NDP promises to restructure the education system

A third world developing country like St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) with no natural resources must depend on its human capital, so educating persons is of utmost importance. Leader of the Opposition Godwin Friday, said it is with this in mind that if his New Democratic Party (NDP) forms government, they will restructure the education system, making studying at higher levels easier for students.

Speaking during his party’s New Times programme on Nice Radio, Friday said there are many challenges in the education system and the one of the main questions is, “what do we do to help young people?”

He said that in a country like SVG, the human capital has to use its intellect to generate wealth, “so we have to train people to be skillful by aiming at providing educational opportunities that can enhance life and create value.

“…and that comes from training, so we have to provide the opportunity for young people to get a good education and skills necessary to find good paying jobs in St Vincent and the Grenadines, as, if they choose to live here, they should have opportunities here.”

The Opposition Leader said that having the ability to go on to tertiary education and learning a skill at an institution that trains you properly is important.

“…not a two or three month thing, but training that can help you find jobs…we want to be able to do that and make it affordable to people,” Friday noted, while adding that the current government has increased the number of scholarships, as did the NDP when they were in power.

“…the NDP increased scholarships too. When I wrote A’ Levels, there was one scholarship being offered, but now they are many and that increased under the NDP when Sir James opened the links with Cuba, he noted.

“…that created opportunities for people to get training,” the politician stressed, while adding that credit Cuba must be credited with training Vincentians in fields like medicine and architecture which he said started under the NDP regime and was expanded by the current administration.

He said when the NDP returns to office, they will push to have more scholarships available to persons and lower the interest rates on the student loan programme.

“Somebody tell me they are paying nine percent interest. Could you imagine that! nine percent interest. So, we would cut that in half, four and a half percent, because we would finance it in way to make sure that the people who get these loans are able to afford to carry them,” he stated.

“…and the idea that when you are going to school you are paying the loan while you studying. Where you getting money to pay the loan while you are studying? he queried.

“So, what happening instead of borrowing 60,000 dollars you borrow 80,000 and use the other 20,000 to pay off the interest and so on, while you are going to school. So, you are digging yourself into a deeper hole.”

He said the way the loans are structured, an entire generation, “will basically be invested in paying off that student loan, and by the time you get around to start building a property and so forth, you in your fifties and you reach retirement…”.

The NDP president said as well that there are many young people with the desire, capacity, and skill, “so we can provide them with the education so they can help build the country”.

He added, “If we can’t get young people to stay here and give their time, skill, labour and effort, then we will fail. We will never go forward so we have to make it affordable for young people.”

He noted too that when students receive student loans, it is important that they pay it back “…because if you don’t do that the next generation- the funds will not be there to assist them, so we have to make sure we provide the means for them to continue the programme”.

The National Student Loan Programme, funded by local financial institutions, has a set interest rate of 8.5 percent; and the Disadvantaged Student Loan Programme moves to 4.5 per cent as of this month, down from around 8.5 per cent.