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Page 18 ISSUE 147 Friday 11th MARCH, 2016 GET RID OF THE BAD ELEMENTS IN SCHOOL ed? laws of the land that makes this situation gets the support Is the school environment us a civilized society, otherwise, from some prominent conducive and friendly to our existence may people in the society. I those students who want to become short-lived. secure their future? The only way that the STORY BY Are there individuals impeding the progress of those come protected is through school environment can be- RUFUS FOSTER who want to advance in the rigid discipline – nothing development of their lives? else. In the absence of In Trinidad and Tobago, strict, discipline the buildings schools can be found in every that are called schools constituency to accommodate and which accommodate the many young our children that should children in our society. instead be called “Do your Both past and present own thing Centers.” In governments did their utmost my days at school, just the to ensure that educa- presence of the whip or belt Education Minister tion is the bedrock of our kept reminding us about the ANTHONY GARCIA society by investing in the need to be disciplined and erection of schools all over to avoid trouble. In this the country for the purpose of educating our youths. Institutions for learning have been around for centuries and they have served mankind well throughout our history. Different institutions are specifically built to accommodate certain training that will facilitate individuals coming from a particular age group with a common objective to prepare them to better their lives as they mature into being young men and women. One such institution in Trinidad and Tobago for learning comes through our education system with the availability of schools is it primary or secondary. The question must, therefore, be asked, are our schools serving the purpose for which they were intend- How then must these schools function? Without guidelines, rules or regulations human beings will operate at their own whims and fancy. In fact, it is through the obedience and the willingness of us to adhere to the manner, those who were very talented were not allowed to be distracted by those less inclined along the education pathway. Now, I am hearing corporal punishment no longer exists in the schools. Who are those “Brilliant Minds” that have made corporal punishment extinct? In addition, what is even scarier, am not even too concerned about those psychologists who support the eradication of corporal punishment in our schools for I am certain that those psychologists need help themselves. For those with religious beliefs against corporal punishment in schools, I am wondering if their authority is the Bible. Are they forgetting that the first human pair had to face dire consequences for their disobedience? Are they also forgetting that we are told that foolishness is tied up in the hearts of young people and it is the rod of correction that will remove such? Are they also forgetting that the very scripture says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom? Do these scriptures have any meaning to those Christians who are in agreement with others to eradicate the rod of correction? With the absence of corporal punishment or other means of punishment, what fear would schoolchildren have in the school environment? Why should young students be permitted in the classroom if they are not prepared to take instructions from their teachers? Why should they with their criminal records and/ or deviant behaviour be allowed to remain in the classroom to contaminate the law abiding others? Why must they be tolerated in the school while they are threatening the lives of the very ones who are there to educate them? Why must young girls who become pregnant be allowed to continue in the classroom? Education Minister Anthony Garcia should look into the aforementioned problems. Our sympathetic hearts and minds and our refusal or inability to see and understand logic will continue to be our demise. Unless there are robust aggressive dealings with school delinquencies the school system will continue to be a failure if we are not prepared to act swiftly and decisively in getting rid of those bad elements within the school walls. NO MIRACLE Story by JACK WARNER Negligence! That is the only way one can describe the events that lead to the death of little baby Miracle. Whether or not we agree with the way the fund was being administered, the Children’s Life Fund is a necessity. And to think that after so many allegations of impropriety, the least the administrators would have done is to perform efficiently to eliminate the scarring of this Fund under the PNM, but alas! The more things change most certainly the more they will remain the same. for Miracle Baby Cross Who failed to understand all the nuances associated with what is required when one of our little babies require critical surgery should be fired. And when the Fund’s Director Dennis Cox is quoted as saying a five-week delay to process funding is not unusual, it means that he lacks the empathy and the compassion to sit in the chair as Director. It is difficult not to feel the pain the parents would have experienced first at the death