Private secondary schools are accusing Education Minister Anthony Garcia of being “ridiculous and vindictive,” as with two days to the end of the school year many of them are still awaiting payments of the student fees for the term. While they admit the ministry does not pay teachers’ salaries, they say because they have received no money from the ministry this term it is posing a serious challenge for them.

T&T Association of Private Secondary Schools president Leslie Hislop told the T&T Guardian yesterday that of the seven schools in his body only one had received payment.

“Two of the schools were called today (Tuesday) Caribbean Union College, of which I am principal and Bishops Centenary College indicating there was some problem on the form.”

He said he found it curious the forms, which were submitted just under a month ago, “that we adjusted four times based on your instructions, you now calling to say there is an error on the form. It is clear they are now trying to put it back on us as to the reason why the schools did not receive their money.”

But Hislop suspects this is a delay tactic by the ministry because the schools sought the fee increase from $1200 to $5700 per student per term.

He said the schools never had the “ministry question us too much about information on the forms and never had the ministry delayed in paying the forms. It has never been an issue until now, just so out of the blue? The Minister is just being ridiculous and vindictive,” Hislop said.

Hislop said he agreed with Garcia that the ministry does not pay the salaries of teachers in private schools, but he said the reality is that “we have exhausted all sources of income and just as tuition fees from other students who attend the schools is used to help pay the salaries of teachers, the tuition fees that are paid by the Government for the students who they have in the schools is what helps to pay the salaries of the teachers.”

Hislop explained, “When you have a school where the salary bill is probably about $200,000 for the month and the tuition from the Government is close to half a million dollars for the term, that’s two months out of the term’s salaries we are talking about that is paid out of the tuition fees paid by the Ministry of Education.”

He said he got a call from someone in the ministry’s accounts department yesterday morning regarding an error on the form, which the Director of Schools Supervision (DSS) had signed off on with the error on it. He explained that after the meeting between Garcia and the association on June 8, he went to the office to sign the form which the DSS had signed with the error for a payment of $5,702.84 per student on it.

“I jokingly remarked then that the DSS had already signed it and let them pay us the $2.5 million that was on it,” Hislop said, noting the actual payment should have been $1200 per child and the total amount should have been just over $530,000.

As such, Hislop said he found it difficult to understand why “there is a challenge a whole month after. That was done on the eighth of June, the very same day we had the meeting with the minister today, the third of July, four weeks after, you now calling to tell me there is an error on the form, I mean really! That is being ridiculous and vindictive.”

With SEA results due out today, Hislop said they have received information that one of the schools represented by the association will be receiving students who are over 13 and scored under 30 per cent in the examination. But he said if that is so there are two problems to be addressed. One is that the school did not agree to take students “without the fee being adjusted” and the second is that “the school does not have the capacity to treat with those students.”

For the ministry to assign those students to the schools, he said “they would have to put support systems in place which will cost more than it will cost to educate the children who are average or above average. If that is the move they want to make then it means they have not fully studied the implication and the cost of assigning those students to the schools.”

A Chaguanas businessman has donated $5,000 to ensure that baby Christopher Sahadeo Poonilal gets the urgent medical treatment he needs.

Dipnarinesingh’s Tours and Travel owner Rajiv Dipnarinesingh said he was reading the digital T&T Guardian around 2 am yesterday when he came across the story about baby Christopher. He said he was touched by the story he decided to donate all the money needed for the scan for the one-year-old.

“I am a parent and I understand what this family is feeling. After reading the story I became very emotional and I decided there and then to make sure the medical bills are taken care of,” Dipnarinesingh told Guardian Media yesterday.

He appealed to the business community to ensure the underprivileged in society are taken care of. He said despite harsh economic times everyone must be each other’s keeper.

“If we want to build a society we cannot just talk charity and good deeds, we must also walk the walk. We must truly become our brother’s keeper. There is so much talk about bringing back the old time days, my challenge is to those who can spare go out there and assist.”

Dipnarinesingh handed a cheque the baby’s parents, Curtis Poonilal and Christine Sahadeo, at his Eleanor Street, Chaguanas office around midday yesterday.

Poonilal, who said they were grateful for the money, said his phone was bombarded with calls after the story appeared in the newspaper. He said people are also willing to assist them with food and baby supplies since they are both unemployed and live on handouts.

Baby Christopher has been suffering seizures since the couple’s house at Rio Claro collapsed in December and ceiling tiles fell on his head. The money is to undertake an electroencephalography scan on the child’s brain at a private medical hospital after he was admitted to the San Fernando General Hospital after suffering a seizure. The child was treated at the hospital and has since been discharged, but the scan he needed could not be done there because the electroencephalography machine has been down for the past two years.

A team of doctors led by Dr Rajindra Parag has been caring for Christopher. Anyone wanting to contact the family can call 380-3606.

The Government will have to find spaces for almost 2,000 students enrolled in private secondary schools if it fails to resolve an ongoing dispute over a proposed increase in fees owed to schools before the opening of the new school year in September, T&T Association of Private Secondary Schools president Leslie Hislop said yesterday.

He made the comment at a press conference at Bishops Centenary College in Woodbrook yesterday, hours after the T&T Guardian reported that teachers at the school walked off the job on Monday due to non-payment of salaries. The non-payment was caused by delays in the Ministry of Education’s dispensation of fees for students this term, which has affected the cash-strapped school’s ability to pay its monthly wages.

Hislop explained that since 2015 they had been in negotiations with the ministry on increasing the fee per student per term from $1,200 to $5,700.

“When 80 per cent of your school population is being paid for by the State and they are paying what they are paying, it is financially impossible to continue. So these students will have to be reassigned somewhere else because the reality is these schools are looking at closure,” Hislop said.

He estimated that there are 2,600 Government students enrolled in his members’ schools and claimed most of the schools were only able to operate under the fee structure in the past due to intervention from religious organisations affiliated with them.

“The simple reason for that is that over the years the religious organisations that manage and run these schools have been subsidising the costs of education to the nation’s children to the tune of approximately $1.5 million per year,” Hislop said.

