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Speaker:The Honourable Basdeo Panday, Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
Date: March 23, 2000
Occasion: Address at the Sod Turning Ceremony of the ASJA Secondary Schools at Charlieville, Chaguanas, Trinidad.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I begin in the name of God the Beneficent, most merciful.
Assalum-o-Alaikum.
May the peace and blessings of the Almighty be upon you.
Today is a significant day in the annals and history of the people of the Muslim Community as we lay the foundation stone for two secondary schools of A.S.J.A here in Charlieville.
Today is also significant because you have just joined your Sisters and Brothers from all over the world in performing the great pilgrimage to Mecca, "Haji".
You have also signified the importance of sacrifice by celebrating Eid-Ul-Adha, in commemoration of the sacrifice of Ishmael by Father Abraham.
I know that as a community of approximately 6% of our cosmopolitan nation, this country�s Muslims have made a vital contribution to the economic political and social development of Trinidad and Tobago.
Let me take this opportunity to pay public tribute to some of the pioneers of Islam in Trinidad and Tobago:
The late Haj Rooknudeen Meah, Haji Mohammed Ibrahim, father of the present President General of A.S.J.A.,
Haji Shafick Rahaman,
Haji Abdool Sataar, and many others.
I also pay tribute to a prominent Muslim and a dear friend and brother who is truly one of our country�s great patriots, His Excellency Ambassador Kamalludin Mohammed.
It is more important that these great men not only worked for the development of the Muslim Community; they worked in harmony with religious leaders of all denominations in Trinidad and Tobago.
I must also make mention of Dr. Wahid Ali, the former General Secretary of A.S.J.A. for many years, and former President of the Senate of Trinidad and Tobago for several years, and a catalyst in the founding of the Inter Religious Organization.
I pay tribute to Dr. Ali today for the work he has done for the Muslim Community and for the nation.
I recall too well Dr. Ali�s association with Archbishop Anthony Pantin of revered memory who was also a moving figure in the founding of the Inter Religious Organization.
Today, we turn the sod to begin the secondary schools which A.S.J.A. has undertaken to build for all the children of Trinidad and Tobago.
I am delighted to have the honour to perform this act because I am a product of the denominational school system at both primary and secondary levels.
This might be seen as a great blessing by some people.
Others might consider it a serious problem.
I consider myself fortunate to have been raised in a Hindu Home, while receiving my early education at Presbyterian Schools.
I pay warm tribute to the Anjuman Sunatul Jamaat Association, and all the Imams and followers of this Association, for your contribution to education in Trinidad and Tobago.
In addition to this, you have also helped to strengthen the moral fabric of this cosmopolitan nation.
You turn the sod today to start construction of two Secondary Schools here in Charlieville, one a Girls� Secondary School, the other a Boys� Secondary School.
This is a unique double and I commend A.S.J.A. on this valuable contribution to the national education programme.
You are establishing two new secondary schools at a time when my Government is revisiting the Concordat which is the basis for the joint partnership between Religious Bodies and the Government in the education system of Trinidad and Tobago.
It is the responsibility of the State to provide each child with a good education.
My Government is of the view, however, that our religious bodies have a major role to play in the education and development of the nation�s children.
For a number of reasons, I am happy to see the steps that the A.S.J.A. Board is taking today.
It is well known that among Secondary Schools in the country, the Assisted schools are well regarded for all the right reasons.
These schools inculcate the finest standards of discipline.
They nurture good conduct, character and an industrious attitude.
They produce well-rounded students who are properly socialised and who have a belief in service to society and in the development of nationhood.
In the early sixties, the A.S.J.A. Board established two schools in San Fernando � one for boys and another for girls.
Both of the schools have developed consistently to quite respected status, giving good all-round education with enviable academic results.
Both schools are known for high standards of discipline and healthy, religious, moral orientation.
It is my wish, and expectation, that the two schools for which we turn the sod today, will swiftly rise to prominence, and value to students, parents, community and country.
The A.S.J.A. Board can surely succeed, as you have done so well with your existing secondary schools and as the Muslim Community, under its three organisations, the
T.I.A, the T.M.L. and the A.S.J.A., is doing with its fifteen primary schools.
