“I took a vagrant off the street when he came out of prison and gave him a home and now he has destroyed my livelihood.”

So said Regal Nanan as he gazed at the remains of a fire which engulfed his tool shop at French Street, Princes Town, on Sunday night. 

Nanan’s son Ryan, who works as a soldier with the T&T Defence Force, usually stayed in a bedroom inside the shop at nights, but he was not at home when the fire started. The rest of the family lives in another house a short distance away.

More than $125,000 worth of new and used tools were stored in the shop. Everything was destroyed including an undisclosed sum of cash, furniture and appliances. The building was not insured.

Up to 10 am yesterday, the fire had reignited. Standing close to the charred remains, Nanan said three weeks ago a man threatened to burn down their businessplace. 

Desperate to protect his property, Nanan said he bought wire and began to fence the land. 

“I made reports at the police station about the threats,” he added. On Sunday, Nanan said he decided to sleep in the shop and around 10.45 pm, he heard a loud explosion. 

“I peeped out the hole and...then I saw the entire wall on fire,” Nanan said. He bawled for help but the flames intensified. Nanan said he ran down the road to alert neighbours. By the time fire officers arrived the entire building was destroyed.

His mother, Surajie Nanan, 71, who flew in from Baltimore last month, said she lost all her clothes and her medical records in the fire. 

“I had six suitcases of clothes in the shop. All I have now is one dress and two underwear,” she cried. Surajie, who suffers from depression, said she also had filed reports at the station about threats made to her.

Police yesterday arrested a suspect in connection with the incident. Another suspect remains at large. Anyone with information on the fire can contact Crime Stoppers at 800-TIPS.

Eager to test out the speed of his father’s two new boat engines, Stephano Ramkhelawan went on a joy ride off the Moruga fishing bay on Sunday, but never returned.

It is believed that Ramkhelawan, 18, of Bois Jean Jean Road, Moruga, drowned in the Columbus Channel after being pitched off a pirogue named Renaldo shortly after 4 pm on Sunday. Witnesses saw him floundering in the water while the run-away boat circled around him.

Up to late yesterday, Coast Guard divers, friends, relatives and fishermen were searching the southern seas and the coastline with the hope of finding his body.

In an interview at Gran Chemin beach yesterday, Ramkhelawan’s father, Vishnu, said he had no hope that his son was alive. “I am sure that he is dead because he could not swim and he was not wearing any life jackets,” Vishnu said as he gazed out at the horizon.

There were two life jackets on board the Renaldo and Vishnu said he was puzzled as to why Ramkhelawan chose not to wear any. The boat was docked near the port and Vishnu said he was also uncertain why Ramkhelawan chose to go out to sea alone.

Describing his son as “harden” and stubborn, Vishnu said on Sunday Ramkhelawan told him he was going down the road.

“I told him to stay home and help me to wash some clothes but as usual he did not listen,” Vishnu recalled. Whilst home, Vishnu got a call that Ramkhelawan went out to sea at La Retreat with the boat and had fallen into the sea.

“Stephano’s cousin Blimp (Sylvester Singh) said my son went to joy ride but he couldn’t handle the boat. It dived and he pitched off. He came up once and went back down. The boat was circling in the water with nobody on board. 

“Blimp managed to bring the boat under control but we never saw my son again,” Vishnu added. 

He said Ramkhelawan recently signed up to do a welding course at the Moruga Composite School. 

“My son nearly drowned twice in the past. This time, I am certain that he died,” Vishnu added. He explained that he tried to teach Ramkhelawan to swim on many occasions but he always panicked.

He said Ramkhelawan was very close to him having lived with him after his marriage broke up. He added that Ramkhelawan recently opened a joint bank account with him and was helping him to rebuild their home. 

Three weeks ago, Vishnu said, he purchased two new boat engines and was also planning to buy a van for his son in the distant future.

Meanwhile, grandmother Ivy Ramkhelawan broke down in tears when the search party returned. 

“I just lost my husband Etwaro, who died three months ago. I don’t know how I will deal with this,” Ivy said. 

She said Ramkhelawan recently had an appendix operation and was looking forward to starting his welding course. 

Moruga police are continuing investigations. (RSD) 

Although the new school term is due to begin in approximately one month, the school repairs programme which is usually carried out during the July/August vacation period is yet to get underway.

Concerned that delays could hamper the smooth reopening of all primary and secondary schools on September 5, officials of the T&T Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) yesterday confirmed they would be meeting with Education Minister Anthony Garcia tomorrow to discuss this, among other issues.

President of TTUTA, Devanand Sinanan, said they had met with the ministry’s Permanent Secretary Angela Sinaswee-Gervais last Thursday about the matter and that she had given the assurance “things were being put in place to have an intensive four weeks of repairs.”

Sinanan said they were told that contractors had been lined up and the work would be completed within the stipulated time frame.

Asked how many schools had been earmarked to undergo repairs, Sinanan said they were yet to receive a list as they had been told the ministry was still finalising the scope of works.

Asked if TTUTA had received any complaints from teachers seeking representation after the minister announced two weeks ago that investigations were being carried out into the alleged infractions by some teachers in the areas of regularity and punctuality, Sinanan said this issue resided solely with the Teaching Service Commission.

He said the law was quite clear in this regard as there were guidelines pertaining to such issues, but that if TTUTA was asked to provide representation to any aggrieved teacher, “We will do so.”

Ministry officials yesterday declined to comment until after tomorrow’s meeting on when the repairs would begin.

The repairs are to be carried out by the Education Facilities Company Limited (EFCL), which is responsible for all school construction and repairs.

The EFCL was established as a Special Purpose State Enterprise (SPSE) on March 11, 2005, to deliver, repair and maintain educational institutions from the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) level to the primary and secondary levels.

According to its website, “The EFCL uses modern, innovative technology in its operations and aims to deliver all of its projects on time and within cost and specification. EFCL’s mandates are derived from its supporting role in the achievement of the MoE’s strategic goals and objectives.”

Other mandates assigned by the ministry include school repairs and maintenance; furnishing and equipment procurement; textbook rental; health and safety; risk management; monitoring and evaluation.

The current chairman is former Agriculture, Land and Marine Resources minister Arnold Piggott.

The murder rate continued to climb yesterday with the killing of a 30-year-old man of St Ann’s.

Five other men were killed in separate incidents in St Joseph, Tunapuna, Morvant and Caura over the weekend. 

Police said Motape Hutchinson, of Ariapita Road, St Ann’s, was found with multiple gunshot wounds.

A report said around 2.30 am residents heard loud explosions and upon checking found Hutchinson’s body lying on the roadway. 

