is the engagement of a contractor to carry out the work.
Depending on the level of resources allocated, construction/repair work that is not classified as urgent/necessary may be deferred to allow work of a higher priority to take precedence.
To date, the Ministry of Education has undertaken 200 projects in 177 schools in Trinidad which were facing dire circumstances due to the stoppage of the Vacation Repair Programme during the last five years.
With reference to New School Construction, this is a separate category where the funding is given distinct from the Vacation Repair Programme. Admittedly, the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, and by extension the Ministry of Education, has been affected by current adverse economic conditions which have delayed the completion of several schools. It is however hoped that in the new fiscal year and subject to the budgetary allocations given by the Ministry of Finance that construction works can be re-initiated under this category.
###
For further information please contact:
The Corporate Communications Division
Ministry of Education
868-628-6769