He explained that last December the association submitted a proposal for the increased fees but the ministry only met with them last month after they made repeated claims over the ministry’s failure to make payments for the entire school term.

“I told the officials that they need to stop frustrating the private schools and just pay what is owed,” Hislop said.

Asked whether the dispute would affect placements of this year’s Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) students, who will receive their results today, Hislop said he was told none would be made.

“We are willing to accept the Government students. However, it is financially impossible for the schools to continue to educate students at a cost of $1200 per term,” he said.

Hislop also claimed that schools are also unable to raise their fees for private students because of the rate paid by Government.

“There are parents who are saying why do I have to pay more than what Government is paying for the students? It puts schools in a position where it is even difficult to carry the figure to what it should be because parents are holding us to ransom,” he said, noting the average fee for private students is currently between $3,500 and $4,000 per term.

Anthony McCollin, a representative of the organisation, called on Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley or Finance Minister Colm Imbert to intervene, as he said the dispute would also seriously affect children and their parents should they have to shut down operations come September when the new school year resumes.

“Parents are now uncertain if they would have to change uniforms, books or their whole transportation arrangement. We have not seen any action or political will and we are asking for the intervention of the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance,” McCollin said.

Bishops Centenary College’s board chair Grace Talma also gave an account of how the impasse had affected her institution.

“I am concerned because for two days now this school has not been able to provide any educational contribution to students. They had to leave because the teachers have left the school because they haven’t been paid for the whole term,” Talma said.

She explained that all but 60 of the 478 students enrolled at the school were placed there by Government.

Addressing the issue, during yesterday’s sitting of Parliament, Garcia reiterated that Government was not responsible for paying teachers’ salaries at the private schools. However, he admitted that there had been delays in paying fees for the current term three.

Speaking about the proposed increase and the possible closure of the schools on Monday, however, Garcia said the issue was being dealt with by Cabinet.

“Our position remains the same and will not change until the matter is resolved by the Cabinet. The process must be followed and I will not do anything that is against the process,” Garcia said.

An 80-year-old grandmother was yesterday arrested on a warrant for failing to appear in court 15 years ago on a child abandonment charge.

A frail-looking Hazra Ali appeared in the San Fernando Magistrates Court hours later.

Prosecutor Veano Ragoo told Second Court Magistrate Alicia Chankar it was an old matter in which she had missed a court date. She was charged 18 years ago for allegedly dumping her daughter’s new-born baby on a river bank not far from their Cippy Street, Gasparillo home.

However, Ali missed her court date in 2003 and a warrant had been issued for her arrest. Attorney Aleena Ramjag offered to represent the woman free of charge and asked to make a bail application. The charging officer, Insp Matthew Noel, retired from the service years ago, the prosecutor said.

After perusing the court documents, the magistrate dismissed the matter.

Wiping away tears Hazra’s niece, Eleanor Ali said this came as a surprise to everyone.

She said took Hazra and her two daughters Agatha, 46, and Angela, 49, to live with her about five years ago.

“I take care of them. I was really frighten for my aunt,” said Ali. She said no one knew the matter was still going on.

“No one knew about this warrant. My aunt was not hiding. So it was so shocking when the police came yesterday evening and say they have a warrant for my aunt. They told me to bring her to the station today (yesterday). When they arrived at the San Fernando Police Station, Ali said they read the warrant to them and she handed over her aunt to them.”

Ali said neither her aunt nor the baby’s mother Agatha, has seen or heard anything about the baby since the incident. She said Agatha had inquired about her baby and she was told that someone “signed and took” the baby from the hospital.

Ali said they want the child to know her mother and her family. She said Agatha never had any other children.

Things are rotten at Youth Training and Employment Partnership Programme (YTEPP), and there is a need for a forensic audit into the institution which was set up three decades ago to train and empower young people.

That’s the view of the Public Accounts Enterprises Committee (PAEC) of Parliament after officials of the company appeared before the Committee yesterday.

YTEPP chairman Thora Best admitted that “unauthorised practices” had “crept into the State entity,” pulling back on her initial use of the word “unethical,” and which she has promised to deal with.

For the second time in less than three weeks officials of YTEPP appeared before the Committee, and again the focus was on Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Nigel Forgenie who admitted that his wife was employed as a dance tutor using her maiden name.

The about-turn by Forgenie came after three denials that any of his relatives were employed at YTEPP and after a warning from Committee Chair Wade Mark that he was under oath.

The Committee heard that Forgenie took a unilateral decision not to brand the company vehicle assigned to him with the YTEPP logo contrary to State policy. Asked by Committee member David Small why the vehicle had no official signage, Forgenie said, “the vehicle assigned to me is part of a compensation package, where the company provides a fully maintained vehicle up to the value of $400,000.” The vehicle, he said, is a Toyota Prado.

He admitted that the company has 16 vehicles and all of them, including the one assigned to him, have fleet cards for gas.

Committee member Fitzgerald Hinds asked whether Forgenie had “access to the unmarked vehicle on weekends.” Forgenie said “yes.”

Hinds expressed concern that Forgenie was using a fleet card assigned to the vehicle to fill gas on the weekend. “Why is the company paying for gas?” he asked. Forgenie repeated that it is a fully maintained company vehicle. Hinds told him that not even Cabinet Ministers can do that. “We cannot take State vehicles for our use outside of our work hours,” Hinds said.

Hinds also expressed concern that although millions had been spent on the organisation the enrolment had almost halved in the period under review and stipends for students had also declined.

Expressing concern that the company which employs 600 people had spent millions on entertainment in the period under review, Hinds said he had come to the conclusion that “YTEPP is not for the students, it is for the benefit of the operatives in YTEPP.”

Hinds told the YTEPP chairman “things are rotten” and “is probably the worst I have seen” as a member of the PAEC.

Mark told Best that given what the committee had heard on the two occasions that YTEPP appeared before it suggested there was a need “for your board with some degree of urgency to establish a forensic audit dating back to 2008 to the current period into the operations of YTEPP, because something is fundamentally wrong with that organisation and we need answers.”

