Nakhid: Foster must apologise to nation's youth

Senator and Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs, David Nakhid, has accused Opposition Senator Foster Cummings of betraying the nation’s youth during his tenure at the head of the Ministry of Youth Development and National Service.

Nakhid was giving his contributions in the Senate on July 1.

"I have the distasteful assignment of looking through some of the so-called programmes. There are about 38 of them."Some of them, I think were conceptualised by my senatorial colleague (Cummings)."

Nakhid said there was one programme in particular called Fuse which cost $74,000 per student for three months.

In this the students were required to "clear bush from lines and to lay T&TEC lines."

"When I see that, I thought Harvard University was the service provider to clear and lay line... And they graduating to go where, T&TEC which is already saturated for workers? Make that make sense."

Nakhid granted Cummings two minutes to apologise to the nation’s youth for what he described as their "abusing them under the programmes he conceptualised.

"What was the intent and purpose of these programmes that only matriculated the young people with certificates of completion or participation?

"Very few of these programmes could allow young men and women to enter the job market. There was no CVQ or direct entry."

Nakhid said this was a betrayal to the nation's youth.

In response to Nakhid's criticisms, Cummings said both his former ministry and the Public Utilities Ministry had discussions on an apprenticeship programme.

"Discussions were held between WASA and T&TEC to develop apprentice programmes. They existed before but had become dormant.

"FUSE was done in conjunction with T&TEC, to train young people for the job market in overhead line clearing and laying of lines. That programme provides opportunities for employment just not for T&TEC but other telecommunications companies operating looking for this skill..."

He accused Nakhid of trying to score "political points" with the programme.

Cummings said the programmes were part of the PNM government's youth policy to create training opportunities in a short time to treat with an immediate problem.

"You have the option of leaving them to be absorbed by criminal elements or give them an opportunity for meaningful employment."