I take this opportunity to acknowledge the great contribution which all of our religious bodies are making to the national education system.
Of a total of 477 primary schools in the country, only 136 are solely run by the Government.
This means that over 70% of our primary schools are assisted and run by religious bodies.
At the Secondary level, the situation is different.
Of our 100 Secondary Schools, 30 are Assisted and 70 are exclusively Government.
But the remarkable success of our Assisted Secondary Schools is well known.
I am convinced that the society will benefit greatly if many more of our children were allowed an education with religious values at its core.
That is why I attached such great importance to the revisiting of the Concordat.
In promoting the increased involvement in the education system, I do not envisage the imposition on our children of any fundamentalist religious code that would isolate any child in any school from the rest of the society.
What I seek is the enrichment of our children�s lives with religious values, and the enrichment of society with religious principles and ideals that will unite all in our nation as brothers and sisters.
The new A.S.J.A Schools will further that objective.
The Charlieville A.S.J.A. Boys� and Charlieville A.S.J.A. Girls� Secondary Schools are scheduled to receive One Million Dollars, $500,000.00 per school, from the Government.
When completed, these schools will accommodate seventeen hundred and fifty students; approximately eight hundred and seventy five students per school.
The schools will be able to share certain facilities, thus making this educational effort uniquely cost effective.
You already have a Primary School contiguous with these grounds.
You plan, I am told, to apply for permission to start a Pre-School for early childhood care and education.
You are also planning a fully equipped gymnasium and auditorium, and a tertiary institution as well.
Charlieville is therefore becoming the venue of a wonderful and unique experiment in the establishment of an educational complex catering to students from early childhood up to the final years of secondary school, and through to tertiary education.
This is a good thing for Central Trinidad, as you draw your pupils from a wide catchment area including Cunupia, Warrenville, Montrose, Chaguanas, Felicity and Charlieville.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I am delighted that the A.S.J.A. Board is extending its educational outreach in these
pivotal times for the development of the educational system in our country.
For the first time in our history, we are moving conclusively to the provision of universal secondary education by next year.
The end of the Shift System in our Secondary Education System is imminent.
We are proceeding full steam ahead with a comprehensive 21st century education plan, which I call Education 2000.
I mention a few components of Education 2000:
-Qualitative Improvement which will modernize the curriculum with modern approaches to delivery of subject matter, supported by a cadre of professionally developed teachers and administrators with sound testing assessment methods;
-De-shifting, rehabilitation and upgrading of existing secondary schools, geared to providing universal education with equity;
In this component of education 2000, all students will enjoy at least five years of continuous secondary education in single shift 5 to7 year secondary schools;
Institutional Strengthening will enhance the capability and capacity of the Ministry of Education in policy analysis, policy reform and implementation.
This will transform the Ministry into an organisation capable of change-management and continuous renewal and modernization;
Studies for Improved Sector Performance will enable the Ministry of Education to identify deficiencies and will define means of improving the Ministry�s performance.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Let me say that nothing pleases me more than to see Trinidad and Tobago moving to a system of education in which there is equity and genuine equality of opportunity for everyone in all sectors of our population, both urban and rural.
No child must be disadvantaged because of where he or she lives, or because of the economic or social circumstances of parents or guardian.
Through the provision of books to those in need, and through other strategies, compensatory means must redress the imbalance among sectors of our population.
I am resolved that no child should be left behind.
The new A.S.J.A. secondary school confirms my view that Trinidad and Tobago will have a place in a secondary school for every child.
No child shall be left behind.
I congratulate the A.S.J.A. Board on the launch of two schools today.
Brothers and Sisters:
My Government extends the warm hand of friendship and partnership to you today as we
join together for the good of the children of the nation and for the good of our country�s future.
I invoke the blessings of the Almighty God in this undertaking and wish that this project be completed early and that soon we would dedicate this institution for the welfare and improvement of the children of our nation.
May the Almighty bless the entire membership of A.S.J.A. and all your people.
May you work together and dwell together in unity with all else in our nation.
I end with a quotation from the famous Persian poet Sheik Sadi:
"Adarb-Araz-Khoda Hafiz"
My respects to you and may God protect all of us.
Thank you very much.