Several people were questioned in connection with the spate of murders over the past weekend but no one was charged.

In the wake of the homicides, acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams announced a heightened police presence. 

Williams, who was on duty for his last day yesterday, is due to take a three-month vacation while Harold Phillips will now be taking up the mantle as acting commissioner.

Meanwhile, two construction workers were robbed by bandits while working at Tobago Road, Enterprise on Sunday.

Joel Gonsalves, 37, of Tobago Road, Enterprise, and Ricardo Scott, 26, a construction worker, of Teak Village, Claxton Bay, were working when they were robbed.

A report said around 11.45 am the men were doing construction work when they were approached by three men.

The bandits who were clad in T-shirts and black knee-length pants approached them. The robbers then robbed them of cash, jewelry and their cell phones. 

The bandits then fled the scene on foot. 

PC Bajan and a party of officers responded and are continuing investigations. 

Also, police said they are looking for a suspect wanted in connection with a shooting at a house in Couva.

Willon Edgar, 23, a labourer, of Teelucksingh Street, California, was asleep when he was awakened by several loud explosions.

When he checked, several bullet holes were found in the front wall of his home.

Sgt Pierre and other officers responded. 

Crime Scene personnel also responded and recovered eight spent shells from the scene.

PC Williams is continuing investigations.

In light of T&T’s current state of economy, studies in innovation and animation are needed to guide Government in realising its efforts to diversify the economy.

So said Ashram Deoraj, director— Teachers Supervision and Management, Ministry of Education, who delivered remarks on behalf of the Minister in the Ministry of Education, Lovell Francis, at the launch of the Sectoral Innovation Mapping (SIM) of the Animation Industry in T&T held at the Hilton Trinidad and Conference Centre in Port-of-Spain last Friday.

“As you would know, the current volatility in the price of oil and gas suggests that it is not prudent to put all eggs in one basket. 

“We need to expand the economic base for our country’s survival, and in light of this, I think the conduct of this research and the selection of non-energy industries like animation, a strategic services sector, gives us in Government a comprehensive understanding of viable economic alternatives to generate income and employment,” Deoraj said.

Congratulating the National Institute for Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (Niherst) for paving the way to undertake a research exercise of this nature, Deoraj said this type of research using SIM as the research instrument was not new to the world, but rather new to the conduct of research in T&T. Describing animation as a US billion dollar industry, he said it was also one of the fastest growing industries globally.

He said, “Traditionally, the industry is placed under the creative industries umbrella. In this SIM study however, animation is identified as a strategic industry of the ICT sector.

“This, too, makes perfect sense. ICT, yes, is an enabler, but for animation, this particular industry, ICT I believe is most definitely the key driver in every aspect of this industry’s growth and development,” Deodaj added.

He said such an industry was truly ideal for unleashing the creative genius of T&T’s people as it provided an opportunity to showcase talents and Caribbean culture. 

“I think the animation industry has an opportunity to promote a brand or a style that is unique to Trinbagonian culture and, more generally, Caribbean culture. 

“I am sure the audience here will agree with me that animation provides a platform to create a Caribbean identity where storylines and characters would reflect the attitudes, the values and the ideas of our Caribbean people,” Deoraj said.

Niherst’s president, Sylvia Lalla, who also spoke, said the institute was in its 32nd year of existence.

“In the absence of a board of governors it is incumbent on my management team under my leadership to forge ahead with the business of Niherst. 

“Currently, a top priority is to undertake a review of our programmes and projects ensuring that all are aligned to the national agenda and, moreover, to our mandate as outlined in the original Niherst Act of 1980,” Lalla said.

About SIM

Sectoral Innovation Mapping, commonly known as SIM, is not a new research tool. Internationally, SIMs have been used in developed and developing countries not only to uncover the challenges to innovation but also to highlight the intensity and types of interactions linking the actors in the specific industry under review. A SIM study is based on the premise that strengthening the role and linkages among actors will positively influence the performance and competitiveness of innovative firms. 

The research approach for the SIM is inclusive, involving extensive consultation with a significant sample of stakeholders in industry. Specifically for the Animation SIM, the methods deployed for collecting data include both preliminary and primary research, particularly a review of the available and accessible literature on the sector, the conduct of one-on-one interviews with public and private sectors stakeholders, as well as, academia, discussions via telephone, the exchange of electronic correspondence and networking at animation industry events. 

The findings of these micro-level studies add to the national research resource pool.

The results help to inform and support evidence-based decision making. 

A High Court judge has reserved her judgment in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Bail (Amendment) Bill 2015, which denies bail to people charged with offences while having guns in their possession. 

Justice Carol Gobin reserved her decision after hearing submissions from attorneys representing the State and two police officers accused of corruption, who were subject to the legislative provisions although firearms were not used in the commission of the criminal acts they are accused of. 

In their lawsuit, the officers—PCs Justin Charles and Ryan Mahabir—are contending that the legislation is arbitrary, as it negatively affects legal holders of guns accused of non-violent offences, whom Parliament did not intend to be captured by the legislation. 

“It is not reasonably justifiable in a society, which has proper regard for the rights and freedoms of the individual, for law enforcement officers, especially police officers, to be penalised for carrying a firearm in the event they are accused of and subsequently charged with a scheduled offence,” their lawsuit stated. 

While the controversial legislation’s sunset clause is scheduled to take effect next month, stopping the provisions, the officers are seeking compensation for the mandatory 120-day period spent on remand before they were granted bail. 

In response to the officers’ claims, state attorneys have contended that the measure was a necessary anti-crime initiative that was legally passed by a two-thirds majority in Parliament. 

Charles and Mahabir are charged with perverting the course of public justice and with soliciting $1,500 from Michael Lewis on May 2, last year, at St Helena Junction, Piarco, to forgo a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol. 

They also are charged with concealing two evidential results from a breathalyser test at the Caroni Police Station. Mahabir faces a third charge of making a false entry into the station diary, claiming that Lewis was held for a loitering offence, warned and allowed to leave the station.

The two were granted $75,000 bail at the Central Police Station but it was revoked after the presiding magistrate informed them their offence was one of the 14 offences under the legislation. They were eventually granted bail at the end of the 120-day period specified in the legislation. 

Fyard Hosein, SC, represented the State, while the officers’ legal team included Anand Ramlogan, SC, Gerald Ramdeen and Kent Samlal. 

Determined to not let her son’s death be in vain, the mother of 22-year-old Isaiah Hospedales has established a charity fund to assist families who have also lost loved ones to gun violence.

Hospedales was shot and killed on Ariapita Avenue in Port-of-Spain on July 23 after robbers attempted to snatch his gold chain. 