Hours after 33-year-old Nevin Alexander was killed while at his job site in Barataria, the sound of heavy gunfire, believed to be from high-powered weapons, was heard in Beetham Gardens.

The sound of gunshots sent students and teachers at the nearby Success/Laventille Secondary School scampering for safety.

According to a police report, at about 7.30 pm Alexander, who is employed as a labourer with the San Juan/Laventille Regional Corporation was at his job site at Twelfth Street in Barataria when a silver Nissan Tiida drove alongside him and stopped.

Police said its occupants opened fire, hitting him several times to the upper body.

Alexander slumped in the drain that he was cleaning and died. Alexander lived at Beetham Gardens.

Police believe that the murder was gang-related, however, were yet to determine a motive.

Alexander’s relatives believe that he was killed because of where he lived.

“People may think he into gangs and is a gang member but you cannot kill somebody because of where they live and whom you think they associate with.

“Not because you live in the Beetham you are a gangster,” the relative added.

Police said that at around midday teachers at the school reported hearing several gunshots. Initially, they thought gunmen had run onto the school compound and opened fire. However, police officers from the Port-of-Spain Inter-Agency Task Force who responded confirmed that gunshots were fired in Beetham community, which is located south of the school.

Police believe that the firing off of gunshots may have been “related” to Alexander’s murder as a sign of “grief” and “respect.”

A teacher at the school, who asked not to be identified, said that the school is situated in the “heart of gangland.”

“Every day we hear gunshots ringing out from all around. Sometimes it’s so normal that there is no reaction towards it but today it sounded so close as if the gunmen were actually in the school.

“We couldn’t tell what direction they were coming from. It was a frightening experience.”

“It seems as though this gang war will never end because is Laventille against Beetham and John John against Beverly Hills and we caught in the middle of it. Our lives are at risk every day, including the children,” the teacher added.

Investigations are continuing.

The T&T Police Service has recorded a 22 per cent reduction in car thefts, this year.

Speaking at the weekly press briefing at the Police Administration Building in Port-of-Spain yesterday, Sgt Christopher Swamber of the Stolen Vehicles Unit revealed that between January and June, 435 vehicles were stolen across T&T as compared to 561 for the same period, last year.

Stating that the stolen car market is a multi-million dollar industry, Swamber noted that the value of the vehicles stolen during the period this year was $39.2 million as opposed to $41.8 million, last year.

Of the vehicles stolen this year, 51 per cent were Nissan brands, with car thieves favouring the car manufacturer’s B13, B14, AD Wagon and Tiida models. The second and third most popular brands being targeted are Toyota and Kia.

Police officers were able to recover approximately 16 per cent of the stolen cars (71 vehicles) during the period. Twenty cases were solved with 24 people being arrested and charged.

Central Division recorded the majority of car thefts followed by the Northern and Southern Divisions. Although Swamber stated that the Port-of-Spain Division usually recorded the lowest rate of all nine policing divisions, he noted that there were 16 reports for the first six months of the year.

“We would prefer that there is no robbery and theft of motor vehicles; however, when these crimes occur we hope the recent increase in detection, arrest and prosecution for these types of crime in Port-of-Spain Division would be a deterrent to offenders,” Swamber said.

Despite the encouraging statistics, Swamber still encouraged citizens to remain vigilant as he pointed out that incidents of vehicles being stolen in armed robberies have increased.

He suggested that the change in the method used by car thieves was down to the increased use of coded electronic keys by car manufacturers.

Swamber gave advice to citizens on how to avoid being a victim.

In addition to installing anti-theft devices such as GPS tracking, Swamber suggested that vehicle owners place unique markings in hidden locations on their vehicles to aid police in identifying them in the event that they are stolen.

“These unique marks can be in the form of their initials, date of birth, special marks, et cetera. Owners should ensure that only they have knowledge of these marks,” Swamber said.

He also suggested that citizens be cautious when returning home from work as the majority of car robberies are committed in front of victims homes between 8 pm and midnight.

He also suggested that taxi drivers were among the most vulnerable as they are often attacked by people pretending to be passengers.

“Taxi drivers throughout the country have been targeted in particular, those who ply their vehicle along the Eastern Main Road from San Juan to Port-of-Spain,” Swamber said.

He advised citizens, who may wish to verify that a vehicle is not stolen before purchasing it, to contact his unit before completing the transaction.

kevon.felmine@guardian.co.tt

As Marabella residents hide inside their homes from daily shootings, two of which claimed the lives of Noah Simmons and Akeil Clarke, police have seized 294 rounds of ammunition for high-powered firearms in the district.

Police said the ammunition works with the deadly AK-47 assault rifle, also known as the Kalashnikov and the Galil rifle, both of which are prohibited under the Firearms Act.

During an anti-crime exercise by the Organised Crime and Intelligence Unit on Tuesday, officers went to the crime-stricken train line community of 2nd Street, Marabella.

While conducting a search in a bushy area near the Marabella Recreation Ground, they found a small white crocus bag containing the ammunition that was wrapped in a pair of black and grey camouflage pants.

However, no arrest was made and investigators are trying to determine who hid the ammunition there.

Southern Division police said yesterday that Marabella, especially the train line community along Bayshore Avenue, has been a transhipment port for drugs and firearms.

Ten months after the old magistrates court in San Fernando was temporarily closed to facilitate roof repairs, the building has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Every time it rains, water settles in the building because the yellow tarpaulin which replaced the galvanise roof no longer covers the entire building. Following the heavy rainfall over the past few days, the rooms on the top floor of the building have become saturated with water.

The building at Harris Street, which is obliquely opposite the High Court, remains locked and is occupied only by a skeletal staff of estate constables and cleaners. The urgent roof repairs were expected to be done between September 11 and October 8, 2017, according to the Judiciary.

Four of the five magistrates courts were relocated to the Madinah Building while the other court was temporarily relocated to the High Court.

The Judiciary then extended the completion date to November 13, 2017. During this time, only an asbestos treatment exercise was done.

