Government policies toward public housing are linked to their position on delivering economic growth. To interpret the strategies, we need to appreciate that governments respond to the pressures arising from social and demographic change and adherence to particular ideologies. These decisions are complicated by the public discourse which advocates that …
Read More »Noble: The Battle for our Children; Covid only exacerbated T&T’s education shortcomings
Like a passing cloud, our discussions about the SEA performance of our children have come and dissipated. While we anticipated that there would be some learning loss due to the effects of Covid on our schools and our children’s education, the results are astounding. In every tier of the results, …
Read More »QPCC FC mourn tragic deaths of young footballers Belgrave and Taiwan-bound Prudhomme
The QPCC football community was plunged into mourning yesterday after losing two players on the same day in different incidents. Former goalkeeper Raheem ‘Birdie’ Belgrave, 29, drowned yesterday morning while full-back Ackime Prudhomme was gunned down in Arouca. QPCC head coach Shawn Cooper and his former assistant Wayne Sheppard both …
Read More »A ‘first gen’ story: ‘We sold fruits and veggies at the Arima market, so my sis and I could go to school’
My mother got an A in picking cotton and a B in digging yam instead of the Common Entrance Exam. Her grandmother (and primary caregiver) must have thought that that was the better use of her time. Can’t blame her though; she herself couldn’t write and had a thumbprint on …
Read More »Dear Editor: Rising prices and lowered incomes are inevitable; here is how to adjust
“[…] The spread of Covid-19 has disrupted households and businesses in the form of reduced economic activity which has affected wages and revenue. This disruption leads to a lowered standard of living/poverty, or price increases to prevent business losses which then results in inflation…” The following Letter to the Editor …
Read More »Noble: Looking after the poor is a good investment; T&T’s Budget should reflect that
‘Poverty is not an accident. Like slavery and apartheid, it is man-made and can be removed by the actions of human beings.’ These words of Nelson Mandela should resonate as we approach our upcoming budget debate. A national budget is more than an economic forecast; it is a declaration about …
Read More »Noble: ‘Disadvantaged youths losing opportunity to improve life chances and contribute to national economy’
I am not a professional teacher. But I enjoy teaching and have been leading a group of pre-teens in an under-privileged area (what Bishop Harvey called ‘the belly of the whale’) for the last few years. In the light of the debate about school reopening and the announcement of the …
Read More »Noble: Who really cares? How shallow protests ignore chance for real change
‘Poor children are victims of circumstance/ In life they never really get a chance/Or have opportunities as privileged children do/ The road from the poor suburb to prison leads them/ From broken homes they are condemned to fail/ Their abusive and drug-addicted parents serving time in jail/ Their parents too …
Read More »Demming: Transforming a ‘toilet’: POS rejuvenation must also address social problems
After 58 years of leadership in both parliamentary and mayoral elections, and 16 or 17 development plans, it has been decreed that the city of Port of Spain will finally be transformed into a shiny new metropolis in north Trinidad. It is a welcomed announcement, but like other similar declarations, …
Read More »Noble: The Nobodies; ‘invisible to all, scorned by all’—Morvant vs the world
Last Saturday, three men were shot dead in their neighbourhood at about 2.30pm. Six hours after, the newspapers went to press not knowing the identity of two of the men while the other one was more likely to be named as ‘Warlord’. They were nobodies. On social media, some rejoiced …
Read More »Noble: Church in time of Covid-19; ‘giving out of extreme poverty that extends into generosity’
HG Wells (1945) summed up our perception of the present times, “a jaded world devoid of recuperative power…ordinary man is at the end of his tether”. More than half of us are feeling great uncertainty. Both the business community (90%) and the general public (75%) believe that the economic challenges …
Read More »Noble: From Dr Williams’ education dream to nightmarish inequalities; what went wrong?
In August 1962, the first Common Entrance group entered secondary schools and heard Prime Minister Dr Eric Williams say: “… you carry the future of Trinidad and Tobago in your school bag.” At QRC, there was a boy from Rio Claro, another from Princes Town (now president of the Old …
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