The Isaiah Hospedales AKA ‘Papi’ Charity Fund will provide counselling, financial and emotional support to families who have endured similar tragedy, a release said yesterday. 

Isaiah’s mother, Avis George-Hospedales, said the idea to embark on this initiative stemmed from a conversation she shared with her son a week before his killing.

“In that resounding moment, Isaiah, a budding chef and lover of life, expressed a desire to do more to improve the lives of others. My son will not be another statistic. I won’t allow his life, though surreptitiously cut short, to be easily forgotten,” she said. 

The release said the fund will endeavour to ease the burden in which ever way possible for families whose lives have been drastically altered because of gun violence. 

“To provide relief to those who need it the most, we will partner with non-governmental and community-based organisations and other local bodies,” his mother said.

Hospedales was described as a “fun-loving, generous and ambitious young man who worked alongside his parents in the family’s catering company.”

The family is in the process of registering the charity and establishing a governance structure that would ensure the smooth and transparent operating of the fund. 

The offering collected at Isaiah’s farewell service on July 29 will be deposited to the charity and will be matched by the Hospedales family.

Anyone interested in donating to the Isaiah Hospedales AKA ‘Papi’ Charity Fund can contact Shaheeda Sylvester at shaheedasylvester@gmail.com or 480-8296.

Frustrated and with seemingly nowhere to turn, Port-of-Spain City Corporation municipal police officer George Maharaj is pleading for the relevant authorities to look into his situation urgently before he and his family end up homeless and penniless.

“I cry night and day in pain and to see how I served my countrymen with dignity and pride and seeing the situation that I am in now, it’s such a shame,” Maharaj said.

Maharaj was stationed at the corporation for the past 15 years and was part of a team of officers who responded to 14 murders in 72 hours in 2015.

However, four years ago he was injured on the job and as a result had to undergo cervical spinal surgery at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC) in Mount Hope.

Last September, his dream of serving the country fell apart when he went before the Medical Board and was subsequently found unfit to continue working.

His hardship didn’t just end there. In January this year, he was sent a correspondence by the relevant authorities informing him that his extended sick leave was stopped and that he was now automatically sent on pre-retirement leave, which expired in May.

Speaking with the T&T Guardian, Maharaj explained how his life dramatically changed for him sending him on a roller coaster to “hell on earth.”

“As a result of being a supervisor at the Central Market Police Post I was working hard and given lots of extra duty for which I was able to take out a vehicle on loan. Now my salary has stopped and I cannot afford to pay for it,” Maharaj said.

Maharaj, who is now in a wheelchair, is seeking to get a hospital bed at home. 

He said: “Because of my injury, it is very painful for me to turn in my bed. I am diabetic, suffer from high blood pressure, contracted a coronary heart disease.”

Maharaj underwent a total disc transplant in the cervical spine, and in January, underwent a lumbar spinal surgery at the EWMSC. A second surgery of similar nature was done one month later.

In March, he was forced to discharge himself from the hospital because he felt neglected by officials there.

“Where they operated on me in my lower back, that became infected because of lack of antibiotics at the hospital (he alleged). I discharged myself and sought medical attention privately for a while up until my finances were depleted. I was now forced to return to the public hospital with the hope and prayer that they would take better care of me this time around cause I have nobody else to turn to,” Maharaj said.

He said that his medical bills cost approximately $2,000 a week, a cost he said he cannot meet.

Maharaj strongly believes that something went wrong at the corporation as he is allegedly constantly told by officials there that paperwork is yet to be organised where his pension and gratuity were concerned.

“I was told it will take three to six months to process. I am qualified for it under medical grounds, but I was told that even my increments are not up to date, so I do not know where is the delay coming from and the runarounds,” Maharaj said.

“I have been researching and calling various departments and ministries seeking redress or advice, but all seem in vain I am totally fed up and frustrated,” he added.

Maharaj is now unable to provide for himself proper medical treatment and by extension, unable to support his family.

He also recently received an eviction notice.

Maharaj was one of 153 municipal police officers who took the State to court for various reasons, including infringement of their constitutional rights back in 2003.

The matter was heard in the Privy Council and a judgment was given in the officers’ favour against the Attorney General. However, from January 2015 to now the officers are yet to be compensated.

Maharaj again needs to have corrective surgery on the spine but is calling on the relevant authorities to intervene.

“I need my pension, gratuity, NIS, medical treatment and medications. It’s all I am asking for—help!” Maharaj said.

The already sluggish criminal justice system now has another hurdle to climb after the lone pathologist on duty downed his scalpel yesterday, saying he will not be working until there was an improvement in the operations of the Forensic Science Centre (FSC), St James. 

Speaking with the media outside the FSC yesterday, Dr Valery Alexandrov said for the year he has already performed 310 autopsies, 156 of them being homicides and by international standards a pathologist that crosses 350 autopsies a year can be stripped of his ability to do his job through deficiency phase one.

Alexandrov said he was the only working pathologist for six weeks as his colleague, Dr Eslyn McDonald-Burris, was on vacation and Dr Hughvon des Vignes had not signed a renewal contract. 

He complained that he was understaffed based on international standards which required one mortuary assistant for every 100 cases and so far there had been 1,200 cases done at the FSC for the year. 

To date there are five attendants with three of them being women.

“This is a tough job lifting dead bodies and what not. There is a need for a legal mortuary attendant to handle all the legal documents, instead what we have is a radiologist and on the job trainees,” Alexandrov said.

The pathologist who has been working in T&T and by extension the Caribbean for the last seven years said that the leadership of the FSC was to be blamed for the “national catastrophe.”

He added that he has been clamouring for more staff, better equipment and round-the-clock availability of the refrigerators at FSC to store bodies, particularly homicides, to preserve evidence but those cries have fallen on deaf ears.

Yesterday Alexandrov told the relatives of seven men murdered over the weekend and other people who turned up for their autopsies that he was not performing any post mortems until further notice. Relatives, he said, were sympathetic to his plight and agreed with him. 

Three women who spoke to the media after speaking with Alexandrov said the pathologist was right for demanding better working conditions and called on authorities to do something about it. 

Other relatives were overheard saying that for an oil rich country such conditions should not be happening.

One man who came to support a friend who lost a loved one, asked about the Muslim rites of a swift burial, a sentiment also expressed by Alexandrov, a Jew. 

Alexandrov said he was not being malicious towards the grieving relatives as having lost a son years ago during the US invasion of Iraq he could understand their plight. 

“This is not a spontaneous revolt. Even in slavery a good slave master knows to give his slaves the tools needed to do the job,” Alexandrov said, adding that he had spoken to two former national security ministers but nothing has changed.