Earlier this year, the four magistrates courts were relocated from Madinah Building to the High Court.

San Fernando Mayor Junia Regrello said the public health department may have to investigate and spray the building.

However, the mayor said the Judiciary showed blatant disregard to the corporation.

“The Judiciary was very tardy in how they went about this project. They did not officially inform the Mayor or the corporation before starting the project. They should have given us a time frame, let the council know when it is going to start, when it is going to be completed, that they cannot complete the project due to insufficient funds or whatever it is. There was no communication whatsoever. The city is run by the council, tell us what is your plan and what are your challenges. They came to San Fernando like a thief in the night. We woke up Monday morning and saw the whole place blocked off without any communication. The council knew nothing about it. It’s been almost seven or eight months now and no update. They cannot operate like that. And this is the problem in this country when you have institutions like the Judiciary behaving like that what you expect from the average person.”

Regrello said the delay in the completion of the project has also caused massive congestion and inconvenience to the public.

Assembly of Southern Lawyers president Ramesh Deana said tenders have gone out but repairs may not start until next year.

A notice on the Judiciary’s website stated that closing date for receipt of tenders for the removal of existing roof and construction of a new roof at court has been extended from July 5 to July 19.

Questions were sent to the Judiciary’s corporate communication officer Kieron Blackman via email, but there was no response up to press time.

Jahdiel Duncan is the epitome of the power of love, faith and determination.

Born with cerebral palsy, doctors told his parents he would be a vegetable and might die.

Fast forward 13 years, Jahdiel is now off to secondary school - La Romaine High School - having passed the Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) exams.

“He is really happy. To him this is like a dream come through,” said his proud mother Tisha Duncan yesterday.

He also received an award for hard work and determination at his graduation ceremony at the Hermitage Presbyterian School in La Romaine.

“This is such a big accomplishment for him. He has come a long way. He used to drag on the floor and now he’s walking with a little help,” said Duncan.

Despite his physical challenges, Duncan said her son was determined to do well.

“I gave him support and encouragement, but he was determined to do well,” she said.

Duncan, who has two other children Jadon, 15, and Jada-Marie, six, admitted it was very challenging for both of them.

She recalled, “He was born with cerebral palsy and with his right hand paralysed. His left hand was broken. I did not get to hold him until he was two months. He spent six weeks in ICU and they fed him through a tube.”

The doctors told her and her husband Kurth Duncan Jahidel may not have survived. When she eventually took him home she fed him from a syringe for six to eight weeks because he could not drink from a bottle. She quit her job as a cosmetologist to care for him.

“He was helpless. I did everything for him. He used to drag on the floor,” she said.

Duncan took him to several specialists and therapists, but then she began working with him on her own.

“I did my own research about cerebral palsy and began working with him and I took a course in child care,” she recalled.

Jahdiel started going to the Lady Hochoy Home in Penal to learn motor skills at age five.

On the advice of his therapist, Duncan then approached the principal at Hermitage Presbyterian School, which is opposite their home, to enrol him there.

Duncan would carry him in her arms to school every day until age 10 or 11 when he began walking with help.

“I live right opposite the school so the teachers would call me if something happen and I would visit him recess and lunch times,” she said.

Duncan said in Standard Four Jahdiel’s speech and movement improved.

However, she said, “There were a lot of challenges with children making fun of him, with him not getting the support he needed from the teachers. Whenever he got a low mark he would kick up tantrums and say he is a failure. That’s when I would step him and give him that support.”

She said it was his choice to write the SEA exam.

“I was scared but he wanted to. He always wanted to be like the rest of the class.”

Duncan said she never treated him or made him feel different from her other children. He even entered the Pennacool SEA practice tests competition and won two cash awards.

Thanking his Standard Five teacher Jade Ali for helping him, Duncan said her son was not assigned a teacher aide from Standard One to Five.

She called on the Government to provide facilities where special needs children can be in a comfortable learning environment so they could receive a proper education and holistic development.

She also thanked her family, neighbours, friends and church for their support. She also specially thanked Dr Mala Gualbance and Dr Kerryn Brahim for their help.

She said Jahdiel was very excited to attend his new school, especially since his brother is now a student there.

Education Minister Anthony Garcia has mixed feelings about the 2018 Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) examination results.

“If I am to be truthful it is really with mixed feelings. I am happy at the performance of most of our students. In fact, the great majority of our students have done exceptionally well,” Garcia said yesterday when asked if he was pleased with the students’ overall performance.

However, Garcia said he was a “bit concerned” with the 2,500 students who scored below 30 per cent in the test, promising to reduce the figures.

Garcia shared his views at the Chaguanas Government Primary School where he announced students Rebekah Macoon and Kavel Pereira had tied for third place overall.

“I want to make sure that things are put in place so that those students will benefit from the type of education that we have to offer. A child spending seven years in a primary school must do much better than that. I am not saying this, but we are putting things in place to ensure this happens.”

Giving a breakdown of how students performed in the subjects areas, Garcia said in Mathematics they scored “slightly higher’ compared to last year.

“The area where there was a slight decrease was in Language Arts,” Garcia said.

At last week’s post-Cabinet media briefing, Garcia had stated that 65.5 per cent of the students attained above 50 per cent in the exam.

In Math, he said 58.8 per cent of the students scored above 50 per cent, while in English Language 57.9 per cent captured above 50 per cent, with 55.5 per cent obtaining above 50 per cent in Creative Writing.

He also stated that students under the age of 13 who scored below the 30 per cent mark will resit the exam, while student above the age of 13 will be placed in secondary schools with a special curriculum.

In May, 19,139 students wrote the examination. Of this figure, 9,645 were boys and 9,445 were girls. — Shaliza Hassanali

For securing first place in the 2018 Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) examination, 12-year-old Saiesh Rampersad requested one reward for his crowning achievement - a new cellphone.

Saiesh’s simple demand did not surprise his parents, Dr Ramchand and Rhonda Rampersad, who broke down in tears yesterday at the Gandhi Memorial Vedic School (GMVS) in Aranguez, San Juan, after Education Minister Anthony Garcia delivered the good news to its principal Keshmani Dhaniram-Gosine.

