Expanding The Gate On Tertiary Education: Is It Justified, Pt II
Quantity vs quality
According to statistics produced by MSTTE, the student enrolment under the GATE Programme averaged 50,000 between 2007 and 2010, peaking at 57,328 in fiscal 2006/2007. By the end of fiscal 2011, some 45,000 students were receiving GATE. All told, approximately 220,000 persons have benefitted from GATE since its inception. While this is a laudable achievement, in terms of progressing towards the target of 60% tertiary participation rate by 2015, the Government, in its quest to attain the goal of “education for all”, must ensure that quality is not compromised. The MSTTE is mindful of this and so conducts a review of its Agreement with private tertiary institutions every two (2) years. High on its assessment criteria is the meeting of certain quality standards which include registration with the Accreditation Council of Trinidad and Tobago (ACTT)/National Training Agency (NTA) and the receipt of a letter of recognition and/or approval from these bodies for programmes for which funding is being sought.
A tight monitoring of programme offerings has become necessary as the advent of the GATE Programme has brought with it a mushrooming of private tertiary level institutions. There are now a total of forty-three (43) private institutions receiving GATE funding. The Chamber supports the view of the Minister of Finance that “a high-quality education for our citizens is critical to our economic future.”
Meeting the labour market needs
Apart from the need to ensure that all regulations are implemented, the MSTTE is of the view that “any expansion of the GATE Programme must be closely linked to the country’s economic development priorities, job creation and labour market needs.” It is also envisaged that the expansion be closely aligned to the seven (7) integrated pillars for sustainable development as enunciated by the Minister of Finance.
Consistent with this commitment, the MSTTE in its recent National Consultation on “Securing and Expanding the Gate Programme” held in November, 2011, convened panels in Trinidad and in Tobago on a range of related topics among them being “Funding and Labour Market Needs”. The Chamber, as an interested stakeholder, endorsed the view that funding for tertiary studies should be directed to industries/sectors which can contribute to the sustainable development of Trinidad and Tobago. In the specific case of Tobago, niche markets in tourism were identified as targets. In that vein, the Minister of Finance had also signalled in his 2011/2012 Budget Statement that there was a need to align the GATE Programme with current and future skills gaps within the local economy.
Consequently, the Centre for Workforce Research and Development has been commissioned, under the aegis of the University of the West Indies, to undertake the relevant research that will identify skills gaps in the local economy. Education and training can then be channelled in the appropriate directions. In that regard, the expansion of the GATE Programme earlier this year to TVET will cater for programmes that are labour market driven and are based on policy and priority areas of the Government.
The Chamber is of the view that in addressing the labour market needs consideration should be given to the seven (7) sectors that were identified for development by the Government since 2003, namely: yachting; fish and fish processing; merchant marine; music and entertainment; film; printing and packaging; and food and beverage. These sectors, in addition to diversifying the economy, have the potential to provide long-term, sustainable growth and development and more importantly, competitive advantage in the international trading environment. The Chamber has also made representation to the MSTTE for the expansion of the GATE Programme to include more specialized ICT type programmes.
The way forward
In addressing the question as to whether funding under the GATE Programme is justified, consideration must be given to the question of sustainability of the programme over the long term particularly if current economic circumstances persist. At the same time, the Chamber is aware that the level of tertiary level graduates is a critical factor in the decision making by foreign investors to invest in a country.
The Chamber is of the view that funding is justified provided that the rules and regulations governing the programme are fully enforced and implemented particularly in ensuring that students meet the minimum GPA requirements and complete the course of study within the stipulated time frame.
Further tangible efforts must be made to ensure that courses of study are aligned to current and future labour market needs and that the local economy is the primary beneficiary of the resultant training and experience. In our quest to achieve the stated 60% tertiary education target, we must ensure that we are producing a workforce, and indeed, entrepreneurs that can gainfully contribute to the productivity and development of the country.
The local economy and by extension the people of Trinidad and Tobago must be the primary beneficiary of the resultant training and experience. Value received must always equal or exceed money spent.