Alexandrov added that he was also owed gratuity for contracts long expired but have been given the run-around. He added that for the 142 working days of the year, there were 648 autopsies done at an average of five a day.

Asked about the Alexandrov’s concerns at a press conference yesterday at the National Security Ministry, Minister of National Security Edmund Dillon said the Government was in the process of recruiting more staff at the FSC. 

He admitted that the field of forensic science was not an attractive one but scholarships would be provided and in the short-term there were plans to extend existing contracts and hire new skilled labour. 

Trinidadian Abu Sa’d at Trinidadi is among Isis spokesmen from several countries who have urged sympathisers, including among T&T Muslims, to launch home turf attacks against Christians.

at-Trinidadi ’s story is featured in the July edition of Dabiq, Isis’ online magazine being published since 2014. It is aimed at recruitment, unitarianism, truth-seeking, migration and holy war among matters.

The July edition, issued last weekend and obtained by T&T Guardian last Sunday, is based on the theme “Break the Cross.” It features Christian converts, including at-Trinidadi , from the US, Canada, Finland and Jamaica who have called for supporters to destroy “Christian disbelievers.” Following last week’s issue of the magazine, news broke of nine suspected T&T nationals detained in Turkey en route to join Isis.

National Security Minister Edmund Dillon said yesterday Government was probing both that issue as well as the Dabiq report. Dillon spoke to the T&T Guardian after a meeting with law enforcement heads as well as international officials. Intelligence agencies are tracking the descriptions in the article against information on those individuals known to have gone to Syria over 2011-2016.

The Dabiq article has now been featured widely on French, German, European and UK agencies, US sites and global anti-terrorism watch groups and western media. The Isis warning follows recent terrorist attacks in Europe, including the killing of a French priest last week by two teenage Isis sympathisers. In the Dabiq article, T&T foreign fighter (FTF) At-Trinidadi claimed to be a former Christian convert to Islam who was “...now one of a large number of mujahidin from T&T” with Isis.

The article features pictures of other T&T nationals with Isis, including former Cunupia resident Shane Crawford, one of the T&T nationals who has been positively identified as joining Isis and South Trinidad Islamic scholar Ashmead Choate, whom at-Trinidadi credits with furthering his path to jihad. Claiming to be a sniper, at-Trinidadi said he was involved in crime before leaving T&T and was accused of being among those plotting to kill former prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

He claimed he and two T&T colleagues —Abu ‘Abdillah and Abu ‘Isa—were the first three Mus­lims to join Isis. He said the other two have since been killed. He claimed about 60 per cent “of the mujahi­din from Trinidad” come from Muslim families with the remaining 40 per cent being converts. In the article, at-Trinidadi sent a message to “the Muslims of Trinidad.” He said the first part of his message was “to those who claim Islam and yet blindly follow the muftis and imams....” He asked them to return to the “true” religion. He called on others to “perform hijrah to the land of Islam... You wanted your children to live in a land where Allah’s law is the highest, yet you now remain in a place where you have no honour...”

He added: “I also say to you my brothers, you now have a golden opportunity to do something that many of us here wish we could do right now. You have the ability to terrify the disbelievers in their own homes and make their streets run with their blood... They are bombing your brothers and sisters day and night in the land where Allah’s law is supreme. “It is an obligation upon you to act and force them to think thrice before bombing the Muslims. Therefore, terrorise the disbelievers and make them feel fear everywhere, even in their own bedrooms. Due to their mere disbelief, their blood by default is lawful to spill.”

The message emphasised the Isis leadership’s insistence “not to differentiate between disbelieving soldiers and their so-called “civilians.” At-Trinidadi continued: “Attack the interests of the Crusader coalition near you, including their embassies, businesses and civilians. Burn down their government institutions just as they try to bomb our buildings where Allah’s law is upheld. “Follow the example of the lions in France and Belgium, the example of the blessed couple in California and the examples of the knights in Orlando and Nice...

“... If, however, you abandon your brothers while continu­ing to live in the shade of an enemy at war with Islam, within a petty distance from many Crusader interests, then do not be shocked if Allah strips you of the speck of faith remaining in your dying hearts, as a punish­ment for your sin and insincerity.” At-Trinidadi sent a message to Christians to follow Muhammad. “If you refuse, then the only thing between you and us is the sword.”

‘Committed murder in TT’

On how he found his way to jihadism, he said: “There was a faction of Mus­lims in Trinidad known for ‘militancy.’ Its members attempted to overthrow the disbelieving government but quickly surrendered, apostatised and participated in the religion of democracy, demonstrat­ing they weren’t upon the correct methodology of jihad.

“In my case, like so many others, the da’wah to jihad took hold of me through the lectures of Shaykh Anwar al-‘Awlaqi. After lis­tening to his various lectures repeatedly, I gained a firmer understanding of what we as Muslims were supposed to be doing...”

He said South Trinidad Islamic scholar Ashmead Choate, who went to Syria between 2012 and 2013, furthered his path to jihad. 

“...Shaykh Ashmead Choate, he had studied hadith and grad­uated from one of the Islamic colleges in the Middle East. He made hijrah to the Islamic State and at­tained martyrdom (killed) fighting in Ramadi.”

At-Trinidadi said he and his two friends decided to join Isis “but we had some unfinished business with some disbelievers who had wronged the Muslims in the community. Our tickets were already booked, and we were ready to depart within a week but we felt guilty leaving without finishing what needed to be taken care of. We decided to delay our hijrah and there soon came an opportunity to exact revenge on the two kafir criminals we were hunting. 

“The operation was carried out in the middle of the city in broad daylight and was caught on cam­era. It wasn’t our plan for it to occur that way but it happened. Following the operation, Abu ‘Abdillah and Abu ‘Isa were arrested, and I went into hiding.

“We decided we had to leave Trinidad nonetheless...Abu ‘Isa was released pending investigation. Abu ‘Abdillah was also released. We left Trinidad one by one. I left first along with my wife, followed by Abu ‘Abdillah, then Abu ‘Isa. We met up in Venezuela.”

Arrested in T&T

He added: “Abu ‘Abdillah, my wife and I were arrested at one point but the police were not able to make a case against us. We were nonetheless charged for possess­ing guns and ammunition. They seized my computer and phones and found the videos, books and lectures on jihad. The taghut government of Trinidad then plotted against us, claiming that we were planning on assassinating the prime minister and a number of other ministers in order to cause chaos and panic in the country. 

“That would have been an honour for us to attempt but the reality of our operations was much smaller. We were imprisoned for terrorism along with some Muslims who merely knew us, as well as others whom we had never even met before...They were unable to make a case against us and we were freed... despite being placed under surveil­lance, we went back to doing what we knew we had to do.”