Saiesh, who wants to become a doctor, passed for his first choice, Presentation College, Chaguanas. He scored a perfect 100 per cent in the exam.

It was double excitement and joy among teachers, students and parents at GMVS, however, as Garcia also announced his schoolmate Jada Ramnath, 12, took second place overall. Jada will be moving on to St Augustine Girls’ High School.

But the news came as a complete surprise to the school and some teachers were seen crying openly in disbelief.

Tying for the third position were Chaguanas Government Primary School (CGPS) classmates and friends Rebekah Macoon, who will be attending St Augustine Girls’ High and Kavel Pereira, who passed for Holy Faith Convent, Couva.

These four students were among 19,139 who wrote the examination in May. A total of 9,694 boys and 9,445 girls sat the test.

Standard Five teacher Neila Kissoon, who will be retiring this year, was credited for Rebekah and Kavel’s success.

In 2011, CGPS student Gabrielle Balgobin placed first in the SEA exam, while Rai Roopchand and Adilah Adams tied for the second spot. These three students were also taught by Kissoon.

Yesterday, the scene at Gandhi Memorial was one of celebration and jubilation as Dhaniram-Gosein credited her staff for their hard work.

“Today, ten years later, we celebrate another milestone in our history…first place once again. Your hard work has paid off. We did it! Emotions are running high,” said Dhaniram-Gosine, one of two Standard Five teachers who taught Jada and Saiesh.

The other teacher is Devika Rajkumar.

Former Gandhi Memorial student Ajesh Rameshwarsingh was the last boy to have topped the SEA examination in 2010. But from 2011 to 2017, girls dominated the exam.

Yesterday, Saiesh broke that trend.

While Jada cried uncontrollably as she was congratulated by Garcia, a smiling Saiesh remained calm and cool.

Seish said he felt “truly elated.”

“I didn’t expect to do so well. It was a long journey but it became easier and easier eventually,” he told the T&T Guardian.

Had it not been for God and his parents, Saiesh said he would not have made it this far, since they have been his pillar of support.

“I want to thank God and my parents.”

Asked what he wanted from his parents for his accomplishment, Saiesh said he had not asked for anything as yet.

“I would ask for a new phone.”

He advised 2019 SEA students not to give up.

Saiesh’s father, an author, said his son was not a materialistic person.

“He asked for the phone. He would get it. He is a focused and thoughtful type of child,” the proud father said.

Ramchand said Saiesh was not even bothered or scared about the SEA results.

“He was not thinking about that. That was the least thing on his mind today.”

When Saiesh is at home, Ramchand said he loves a good game of chess.

“He’s now learning, but he beats me in the game most of the times. As a matter of fact, he is better than me,” Ramchand chuckled.

“I am really happy but I wasn’t really expecting it,” Jada said in the presence of her parents Derek and Elizabeth Ramnath.

Derek said his daughter loves reading.

“She’s a bookworm. It’s hard to get her to part from a book. I think reading had a lot to do with her placing so high up in the exam.”

While Derek was elated at his daughter’s accomplishment, he was indecisive about buying her “a fluffy puppy” which she asked for if she did well in the exam.

Jada confessed to studying constantly to maintain her school grades.

“I really want to thank my parents for pushing me and also my teachers for preparing me for my exams,” Jada said.

At Chaguanas Government, Kavel, 12, was overjoyed by the news.

“I had to work very hard to achieve my goals. My parents always ensured that I did what I was supposed to do,” said Kavel, who will be going on a mini vacation to St Lucia with her parents Neil and Karen Pereira.

Karen said she knew their daughter would have excelled because she kept focused and maintain discipline.

Rebekah, 12, who is determined to become a teacher, said she felt “happy” to have placed third.

Her parents, Simeon and Kaminee Macoon, described their daughter as a hard and committed worker.

“She is always willing to learn. Once you have the right teacher and God at your side nothing is impossible,” Kaminee said.

Rebekah’s reward for doing well will be a trip to Disney World in the US.

In an effort to boost its housing stock, the Housing Development Corporation yesterday launched its latest partnership with a private contractor to construct over 200 houses in the Cunupia area.

Speaking at the launch of the project, HDC’s managing director Brent Lyons said the State corporation could not meet the demand to supply subsidised houses to over 176,000 applicants currently in the system.

Lyons said the unavailability of land and reduced expenditure by Government were two of the factors which favoured the public/private/partnership arrangement.

He said the model was conceived in 2016 with the HDC as the implementing agency. Lyons said the arrangement was simple as it entails the use of financial resources from the private sector and land from the State.

“Through this model, we are able to harness available financial resources from the private sector coupled with their skills and expertise to find a positive outcome for those on the public housing database,” Lyons said.

The Cunupia project, the Bamboo Creek Villas, is being undertaken by Motilal Ramhit and Sons Contracting Ltd.

“What the State has agreed to provide, therefore, is a ready, eager and willing clientele who can easily afford to service a mortgage for this property. This approach will not only reduce the number of applicants on the database but it will allow us to satisfy our mandate, provision of quality, affordable housing units,” he said.

Lyons said the HDC is seeking more involvement of the private sector in the public housing business and is inviting more submissions. Lyons said the HDC would still be in the business of constructing housing.

“Our accelerated housing programme continues apace at many locations along the East/West corridor, in Central and South Trinidad,” he said.

The Bamboo Creek Villas development would be a gated community with all amenities and will consist of a mix of single-family, duplex and townhouses. This development is being constructed on approximately 26 acres of land and would have a housing yield of 201 units — 44- three bedroom single family units, 42- three bedroom duplex units and 115-three bedroom townhouse units.

The units start at $1.2 m. Once the applicants meet the financial requirements they can seek a mortgage at the T&T Mortgage Finance or at any other financial institution.

kevon.felmine@guardian.co.tt

Three months after Cedros fisherman Nicholas Hajarie was rescued by his brother Vickey Sankar after Hajarie and two others were kidnapped by Venezuela’s La Guardia Nacional in local waters, he is now left mourning his brother’s death.

