Garcia alleges ECCE scam

Education Minister 
Anthony Garcia
Education Minister Anthony Garcia

EDUCATION Minister Anthony Garcia alluded to fraud by certain ECCE centres (nurseries) in a private-public partnership with government, speaking during the Standing Finance Committee of the House of Representatives on Tuesday. These private centres were funded by the government but still raked in fees from unsuspecting parents, he said.

Garcia was replying to complaints by Caroni East MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh that the ECCE system had left thousands of pre-schoolers excluded due to a lack of places. Gopeesingh, a former education minister, said, “139 schools cannot take 57,000 children aged 3-5, so half are left out of school.”

The duo verbally tussled, with Gopeesingh saying thousands were left out of the ECCE schools but Garcia retorting, “That is not correct.”

Gopeesingh threatened to bring a parliamentary motion to show the misapprehension of Garcia who brushed it all off saying he could bring 100 motions.

Garcia said, “I am saying there were a lot of problems associated with that partnership and we are looking at it.” He said many such ECCE schools were still being operated by private individuals.

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Gopeesingh said his government had given $3,600 per year per pupil in that ECCE partnership scheme, alleging, “Now you have abandoned that, so half the children are out.”

Garcia replied, “I was reluctant to enter into details, but since you are insisting, I can tell you in some instances in spite of the fact that some of those providers were receiving financial assistance from the government they were also charging fees.” He said that was just one concern among others. “There were some problems and we are looking at those problems.”

Gopeesingh retorted, “Four years later? That programme we left in 2010 running. The world saw TT as a leader in early childhood education.”

Garcia shot, “It was not an area that was carefully thought out, as so many things.”

Gopeesingh hit, “I take strong objection to your statement!”

Later, Garcia told Chaguanas East MP Fazal Karim that $33 million allocated to private secondary schools would pay to educate 7,833 pupils enrolled at 12 private secondary schools. He said that worked out to $4,000 per pupil yearly.

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