He was referring to the state of emergency called by the then People’s Partnership government in 2011 when several suspects were rounded up and imprisoned on charges of plotting to kill then prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, only to be released months later when the State could not produce sufficient evidence to prove their cases.

At-Trinidadi said the hardest thing in being with Isis was losing many close friends. He said colleague Abu ‘Isa was killed in Marista while Abu ‘Abdillah was killed in the Aleppo countryside during his time with Isis. 

He said another TT national, Abu Samir, was shot and had to leave for medical treatment. 

A brazen daylight shooting took place in Tunapuna yesterday mere hours before the top national security officials gave the nation the assurance that increased patrols were in effect to stem the rising murder toll.

The killing was one of two more murders recorded over the past 24 hours, pushing the murder toll to 268 for the year.

Investigators said gunmen ambushed Chevaughn Bramble, 25, outside his home at El Dorado Road, located close to the district’s health centre, shortly after noon. He was shot in the back in what police said was a dispute over an illegal gun. The gunman escaped by running up a nearby mountain at the top of El Dorado Road.

The father of two, who was expecting the birth of a third child, was taken the Eric Williams Medical Science Complex, Mt Hope, where he was pronounced dead.

Bramble’s mother Volouris Maynard gave a different account to the police report. 

Maynard said around 12.15 pm she was dressing to get ready to go out and her son was outside his home which is off the El Dorado Road when a white Nissan Tiida pulled up and opened fire. She said the gunmen began shooting Bramble just as he turned to walk into his yard. 

Maynard told the T&T Guardian her son was a labourer attached to the San Juan/Laventille Regional Corporation. She added that her son, who celebrated his birthday two Saturdays ago, was a quiet man who kept to himself and she had no idea why anyone would want him dead. 

Police on the other hand say he was killed for his involvement in a recent shooting in the Tunapuna area over a gun. The shooting, police said, was the motive behind the killing of Dillon Douglas, 22, who was shot dead near his home at Balthazar Street, Tunapuna, on July 27. 

Police said both men were responsible for shooting up the home of another gangster’s mother in the area and their deaths were linked to that shooting.

Other relatives who were at the scene of the shooting recalled that Bramble earned the nickname “Beast”, at the age of two when he fell out of a moving car and came out unscathed. 

Relatives said Bramble loved to sing but was a horrible singer. He was also a football player with WASA FC. A friend of Bramble’s posted on Facebook the labourer wanted to “change his life around and live for his children.”

In an unrelated murder, police are searching for a motive behind the shooting death of 52-year-old Wintley Manswell who was killed as he slept at his home at Superville, Morvant, on Monday night. 

Police reports stated that around 9 pm gunmen stormed the man’s home and opened fire, killing him in his bed. The execution style killing was reminiscent of a double murder in the St Joseph area on Saturday morning where two men—Idi Farrell and Anthony Lalla—were killed on a double decker bed as they slept. 

Region Two homicide officers are continuing investigations into both murders.

Najja Romain and Deena Gonzalez’s biggest fear for their eight-year-old son Kaj is falling.

While this may be a natural concern for any parent, for Kaj a fall could prove fatal.

The couple has been struggling for the past four years watching helplessly whenever Kaj suffers an epileptic seizure.

And while he was diagnosed with a form of epilepsy that is rejecting medication, the family has placed their faith in God and hope in the recommendations of Florida doctors set to perform corrective brain surgery on August 12.

Through Gonzalez’s initiative, Epilepsy Today Foundation TT, fundraisers and assistance from family, friends and well-wishers, they have raised a substantial amount of the monies required for the trip. 

They are still thousands of dollars away from the required US$156,000 needed.

It is not the couple’s first time, though, having to raise such a substantial sum for their son’s care.

In 2012, through their support network, they were able to raise successfully US$54,000 for a trip to the Florida Hospital for Children. Extensive testing (not available locally) revealed that Kaj has epilepsy from a congenital brain malformation.

It was there that Kaj’s, epileptologist, Dr Ki Hyeong Lee, strongly advised a corpus callosotomy or “split brain surgery” to reduce the frequency and severity of Kaj’s seizures.

In a recent interview with the T&T Guardian, Gonzalez, also spoke about the difficulty in securing money for their personal expenses abroad.

Government assistance, she stated, was denied them when in 2013 the family applied for assistance through the State’s Children Life Fund. 

According to Gonzalez, they were told by a member of staff at the fund’s offices that Kaj’s condition is not life-threatening.

Kaj’s medical costs have reached as high as US$1,100 a month for medication which Gonzalez said he could not miss. 

Their journey:

Kaj’s condition has now proven an obstacle to his continued education.

As a student at Eshe’s Learning Centre at Ariapita Avenue Kaj attends school three months a year. Gonzalez said that was because he had to be supervised constantly.

“We had to make the difficult decision of keeping him home, rather than chance another attack while at school. 

“From early on, when his seizures begun increasing, his paediatric neurologist, (Dr Rajendra Parag) advised that we seek an intervention in the United States. His type of epilepsy was intractable or resistant to medication. 

“The main seizure is the “drop attack” where he suddenly falls, very violently breaking plates if he was eating or his head crashes into counter tops, tables or the ground. He has had multiple seizure-related injuries and has to wear a helmet most times to protect his head from his falls,” said Gonzalez.

Romain said his family’s well-being could very well hinge on the surgery.

It has become a juggling act for them to maintain their jobs while caring for Kaj at home. Even a simple trip to the grocery is done with great reservation because of the unpredictable and dangerous nature of Kaj’s seizures.

“He is such a sweet natured boy and always talks about the things he is going to do when his seizures go away. 

“He talks of becoming a fireman one day, a policeman the other. We have realised he is quite fascinated with large vehicles; especially those with sirens,” said Gonzalez, beaming with maternal pride.

Epilepsy Today’s role

Through the Foundation, the family has raised awareness and assisted guiding other parents down the path their lives have taken. They have hosted marches, donated helmets for other children living with similar conditions.

On July 31, the couple hosted a fashion show, the brainchild of Gonzalez’s mother, Linda Darabie, at Palm’s Club, San Fernando, in the hopes of taking them one step closer to their goal.

Anyone wishing to assist Kaj can contact the foundation at 678-4224.

Bail was yesterday denied to a United Kingdom deportee charged with 20 charges of fraud, including fraudulent use of debit cards and trafficking in counterfeit cards.

Nicholas Thornhill, 25, an electrician, complained about being ill-treated by the police when he appeared before Senior Magistrate Cherril-Anne Antoine in the San Fernando First Court.

The charges which stemmed from a scam involving RBC Royal Bank’s Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) allegedly occurred during the period July 22 and July 24.