Around 10 pm Wednesday, Sankar, 34, was shot dead outside his home in Icacos Village, Cedros.

Police said Sankar and Hajarie were in the yard when gunmen dressed in dark-coloured clothing emerged from the bushes around the house.

As the gunmen unleashed bullets, Sankar commanded his brother to run.

When the gunmen left and Hajarie came out of hiding, he found his brother’s lifeless body sprawled out in the yard.

Cedros police, South Western Division Task Force and investigators from the Homicide Bureau of Investigations, Region Three responded and searches were made throughout the fishing village surrounded by sea, swamp and coconut trees.

However, no one was held up to late yesterday. Investigators had no motive for Sankar’s murder. They believe that he was involved in smuggling contraband to and from Venezuela where in wife’s family lives.

A distraught Hajarie told Guardian Media that they had planned to go fishing around 5 am yesterday and had just finished preparing for the trip.

While sitting in the porch, Sankar’s Venezuelan wife said that she heard noise in the back.

As they both walked outside to check it, Sankar noticed someone moving in the bushes. He went to the side of a tank to switch on a light and saw the gunmen coming out of the bush, firing shots.

“He told me to run when he heard the first shot buss, so I run and then I didn’t hear him again. He tried to run but when I came out after, he was just lying on the ground. The men had already run off and escaped. The house not too far from the beach,” Hajaree said.

It had been a traumatic year for their mother, Heermatie Sanker, who cried for weeks after Hajarie, 26, her husband Awardnath, 52, and fellow fisherman Shami Seepersad, 35, were held near a Trinmar offshore installation by La Guardia Nacional and jailed in Venezuela. They were charged for illegally fishing in Venezuelan waters but were reprimanded and released by a court.

But the trio faced difficulties in getting back to Trinidad and it was Sankar who went across to provide clothing, food and shelter for the fishermen at his mother-in-law’s home in Tucupita. It took 16 days before La Guardia Nacional escorted them to local waters, where they were taken back to home soil by the Coast Guard.

Hajaree said his mother has been staying with relatives since she learned of Sankar’s death. Councillor for Cedros Shankar Teelucksingh believes that Sankar’s murder could have been prevented if the Ministry of National Security had provided resources for the law enforcement in the community. He said Cedros residence are still traumatised from last weekend’s shooting at the St Peter’s Day celebration in the community where fishermen Darian Schneider, 24, and Rigel Dookie, 22, were wounded.

Teelucksingh said there were signs of an increase in criminal activities and Cedros police do not have equipment, manpower and instructions from the National Security Minister Edmund Dillon and the National Security Council to lock down the community.

Cedros and Icacos is a known illegal port for the smuggling of drugs, weapons and entrance for illegal immigrants.

The State has been ordered to pay almost $90,000 in compensation to an immigration consultant at a law firm, who was wrongfully detained for 36 hours as part of an investigation by United Kingdom police into fraud committed by her previous employer.

Delivering a 49-page judgment, High Court Judge Ricky Rahim ruled that police had wrongfully arrested and falsely imprisoned Trishuana Scarlett, of Belmont, in December 2012.

According to the lawsuit, Scarlett claimed that she was asleep at her home when she was awoken by two police officers, who were in her bedroom. Scarlett, who was then pregnant, claimed that the officers refused to tell her the reason for her arrest before they took her to the Fraud Squad’s office in Port-of-Spain.

While there she was informed that two officers from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (UK’s equivalent of the Board of Inland Revenue) were investigating an offence of fraud allegedly committed by her former employer before she migrated to T&T in 2010.

She was eventually released without being charged and later testified against her former employer.

In their defence, the police officers claimed that Scarlett was not arrested and that they merely went to her house to invite her to be interviewed voluntarily. They also claimed that she was not detained at the station and was free to leave when she wanted but chose to stay.

However, in his judgment, Rahim described the police officers testimony as disingenuous as he pointed out that he did not believe their version of the events.

Rahim said he believed Scarlett’s claims which were corroborated by her husband, Farai Hove Masaisai, his brother, sister and mother, who were all at home during the raid. Masaisai and his two siblings are all attorneys.

Rahim said: “It is implausible that a party of armed officers would visit someone at that hour (even if the home is located at Belmont, which the first defendant attempts to infer as the reason for being armed) simply to invite them to come to the station in roughly three hours’ time.”

He also questioned their claims that Scarlett was not being detained.

“It means, if one is to follow the skewed logic, that the burden lies with the detainee to ask to leave in circumstances where she is detained without consent,” Rahim said.

In assessing compensation Rahim ruled that she was entitled to $65,000 in general damages for wrongful arrest and false imprisonment.

He also awarded $10,000 in exemplary damages for the oppressive and arbitrary action by police.

Rahim noted that because the State’s legal team failed to tender the request for assistance from the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service in the case, he had no basis to say that the police’s action was not arbitrary.

Rahim also ordered Scarlett $10,500 in damages for the police trespassing on her property without a warrant. The State was also ordered to pay her legal fees for bringing the claim. Scarlett was represented by Colvin Blaize.

“Please stop littering and be responsible,” pleaded La Brea MP Nicole Olivierre as she helped remove mounds of garbage from the beaches in her constituency which washed ashore after recent floods.

The initiative organised by the Ministry of Planning and Development was conducted following complaints by the La Brea Fisherfolk Association that the shorelines were littered with garbage which began washing up on Sunday following heavy rains and flooding in the district. The garbage included scores of plastic bottles, plastic bags, appliances, branches and other debris.

Wearing rubber boots and equipped with a rake at Carat Shed beach, Olivierre said based on currents of the Gulf of Paria, the beaches in La Brea seemed to be the destination point for ocean debris.

Following the floods last weekend there was a large amount of debris along the shorelines at Point Sable, Carat Shed and Coffee Beach.

Olivierre, who was accompanied by her office staff, said this was a recurring problem. She thanked the Ministry for organising the clean-up operation.

