Prof Imbert: UTT was overstaffed

DEPUTY chairman of UTT Prof Clement Imbert yesterday denied claims by Education Minister Anthony Garcia that 59 staff members were terminated because of redundant programmes at the university.

Speaking at a press conference at UTT’s auditorium, NAPA, Port of Spain, Imbert said UTT was overstaffed and the university had to cut costs.

“The minister is not expected to know everything. As Minister of Education he probably divulged misinformation...There are programmes which have 13-14 students in a class, but we have too many people to teach those classes. We found there was an expenditure imbalance. It is not because of the small classes: we are overstaffed.

“UTT had a little over 400 academic staff. The UTT received a substantial reduction in its recurrent allocation in the 2016 budget. The allocation in 2017 was further reduced for fiscal year 2017-2018.

“As a consequence, UTT has had to drawn down on its cash reserves on a monthly basis to allow for continued operations.”

He said UTT barely survived until March, by which time it was becoming technically insolvent. It is now in a position where it is unable to meet both its payroll liabilities and outstanding trade payables, currently in excess of $20 million.

“The university can deliver international-quality education when the staff are reduced. All classes have been assigned with lecturers and professors.

“By October 2017 the university realised in order to survive it had to reduce expenditure drastically.”

Cost-cutting was instituted, he said, but that was not enough.

“As salaries are of the order of 70 per cent of its monthly operational expenditure, reduction in staff seemed inevitable.

“UTT’s new structure will see a reduction in top management from seven VPs to three, 56 managers to about 33-36.” Other measures included eliminating certain programmes and merging others, and UTT will look at all programmes, campuses and systems in its restructuring exercise and strategic direction for the future.

He said UTT could do without a quarter of the staff and no student will be affected by the restructuring.