Nineteen of the charges alleged that Thornhill with intent to defraud RBC Royal Bank used the cards of six people to withdraw sums of money from various ATMs, totalling $46,000.

The transactions were done at ATMs located at Tropical Plaza, Marabella, Southern Main Road, La Romaine, St James Street, San Fernando and Eastern Main Road, San Juan. 

He was also charged with trafficking in counterfeit cards on July 24 at Tropical Plaza, Marabella. 

All the charges were laid by Cpl Ann Marie Edwards of the Fraud Squad under The Electronic Transfer of Funds Crime Act. 

Thornhill who was arrested by police two Sundays ago at Tropical Plaza, Marabella, complained through his attorney Jason Jackson that the police fed him pork sausages for breakfast at the CID office, knowing the he was a practising Muslim. As a result, Jackson said Thornhill went without food on more than one occasion.

Jackson was surprised his client was only charged with 20 offences since he was told the reason his client was kept in custody for so long was because he was facing 400 possible charges.

Prosecutor Cleyon Seedan, however, objected to bail on the grounds that the accused gave several addresses and the crimes were committed over a period of time and involved multiple victims.

However, Jackson countered that his client had a clean record, lived at Purcell Street, Vistabella, and the charges were bailable offences.

Seedan said when the police went to Purcell Street, the occupants said they did not know Thornhill. Jackson claimed Thornhill lived there only two months and went on to explain the other addresses his client gave to the police.

Jackson admitted his client was deported from the UK after a nine- month stay because he was charged with trafficking under a quarter kilogramme of cocaine.

Jackson suggested that the court grant bail and impose conditions, including that he surrendered his passport and reports to the police station.

The magistrate, however, remanded Thornhill into custody and advised him of his right to apply to a judge in chambers for bail. The matter was adjourned to August 30.

Postal workers returned to work as promised yesterday.

Contacted around midday yesterday, president of the Postal Workers’ Union, David Forbes, confirmed operations had resumed at the nation’s only mail delivery service.

He said: “They are back to work as promised. We were given a promise by Minister Ancil Antoine that they would be paid and we are awaiting that.”

At a meeting with Antoine last week, the workers were assured that they would receive some of the money by the end of this week.

During last Thursday’s post-Cabinet news briefing, Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Stuart Young gave an undertaking that 50 per cent of the back pay would be paid by August 31.

Approximately 1,200 employees engaged in sick out action last Thursday and Friday, to protest yet another delay in the settlement of their back pay.

The workers are owed $49 million for the period 2011 to 2013.

Pressed to say what the next course of action would be if the workers did not receive any money by Friday, Forbes said: “We will have to wait and see what they mandate if this does not materialise.”

Forbes sought to reassure people awaiting their pension and welfare cheques that the workers were “working assiduously to regularise the processing and delivery procedures.”

He explained the delays were caused by the long holiday weekend which followed Friday’s industrial action, coupled with the necessary checks and balances that had to be done before the cheques could be processed for delivery.

Forbes said the workers had thrown their support behind the PNM during the run-up to the last general election but now believed the Government had abandoned them.

TTPost’s managing director, Reynold Baldeosingh, confirmed that operations had resumed and that some “over the counter transactions” had been completed during the business day yesterday as customers came in to collect their cheques personally.

He echoed Forbes’s sentiments that the remainder of the cheques would be delivered during the course of this week.

As the C3 Centre shopping and entertainment complex rises from the ground in Ste Madeleine, houses surrounding the complex are slowly crumbling.

Residents of Merchiston Castle Street, Corinth, on the periphery of the $500 million complex say their lives have been in turmoil since the construction project started in 2013.

One resident, Kamla Ramkissoon, said a shed behind her home has collapsed while the walls and concrete fence around her property have been damaged.

Showing a ruptured sewer line behind her home, Ramkissoon said she had a proper backyard before the project was started by the Mack family, founders of JT Allum and Company. The complex houses a super JTA Supermarket, MovieTowne and several US-based outlets, including Chuck E. Cheese’s.

“Every day we smell the sewer. They fixed it and built a wooden step for us but the entire house is cracking and we cannot take this anymore,” Ramkissoon said. She added that the contractors agreed to restore her home for her but that was done verbally.

“I asked them to give it to me in black and white. I want an official agreement that they will compensate me but this has never happened and it is unfair because I can no longer enjoy my home,” Ramkissoon added. 

She said her son, Mark Ramkissoon, and daughter-in-law, Ayanna Jackson, who gave birth to a baby girl over the weekend, has to vacate the house. 

“The place is dusty and it is not safe for the baby. Why should we have to leave our home,” Ramkissoon added. 

She also said another son. Joel Ramkissoon, and his wife, Mechelle Khan, have been renting in Princes Town. Joel said he was not comfortable with living near the construction site.

“During the day the house rocks. All the louvre panes have fallen off and any time now the house could fall. We just cannot stay in here,” Joel added. 

“They put steel in my land and everywhere there is dust. It is dangerous living so close to a construction zone and even though engineers have come and viewed the damage, nobody is helping us,” he added.

The residents said they planned to go to San Fernando mayor Kazim Hosein to get assistance. 

Company responds

​Contacted yesterday, C3’s property manager, Terrence Ramsamooj, assured that all affected residents would be properly compensated once evidence of damage was seen.

He said at the start of construction JTA consultants did investigations and took photographs of surrounding properties.

“We have informed the residents that if they have damage to their properties it will be handled by our brokers, Ibwil. If they have estimates, they could forward it to us and we will have the insurance do their investigations, reporting and assessment and they will be compensated,” Ramsamooj said.

Saying JTA wanted to maintain a good relationship with the residents, Ramsamooj said once the project was completed, all claims would be addressed.

One of the 60 pregnant women infected with the Zika virus is countering claims by Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh that the specialist unit set up to monitor their cases is affording them the best care once they are diagnosed with the virus. 

In fact, the woman, using her own case, told the GML Enterprise Desk she is yet to be seen by any specialist or get the ultrasound needed to ensure her baby is fine, adding she thinks not enough is being done to prepare her for the worst and believes the other patients may be fearing the same fate.

Deyalsingh made the comment on the weekend as he noted that Zika cases nationally had climbed to 200.

The pregnant mother, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of being victimised, said she was hospitalised for about a week as at first doctors thought she had dengue.

She was discharged only to receive a call from the hospital that it was in fact Zika. She said she has been given little information on microcephaly since then and has been doing research on her own to ease her fears over her unborn child.

“I was told by doctors Zika onlycaffects babies in the first trimester.cHowever, when I started to do mycresearch I saw that it can affect babiescin the third trimester. I have nocassurances and I am worried,” she said.