“We could have initiatives to clean-up the beaches but we need to address the source of the problem which is the indiscriminate dumping of garbage in our watercourses which end up in the Gulf of Paria and deposited on the beaches.

“People need to stop littering. They need to stop throwing their garbage in the rivers and drains to the detriment of marine life and people.”

Association president Alvin La Borde said his members also assisted in the clean-up exercise.

“They all did a pretty good clean-up on Carat Shed and Coffee Beach. It’s about 80 per cent clean but what happens is that there are a lot of plastic bags stuck in the sand and we need a backhoe to dig up the sand to remove it. I hope the other beaches are cleaned as well, Point Sable is really bad,” he said. He was upset that they got no help from the Siparia Regional Corporation.

“No one came here this morning. The corporation is responsible for cleaning the shoreline.”

In response, head of the Public Health Department at the corporation Dr Curtis Sonny said workers will be cleaning some of the beaches in La Brea today.

He said two weeks ago workers cleaned all the beaches in the area after hundreds of dead fish washed ashore.

More criminal gangs from the Beetham and Laventille are setting up in parts of Central Trinidad, including Couva and Freeport.

This was revealed at an emergency police town meeting at the office of Caroni East MP Tim Gopeesingh at Dyette Estate, Cunupia, on Wednesday. The meeting was called following a spike in criminal activity in St Helena and environs that resulted in a string of robberies taking place.

Central Division head Senior Sup Inraj Balram said it was during the interrogation of a “hardened criminal” on Wednesday that the police finally learned that gangs were coming in droves to central.

Balram said, “He (referring to the criminal under interrogation) explained the number of persons who came from Beetham, who came from Laventille, the calibre of the persons. He called some of the players, because I spend a number of years in Port-of-Spain, who are setting up base or are trying to set up base in Central, in places like I think is Couva, Freeport, it’s alarming.

“Today I heard from an informant that there is some parcel of land in Couva in which the criminal elements are trying to take over.”

Gopeesingh said the crime situation has gotten so bad in his constituency that he is now afraid to walk the streets of Caroni East.

Gopeesingh said, “I am fearful to walk to meet people in this constituency now. I am afraid of walking the streets as I am accustomed of walking the streets with my team. I am afraid of going into the side roads.”

He said a number of side roads are now filled with criminals and drug blocks and despite reports being made to the police little is being done. He said there was also a gang of thieves known as the “Tallman Gang” that was terrorising the community.

But Gopeesingh admitted crime is getting so bad T&T he is also afraid to stay at his Fairways, Maraval home, where he has resided for the last 43 years.

“I’m frightened, my colleagues are scared, I want relief for my constituents,” Gopeesingh said, noting that while police were concentrating on curbing crime in the nearby hotspot of Enterprise, Cunupia residents were worried that the criminals were moving into their area looking for “soft targets”.

He said he plans on taking up the issue of bringing in more resources to the Central Division with Minister of National Security Edmund Dillon and acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams.

Balram assured Cunupia was not being neglected and patrols were taking place with resources coming in from outside Central Division. He said an approved plan for the area was implemented.

“Just yesterday we had a meeting with the Deputy Commissioner and we formulated a further crime plan to target that area St Helena,” he said , adding part of the plan would see an increase in patrols there.

ASP Richard Smith said Enterprise was the area giving the most problems in Central Division. He said 2017 saw an escalation of criminal activities in Enterprise that included a rise in murders and as such police were taken from several stations in Central and posted to Enterprise. He said over 15,000 patrols were done since March 2017, around 900 persons were arrested and 75 firearms, 1000 rounds of ammunition and two hand grenades were seized.

Police also complained that the camera system installed by the Government at the St Helena Junction was inadequate. They said the rotating cameras in the junction tend to miss vital information when making a 360 degree turn. They said fixed cameras are instead needed to identify persons and vehicles involved in crime, adding they have to instead relied on camera footage from residents and businesses in the area.

radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt

Six months after the drowning of commercial air diver Chevonne Bartholomew, his only son Zion Bartholomew has excelled at the Secondary Entrance Assessment exams.

Zion, a student of Christian Primary Academy, passed for North Eastern College, his father’s alma mater. But it was a bitter-sweet moment for Zion as he hugged his mother Pete-Ann Bartholomew, after collecting his results at the school on Wednesday.

His teacher Lester Joint, who individually supervised his students, offering extra lessons and providing motivation, congratulated all his students on their successes.

In an interview with the T&T Guardian, Pete-Ann said Zion worked very hard, drawing courage from Jehovah God.

She said apart from his academic success, he also began excelling in swimming.

On June 6, Zion participated in the Atlantic National Primary School’s Swim Meet. It was his last swim and he broke all his personal best records to become the overall champion in his category.

Pete-Ann said she never pressured her son to study but always encouraged him to do the best he could.

She said when Chevonne disappeared in January while inspecting an oil tanker docked off Chaguaramas, her son was at the height of his preparation for SEA. For 16 days the family prayed that Chevonne would be found alive, but on Valentine’s Day his body was spotted floating off Cedros.

Pete-Ann said not having her husband around has been difficult.

“I was challenged not to add extra pressure on Zion because every time I did this he would shut down. I took a hands-off approach. I would ask him if he wanted to do his schoolwork and if he said yes, well fine and if he said no, that’s still OK,” she recalled.

At one point she even offered Zion the opportunity to forego the exams and write it next year.

However, wanting to make his parents proud, Zion refused.

He became self-motivated and when depression sank in, he began throwing his frustration into competitive swimming, the sport his father loved the most.

“I really want to thank the Sea Hawks swim club because this became his avenue for release of frustration. In the last few months, he did exceptionally and surprisingly well.

“In everything, we give God thanks. Zion didn’t pass for his first choice but it was emotional for us because he passed for his father’s Alma Mater,” Pete-Ann cried.

She added: “When I hugged Zion, I could have heard his dad’s voice saying ‘Yayy son, that’s my school’.”

She expressed pride that Zion was able to follow through and write the exams despite the odds.

“I am so proud and happy for him because it shows that despite challenges we can overcome with the help of God.”