of little Miracle and shortly after to receive a call indicating that the people upon whom they depended on for a miracle for Miracle came hours late. For over five weeks one can only imagine the anxiety of the baby’s parents while these servants of the people twiddled their thumbs innocuous of the death sentence they had pronounced on little Miracle. And the sad part about it is that nothing will change, no one will be held accountable and more babies will die because as far as Director Dennis Cox is concerned the actions of his administrators were really not unusual. I did not know little Miracle but my heart bleeds. I was never privileged to watch this baby smile but I know the hope that I felt when I believed that under a caring PNM administration that at least Miracle would stand a fighting chance. I never believed this is the way the story would have ended. At least as a nation, we expected the Life Fund administrators to do the best that they could. But they have not only failed little Miracle, they have failed us because they have caused grief to visit us in a way that is reprehensible and in a manner that is as callous as the deviant criminals who bring death upon so many. It is as though we are cursed as a nation. There is no sense of urgency, not for those awaiting trial in prison, or those awaiting their pensions after serving this country for 33 plus years. We have become an insensitive lot and we are being governed by coldhearted leaders to whom empathy and pity are no longer feelings that move us to act with a sense of alacrity. I take no consolation that Miracle’s pain is no more when I know that as a people we could have done We failed Baby MIRACLE better. We failed little Miracle and those who are responsible should hang their heads in shame. If their actions are not unusual then they do no justice in the office they serve. The only consolation I will hold is when each and every one of these administrators is removed from office to give our children who are sick a fighting chance to live. GOT NEWS, VIEWS OR ADS TO SEND... CALL SUNSHINE at: 692-6781 /6782 | Fax: 692-6940 | Email: info@sunshinett.com
ISSUE 147 Friday 11th MARCH, 2016 Stakeholders in the racing industry are calling on the government APPOINT MEMBERS OF THE TTRA BOARD! Stakeholders in the racing industry are calling on the government to install members of the Trinidad and Tobago Racing Authority (TTRA). The Authority has been without a board for the past eight month and come next month secretary to the board, David Loregnard will be retiring. And it seems that the Rowley-led PNM government is not making a move to appoint a board since its nine members term of office came to end in June last year and to date there haVE been no appointments to fill the vacancies. Stakeholders in the racing industry claim that there has always been a problem with past governments appointing a board on time. Members of the TTRA have to be appointed by the Minister of Trade and Industry under which horse racing falls, but the new Trade Minister is claiming that horse racing is now under the Ministry of Finance. Stakeholders are in a quandary as to which minister is responsible for horse racing now. One racing official said horse racing has to remain with the Ministry of Trade until the TTRA Act changes to bring the sport under the Ministry of Finance. In 2013 after the Derek Chin-led board went out of office, it took the former PP government some six months to appoint new members of the TTRA for two years, which expired in June last year under chairman Sunil Sirjoo. Since then Loregnard has been carrying out the functions of the Authority within The TTRA is the regulatory body for horse racing, among its function are to administer and enforce rules made under section 17of the TTRA Act, and regulations made under section 19, hear all disputes arising out of the rules of racing made under section 17, hear appeals of jockey against fines and suspension handed down by the Arima Race Club (ARC) stewards. Lorenard, who has been secretary of the TTRA for over 30 years, will be retiring at the end of April and since there is no board to decide whether to offer him a contract to stay until a new secretary is appointed, he will be packing his HORSE RACING ACTION By Azad Ali bags and heading out of his office at Santa Rosa Park, Arima. Staffers at the TTRA are now worried about their salaries from May since currently there are two signatories- secretary and accountant- required to sign cheques for wages. Some stakeholders have Page 19 described Loregnard as a “walking encyclopedia” when it comes to the rules of racing and has got high recognition from other racing jurisdictions abroad. One racing official said it would be difficult to replace Loregnard with is years of experience in the sport. Trainer ROHIT DUBE (left) and owner DAVID MAHABIR lead in Mary’s Girl Chile with jockey KESHAN BALGOBIN in the saddle. Messi with jockey EMILLE RAMSAMMY in winner’s enclosure. Happy connections of Onefortheroad in winner’s circle. Trainer HARRIRAM “Pepsi” GOBIN (second from right). Fourth from right is KAMA MAHARAJ. Indian Medicine won the feature Top of the Class race with jockey PRAYVEN BADRIE in the saddle.
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