She added: “Since I was diagnosed all doctors gave me was panadol. The body pains are excruciating and it’s nearly going into three weeks to a month and I was not given an ultrasound.

“When I heard the minister statements that mothers diagnosed were given ultrasounds I was wary and my family was concerned as to whether if I was forgotten. Since I have been diagnosed it’s been an uphill battle. I don’t know if it’s my mind but I am feeling weird pains.”

The young mother said she also attempted to go to private medical institutions but most of them said her condition had to be treated at the public hospitals.

“All I received was a letter to go the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex only to be told that I would get a call to see a specialist doctor. I am still waiting,” she explained.

The specialist unit is headed by Dr Karen Sohan, Medical Chief of Staff at the Mt Hope Women’s Hospital. In an interview with the T&T Guardian over the weekend, Sohan said there had been no case of microcephaly found in the women screened so far.

Microcephaly is a medical condition where babies heads are abnormally small and is believed to affect babies in the womb in the first trimester.

The young mother said she hoped what was being portrayed in the public was in fact reality.

“I was not even given counselling or even told by practitioners in the hospital the risk of the virus I was diagnosed with and what are the consequences to me or even my baby. I am just here waiting. My only redress is to go on the Internet and learn more about Zika and microcephaly,” she said.

“I know the ministry is doing their part but for as a mother and the risk attached to my baby, I must be worried, especially when you don’t have any assurances that your baby will be fine,” she said. Since being diagnosed, the pregnant woman said she had to leave her job and had difficulty doing daily tasks.

“I hope that we can get it right in Trinidad and Tobago, at least where people can trust in a public institution because I am sure there are other pregnant women like me out there who are concerned just as me and want answers which are hard to come by,” she added.

Intelligence agencies are building profiles—based on geographical areas—of people who may be going to Syria to join the Islamic State (ISIS) terror network and who might be behind it locally, says National Security Minister Edmund Dillon

Dillon fielded questions on the issue at a media briefing at his Portof- Spain ministry yesterday, where he also spoke about the crime situation. The briefing followed a meeting of law enforcement top brass and US officials who were seen leaving the ministry.

Dillon said Government was concerned about the overall national security environment which he said was “very dynamic and evolving.”

Among the landscape, he noted the issue of the “recent emergence of T&T nationals interested in participating in conflict overseas,” a reference to recent reports of nine suspected nationals held in Turkey en route to Syria to join ISIS.

He was also asked about an article in ISIS’ Dabiq July publication featuring a T&T terrorist fighter Abu Sa’d al-Trinidadi. The latter, as well as FTFs from other countries, called on sympathisers to launch home turf attacks on Christians.

Dillon said there had not yet been confirmation on the nine detained in Turkey but noted he had asked the Foreign Affairs Minister to follow up the matter through diplomatic channels in Turkey to ascertain if those detained were nationals. Other sources said they were still in Turkey.

He said Government was also probing the Dabiq article, adding efforts will be made to clear up all of the issues and confirm the accuracy and authenticity (of the article).

He said Government was looking into the instances of nationals who have gone to ISIS, as well as those who intended to go, and resources were being put into intelligence- gathering capacity to deal with this speedily.

While saying profiles were being built on those who may have gone to join ISIS, he declined to answer whether a local network was behind the situation.

He conceded the various developments could damage T&T’s reputation, especially if the nine held in Turkey and those in the article were indeed T&T nationals. However, he said the necessary action would be taken to show T&T did not stand for its nationals doing what was described in the Dabiq article, for instance.

But Dillon admitted it was not easy to say if people were going to Syria to access ISIS, since there were no direct flights there and they may be taking certain routes and heading for different locations.

He noted statements by the Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi yesterday on how Government proposed to deal with returning foreign fighters (FTFs)

Protest outside embassy

Islamic Front leader Umar Abdullah yesterday staged a brief demonstration in front of the Venezuelan Embassy with several relatives of the five T&T nationals detained in Venezuela since March 2014.

A female member of the group protested the reports of nine suspected T&T nationals held in Turkey en route to ISIS. They questioned proof of that and dismissed Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi’s statements “due process” would be used in matters on returning foreign terrorist fighters.

Abdullah said they were still awaiting word from Government on the detained men who were held in 2014 on terrorism charges which were recently changed to intent to commit espionage.

Law enforcement is targetting known offenders — the less than two per cent of people who conduct illegal activities in T&T—whose lives will be made “miserable” and “untenable,” says National Security Minister Edmund Dillon.

Speaking at a media briefing yesterday, Dillon said that element would not be allowed to live normal lives in the current anti-crime thrust where reinforcement of police and army presence was being done following six murders over last weekend.

Dillon said Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley held an emergency National Security Council meeting last Sunday and another meeting with law enforcement heads was held yesterday to discuss the current crime situation.

“We intend to see a change in the way we do business... we’ll see a reduction in some areas, it won’t happen overnight but give it some time,” he said.

Noting the national security landscape encumbered by murders, illegal guns, ammunition, drugs and human trafficking, Dillon reiterated the four-pronged approach— increasing prediction, deterrence, detection and prosecution.

He stressed agencies must be able to predict what would happen and intelligence-based capacity would be strengthened among all entities, including T&T’s overseas offices.

A heightened security forces presence would be particularly high in the Northern Division but would also be done in some areas which were not being publicised, he added. He also urged police to treat with guns a “particular way” since those carrying weapons were bent on confrontation.

A note will be taken to Cabinet soon on the community aspect—a crime prevention programme for communities.

Dillon said joint patrols would continue in Enterprise, Chaguanas, following the murder of Selwyn “Robocop” Alexis and there have been “no incidents as yet.”

Acting Police Commissioner, DCP Harold Phillips, who said police were not proud of the murder rate, acknowledged it was cause for concern.

He said a pilot programme, involving body cameras for police, was being done in central Trinidad to aid in accountability as well as in the anti-crime thrust. Phillips declined response on whether he would apply for the commissioner’s post.

Students currently pursuing degrees in accredited tertiary education institutions will continue to receive Government Assisted Tuition Expenses (Gate) programme funding for their entire programme of study.

However, students who are registered to begin programmes this semester will only receive full funding for the academic year 2016/2017, while those seeking entry in 2017/2018 and beyond will have to undergo means testing in order to qualify.

And for the academic year 2017/2018 and beyond, tertiary level students will be required to pay 25 per cent of their tuition fees. Medical students seeking to study at the St George’s University and people over 50 will also no longer be able to access the programme.

These are only a few of the major changes introduced to the Gate programme announced by Education Minister Anthony Garcia yesterday, following a special Cabinet meeting.

