The College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago (Costaatt) is set to open the doors of its newest campus in Chaguanas by September, enabling it to accommodate approximately 2,250 more persons seeking tertiary level education.
In keeping with its mandate to provide a bridge for persons desirous of obtaining such qualifications, senior campus officials are working on a 15-year development plan which will support Government's development agenda and factor in the current economic climate in T&T.
Excited over the impending move to the first-ever purpose built campus which sits on 30 acres in Chaguanas, Costaatt president Dr Gillian Paul yesterday described the joy of receiving the keys last Friday as a "wonderful" moment for the staff and current enrollment of 9,000 students.
Constructed at a cost of $185 million, Paul assured that the building was completed within time and under budget, a fact she believes would augur well for the development of other campuses.
Declaring that the physical premises were "substantially complete," she said there was still minimal outfitting work to be done.
Revealing that this move was part of Costaatt's master plan which had been on the cards for a very long time, Paul said the Chaguanas campus had been specially designed according to the demands of the industry and what was expected from the premier institution.
Speaking at a media briefing at the Ministry of Education, St Clair, yesterday during which the 11-member board was presented with their instruments of appointment, Paul said they were previously hampered in the expansion of operations owing to the lack of physical space.
Heartened that they would now be able to respond positively to the education and training needs of many of the communities they serve, Paul stressed:
"One of the major purposes of the master plan is for us to be able to build the campuses that allow us to provide the training to drive economic development, particularly in areas like Tobago and Sangre Grande, where Costaatt's role as a community college will be addressing student performance at the secondary level and creating that important bridge that will allow them to grow the economy."
Among the areas of study to be featured at the Chaguanas Campus will be agriculture, culinary arts, construction, manufacturing and tourism.
There are Costaatt campuses in Port-of-Spain, El Dorado, Trincity, Sangre Grande, San Fernando and Tobago.
Prior to handing out the letters of appointment, Education Minister Anthony Garcia praised Paul and her team for the tremendous efforts over the past 15 years to ensure persons who would not normally have been able to access tertiary education had an equal opportunity to benefit.
It was a similar sentiment shared by Minister in the Ministry of Education, Dr Lovell Francis, and newly-appointed Costaatt chairman, Sheldon Cyrus. No stranger to the post he once held, Cyrus said he was "humbled" by the opportunity to serve the country.
The new board, led by Cyrus, includes vice-chairman Dr Rita Pemberton, along with directors S Valerie Kelsick, Janine Knaggs, Sanjay Bahadoorinsgh, Claudine Sheppard, Glenn Khan, Walda Dottin-Matthew, Jennifer Boucad-Blake, Kashka St Hillaire and Edgar Julian Duncan. See Page A9.
Textbook investigation ongoing
Meanwhile, asked to provide an update on the investigation into the alleged sale of textbooks distributed under the ministry's Textbook Rental Programme, Garcia simply said it was ongoing.
Hoping to get an update from National Security Minister Edmund Dillon soon on where it had reached, Garcia said he had not received any reports up to yesterday.
Several weeks ago, he announced textbooks bearing school stamps were being offered for sale by second-hand booksellers in Port-of-Spain.