Bartholomew, 37, of Flamboyant Crescent, Valencia, was employed with Trindive Underwater Services, which contracts commercial divers for companies involved in the oil and gas industry.

He was inspecting oil tanker C-Spirit, anchored off Gasparee Island in Chaguaramas when he disappeared.

His body was found 16 days later, a day after Zion turned 12. The Occupational Safety and Health Authority is continuing investigations into Bartholomew’s death.

Following Thursday night’s passage of the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) bill in the Senate comes word that a minimum of three terrorist financing charges and approximately 30 cases of money laundering will be brought to the courts very shortly.

Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi revealed news of the upcoming cases as he wound up debate on the bill in the Senate on Thursday.

He said he was reliably informed and is “properly prepared” for the cases. He noted that the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) had found an increase in suspicious transactions/activities up from $4 billion in four years to $22.5 billion in one year.

The FIU’s latest report noted 112 cases of terrorist financing out of 877 suspicious transactions - a 62 per cent increase over the previous year. FIU intelligence also revealed 251 citizens suspected of being involved in the financing of terrorism and related offences.

Passage of the bill with Government, Opposition and Independent support at 10.40 pm on Thursday brought to successful climax almost 18 months of work on the issue. It followed Tuesday’s rocky but successful passage in the Lower House. (See editorial on Page A18)

Next step, Al-Rawi said, is operationalising the bill. He said T&T is now in fourth round evaluation by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the next round will be stiffer, since it focuses on how T&T is operationalising laws. Al-Rawi said at the September 5 FATF review meeting in Miami, he will have to explain T&T’s action plan and operationalising update.

“Operationalisation means how many convictions T&T has, do we have prosecutions, ongoing forfeitures, do we have seizures. If we don’t have operationalisation, we dead in the water. After September 5, we then we go to FATF’s Paris meeting and will be marked on T&T’s perfomance,” he added.

He said T&T has already listed (with international agencies) the fact that T&T-born Shane Crawford is a terrorist.

“If Crawford went anywhere in the world he would be known as a terrorist. As a result, his property and assets have been frozen and anybody in T&T who dares intermeddle with supporting Shane Crawford will be caught in that matrix also,” the AG added.

One of the reasons the amended law was necessary was because Crawford had internationally proclaimed support for the Islamic State terror group, Al-Rawi said. He added that Islamic Front leader Umar Abdullah also told National Geographic he at one time had promoted Isis ideology.

Al-Rawi disagreed with Independent Senator Stephen Creese, who suggested a sunset clause - review period - for the bill. Al-Rawi said amendments were needed a long time and the formula would address various necessary areas, especially as T&T’s cyber environment “comes to life.”

radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt

Top level police officers met in an emergency session yesterday to discuss strategies to deal with the mass migration of criminal gangs from Laventille, Morvant and Port-of-Spain. The gangs have been setting up bases in several parts of Central and South Trinidad.

Some gang members are currently living in Freeport, Couva, Cunupia, Chaguanas, Point Fortin, Santa Flora, Erin, Moruga, Claxton Bay and Marabella, the T&T Guardian was reliably informed.

Southern Division Senior Supt Zamsheed Mohammed said the police have developed strategies to deal with the mass migration but refused to divulge any more details. Asked whether the police had mapped out the possible hideouts of the gangs, Mohammed said this information was sensitive and could not be publicised. However, he called on the public to assist the police in locating the gangsters.

“We are calling on the public to report any stranger they see in their community. If you see someone who is acting suspiciously or behaving in a manner that raises questions, then you can call the police to investigate. You can make the calls anonymously to the police or to CrimeStoppers at 800-TIPS and the police will act on it,” Mohammed said.

He added that home invasions and other crimes could also be prevented if the community worked with the police in reporting incidents. He said strange vehicles could be reported as well.

In the Central and Southern regions, police officers have also set up police community councils to assist in real-time reporting of a crime.

A source at the Central Division said yesterday that they had set up social media groups so that people can share information in real time.

“This has been successful in the search for stolen vehicles and has resulted in us recovering stolen vehicles on a timely basis,” the officer said.

He noted that many of the gangsters are also moving into unoccupied homes and are mingling in the communities.

Yesterday, the public was still processing the information about the criminal migration, reported exclusively in the T&T Guardian, and wondering whether the police would be able to stop it.

Couva resident Preetam Gunness said more needed to be done in the crime fight. He said instead of allowing the criminal gangs to migrate, police should begin arresting the offenders. However, he noted there was also a level of distrust between citizens and the police which made providing information problematic.

“People know who are the gang leaders and they are being seen with politicians and senior police officers. They are protected, so why should people feel safe to call the police to report anything?” Gunness said.

Kyle Ainsley said his relatives were recently beaten and chopped during a home invasion and were considering migration.

“Even though the Anti-Gang legislation has been passed we are not seeing a dent in crime. It is very worrying,” Ainsley said.

On Wednesday, Central Division head Senior Sup Inraj Balram said it was during the interrogation of a “hardened criminal” on Wednesday that the police finally learned that gangs were moving in droves to central. He said the gangsters were also trying to take over a parcel of land in Couva to conduct their operations.

Also contacted yesterday, Couva South MP Rudy Indarsingh says the migration of criminal gangs to Central and South Trinidad is nothing new.

“In the constituency of Couva South it is a known fact that criminals have been migrating in and out for the last two and a half years. That is why there have been murders in Balmain, Calcutta, California and Pt Lisas just to name a few and robberies and home invasions in every nook and cranny of the constituency,” Indarsingh said in a telephone interview.

“That is the very said reason why I have been consistently calling for joint police/army patrols in Couva and Central Trinidad. It is also sad that in spite of the Government boasting of cameras being installed we still do not know how many cameras are working and what is the true worth of assisting the police is solving and reducing the crime epidemic which has taken over Central Trinidad.”

He called Minister of National Security Edmund Dillon and the Ministers to come on the ground in Central Trinidad to get first-hand knowledge of the terror, trauma and pain the law-abiding citizens are encountering.