Presenting the list of 18 recommendations during a media briefing at the Office of the Prime Minister, St. Clair, Garcia assured they were taken in the best interest of the nation in light of the current economic crisis.

The special Cabinet meeting preceded the annual vacation leave of Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley which begins today.

Deliberated on and accepted by the Cabinet, Garcia said the decisions were expected to yield an immediate savings of $100 million in the first year, increasing yearly until Government reaches their expenditure target of $500 million.

Among the long-term plans for the programme is Government’s intention to establish a National Education Savings Fund, which will provide tax incentives to private organisations to make fund contributions on behalf of the children of their employees, and fiscal incentives to encourage insurance companies and credit unions to invest in the development of education savings products.

Reinforcing Government’s official policy change regarding the Gate programme, Garcia said they were committed to retaining it but also ensuring that “it is relevant, easily accessible and available to all those who need it.”

Unwilling to rule out any future review of the Gare policy, Garcia said: “Of course, nothing in this world is cast in concrete and depends on how things go, there might be the possibility of changes but at present this is the official position of the Government.”

One of the major changes announced was that effective 2017, students whose household income falls below $10,000 would be eligible for 100 per cent funding, while students whose household income exceeds $10,000 would have to pay 25 per cent of their tuition fees.

Saying the methodology used to arrive at the $10,000 ceiling was instituted by the Task Force Committee who compiled the 70-page report, Garcia said Cabinet agreed to increase the figure from $9,000 so as to ensure no one was at a disadvantage in light of the current economic crisis.

“The report revealed that so far, with respect to Gate, most of the funding was accessed by persons in the middle and lower income brackets. We need to ensure we lift that bar so that persons in the lower income bracket can benefit,” he said.

Garcia said the process to be used to determine who is eligible would be administered by a special team from the ministry.

While relief swept across the current student population, medical students hoping to enroll at the St. George’s University had their hopes dashed after Garcia announced that Government was discontinuing funding new students.

Asked to explain that, he said: “What we have found with respect to St George’s University, the cost of funding is much higher than the cost of funding at any of our regional campuses. In addition to that, students’ enrollment at St George’s is way below that of St Augustine, Cave Hill and Mona.”

Indicating that he didn’t “envisage” any increase in fees at individual tertiary level institutions, Garcia said any such measure would have to be brought to the UWI Finance and General Purpose Committee, of which he was a member.

On funding for post graduate degrees, he said effective 2017, funding would only be made available to students whose programmes were in alignment with the country’s developmental needs but noted further discussion need to take place on those needs.

He said the restriction on funding to people 50 years and older was not meant to discourage this group from accessing tertiary education, but noted: “We are faced with a position where because of our financial situation, we have to ensure that the Gate programme is run in an efficient manner and also, there must be some level of cutbacks, because if our economy is shrinking, obviously everybody must make a sacrifice. 

“It was this view of Cabinet that persons over the age of 50 would have already been employed and would be in a better position to contribute to their education.”

Garcia admitted that the mechanics were still being worked out in some areas, including determining the criteria of the means test and the final decision by the Accreditation Council of T&T on which institutions would receive the GATE assistance. 

But he said he was satisfied that new initiatives would eradicate and discourage much of the wastage that seemed inherent in the programme and assured robust monitoring systems would be introduced at the ministerial level to ensure the programme is more effective. 

The list of recommendations include:

RECOMMENDATIONS:

• Effective August 2016 students who are at present enrolled in various programmes will continue to receive funding for the entire programme.
• Students who are registered to begin programmes in 2016 will be funded fully for the academic year 2016/2017.
• Effective for the academic year 2017-2018 and beyond a means test will be used.
• For the academic years 2017-2018 and beyond, students will be required to pay 25 per cent of their tuition fees as follows:
• Effective August 2017, students who household income falls below $10,000 will be eligible for 100 per cent funding. This will be determined by means testing.
• Where the household income is above $10,000 students will be required to pay 25 per cent of their tuition fees.
• Where the household income is above $30,000 students will be required to pay 50 per cent of tuition fees.
• Effective from August 2017 funding for post graduate degrees will be available to students whose programmes are in alignment with the country’s developmental needs.
• Effective August 2017, only institutions and programmes accredited by ACTT will be funded.
• Effective August 2017, TVET programmes for Level III and above will be funded.
• Effective August 2016, students should only be funded for one undergraduate and one postgraduate programme. Continuing students should be allowed to complete undergraduate programmes for which funding had previously been approved.
• Effective August 2016, the loan ceiling for students at local institutions will be raised to $35,000 annually, with the ceiling for students at regional institutions to remain at $75,000 annually. In the long-term, GORTT will review its policies in respect of being the sole guarantor of loans and the subsidization of interest.
• Effective August 2016, persons over the age of 50 years will no longer eligible for Gate funding. Continuing students over the age of 50 enrolled in undergraduate programmes will be granted funding to complete their programmes. 
• Effective August 2017, students enrolled in non-medical programmes at regional campuses of UWI that are offered at the UWI, St Augustine Campus, will only be funded to the equivalent level of funding at St Augustine Campus. 
• Effective August 2016, GORTT will discontinue the funding of new students in the medical programme at SGU. 
• Additional resources will be provided to FGAD to effectively manage its increased responsibilities.
• GORTT will consider additional funding including offering Education Savings Bonds. Arrangements and details to be provided.
• GORTT will establish a National Education Savings Fund (private sector organisations will also be encouraged by tax incentives to make fund contributions on behalf of the children of their employees or to engage in other philanthropic initiatives that build the fund.)
• GORTT will consider fiscal incentives to encourage insurance companies and credit unions to invest in the development of education savings products. 

University of the West Indies’ St Augustine Campus Student Guild president, Makesi Peters, said yesterday the guild was happy there were no adverse changes to the Gate programme for the new academic year.

However, he said it was somewhat discriminatory that funding for new students over the age of 50 was terminated.

“In term of the means testing, we are happy that it was deferred to the following year. However, we feel as though there needs to be more consultation in that area,” he told the T&T Guardian in a telephone interview after Education Minister Anthony Garcia announced the new measures.

“We want to ensure that it does not become political and that everyone gets funding who is most likely to be vulnerable. I think that is where the focus should be,” he added.

Peters said they believe that the $10,000 and over income bracket, recommended for those to pay 25 per cent of their tuition fees, should be raised to $15,000. He said it would be “very difficult” for a single parent or even a family who has three children attending university to pay the 25 per cent for each child.

Peters said cutting the funding for students at the St George’s University in Grenada was “a good move.” 

With a student population of 18,000, guild officials are set to meet today to discuss the matter before releasing a formal statement on the changes.