T&T to be first UN state to have child care centres for all by 2015: Gopeesingh

File: Dr Tim Gopeesingh

Education Minister Dr Tim Gopeesingh said on Saturday Trinidad & Tobago will become the first United Nations (UN) member to achieve universal early childhood care, which will happen by 2015.

He was speaking at the launch of UNESCO'S "Education For All Week", at the Cascadia Hotel in St Ann's.

Gopeesingh said by 2015 the government would ensure that there would be about 34,000 children between the ages of three and five "adequately housed" in Early Childhood Centres. He said this would be achieved through joint Government and the private sector initiatives.

"Eventually, we'll have one teacher to every seven or eight students and other auxillary staff in these centres with 50 to 60 students," Gopeesingh said.

"It is said that in early childhood you may lay the foundation of poverty or riches, industry or idleness, good or evil, by the habits to which you train your children. Teach them right habits then, and their future life is safe, for it is always easier to build strong children than to repair broken human beings," he said.

Gopeesingh also listed the successes of his ministry, and spoke of plans.

"My ministry is working to ensure that all secondary, primary and ECCEs have a television and radio equipment to allow them to access a television channel dedicated to education," he said. 

"The channel will feature trained educational personnel discussing various subject areas, it will be interactive and recorded and made available. We are also tackling the issue of Special Needs among our children, and the Ministry of Education has a project going with the World Bank to assist us in identifying these cases and what methods we can employ to manage them," he added.