Movement of Social Justice leader David Abdulah believes Trinidad and Tobago can use U-S President Donald Trump's move to pause student VISAS as an incentive to students who wish to study abroad to look at alternatives being offered by local institutions.
00:00Speaking at a media conference, MSGA leader David Abdullah said the current situation will provide a greater role for regional and local institutions like the University of Trinidad and Tobago, University of the West Indies and other private institutions like USC.
00:16So we have an opportunity to, first of all, say to Trinidad and Tobago national students, don't fight up to go to the United States and face all kinds of problems with your visa, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, and the high cost of education there, given the exchange rate being what it is.
00:38Let us utilize our own institutions because our own institutions are good quality tertiary institutions and let us ramp up our programs.
00:48Abdullah said that since the COVID-19 pandemic and the retooling of the gate program, there has been a dwindling of enrollments for the 100 percent financing for students who passed the means test.
00:59Those who, based on a means test, excuse me, those based on a means test, people, some students were also able to get 100 percent, but many could not.
01:10And therefore, the student intake fell off in our universities.
01:14Let us look at seizing these opportunities, making use of our comparative advantage.
01:23You may not only be Trinidad and Tobago, you may be Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica and so on, and let us now maximize, as a region, we're Trinidad and Tobago taking a lead role in this because we have more physical assets than any other Caribbean island.
01:38Let us take a lead to turn these assets and investment that we have made over the years into income-earning institutions and establishing us as a place of excellence for education.
01:55He said this country could generate much needed foreign exchange and sustain the educational institutions.
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