Costaatt still the best

THE EDITOR: Even with the current challenges confronting the College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of TT (Costaatt), it remains the best institution to pursue tertiary education.

And this is no lone voice screaming out of the multitude. It is the reality, at least for those who make up the student body of the Ken Gordon School of Journalism and Communication Studies. And I dare say this sentiment is widely shared throughout many quarters of the college.

Since enrolling in the college in 2014, I have had mostly positive engagements with faculty and students. I can say without doubt that staff and faculty are student oriented and seek the best interests of their students.

Furthermore, most lecturers are versed in their respective areas of interests, are engaging and are cognisant of the different learning styles of those who populate their classrooms. To be frank, these pillars are what truly differentiate Costaatt from other tertiary institutions — the staff’s inclination to being compassionate and down to earth.

Nevertheless, in recent times, the college has spent a noteworthy amount of resources and finances in upgrading its administrative framework, especially by way of the upgrade of the Banner system — a digital platform that affords students the opportunity to be provided with the college’s services.

This upgrade has quelled the many qualms previously expressed by the student body, which added to its daily frustration in registering, monitoring grades, accessing online classrooms and other crucial information.

Additionally, at the start of the academic year, the college’s administration took the decision to extend the first semester into 2018, a move away from the traditional model which saw the end of the semester in December. However, a larger fraction of students were opposed to this decision. The college, being student oriented, embarked on consultation, albeit post factum, and the decision was reversed.

Contrariwise, it is without question that there are others who have alleged and speculated that Costaatt, in some direct or indirect way, has attempted to prolong the academic journey of a student, by continuously altering programmes as semesters go by.

While there is no proof that I am aware of, the problem therein appears to be more so of students failing to do the necessary or stay up-to-date with changes in the college. Whatever may be true, many have landed in such unfortunate predicaments of having to complete certain courses or pay their tuition in default of no financial support from the Government Assistance for Tertiary Education (GATE).

But what is certain is that the heavy dependence on funding from GATE has adversely affected and influenced the manner in which the administration treats with the academic calendar and the overall affairs of the college as seen with the recent articulations in the media of Costaatt’s president, Dr Gillian Paul.

Paul cited cash-flow issues as the major factor contributing to the re-evaluating of the college’s business model. While no one at the college wants what is happening at the University of TT (UTT) to become the reality at Costaatt, we, the student body, have to accept that the education landscape is changing, fast.

It is in this vein that final-year students of Costaatt, who need about nine-12 credits to graduate, implore the administration to resume the short semester during the July/August period. This decision will not only be in keeping with the college’s student-oriented ideology, but will reinforce the notion that the college is not bent on extending the completion of degrees.

The decision will also ensure that if, God forbids, the college does find itself in similar circumstances as UTT these students can escape before it happens. Also, the move may reduce the excessive amount of students expected to graduate in years to come.

Furthermore, the move will give the administration the ideal opportunity to focus on returning to its original concept of being a community college that caters to technical and vocational pursuits, especially by way of short programmes, certified by diplomas, as signalled by Paul.

Nonetheless, I trust that Costaatt will never be in a position where it is not able to fulfil its motto of “Transforming Lives, Transforming Communities, Transforming the Nation … One Student at a Time.”

RYAN NANTON via e-mail