Security costs for education ministry put under scrutiny by MPs

The allocation for security services for the Ministry of Education has dropped by $21 million in one programme and increased by about $5 million in another following a reduction of the rates for daily and weekend services provided by the current contracted security firm, Minister of Education Nicolette Henry says.

During Wednesday’s scrutiny of the allocations to the Ministry of Education’s current and capital estimates, Henry said the reduction of the allocation of $90.5 million in 2018 to $69.5 million in 2019 for policy development and administration current expenditure is due to the 2018 weekday rate of $450 and weekend and overtime rates of $675 being reduced to $285 for the weekday and $570 for weekend and overtime, respectively, in 2019.

The reduced rate, she said, took effect from March 1st, 2018. With the exception of a few buildings, she said, the security caters for 24-hour coverage.

Asked if it was the same security firm that provided the service in 2018, Henry said, there was a change in the service provider based on the tender procedure that was observed.

While the allocation for security under policy development and administration was reduced, Henry was asked why the security costs under training and development increased by about $5 million.

The security costs increased, she said, because of additional security needed for the special educational needs building, which is located at the Cyril Potter College of Education, Turkeyen. Notwithstanding there is a lower rate, she said, there is an additional building, hence the increase.

On the allocations for the school feeding and school uniform programmes, Henry said that government was increasing the dietary programme but not the school uniform programme. She said that apart from President’s College, where the dietary allocation has increased because of an increase in the student population, the school feeding programme provides for nursery school children and pupils in primary schools up to Grade Three.

The cost of meals per day for a student at President’s College is $1,800.

Asked about the $63 million allocation for capital expenditure for the types of vehicles to be purchased and about their use under policy development and administration, Henry said the vehicles are two 15-seater mini-buses to provide support to the school health system and psycho-social support, and a canter truck for the Book Distribution Unit.

During the scrutiny of the estimates, Speaker Barton Scotland had to caution Henry on one occasion about time wasting and several PPP/C MPs for several breaches of the standing order.

Noting the presence of the media while answering questions about the vehicles, Henry emphasised that she would like to read the purposes for which the vehicles are being bought for the Hansard. Her statement about the presence of the media and reading for the records, Speaker Dr Barton Scotland said, amounted to timewasting as he noted that everything that was being said was being recorded and “should be done with the knowledge that we are working within a time limit.”

PPP/C Member of Parliament (MP) Africo Selman, who followed immediately after, said, “I am not asking questions for the media but I am asking as a teacher” before being interrupted by the Speaker, who told her, “Ask your question.”

PPP/C Priya Manickchand, who followed by saying that the opposition had only one question to ask about the smart classrooms under training and development, was told by the Speaker that if one MP will speak for everyone, that should be communicated to him in advance.

He said he was confronted with the same issue the day before and enquired whether “someone will speak for everyone in the consideration of the estimates.”

He said it would be helpful if the Speaker is

made aware of the internal or external decisions they would have made with regard to the questioning instead of an MP saying, “This is all we have to ask” or “This is the end of our questions.” When both Manickchand and Opposition Chief Whip Gail Teixeira stood up to explain, Scotland said, “I am not asking for a reply. I am merely advising members.”

When the Speaker was presenting the current estimates for primary education, Manickchand stood and the Speaker asked her to sit.

When he had finished presenting, Manickchand did not rise to ask the question and the Speaker put the project code and title to a vote.

Once the vote was passed, the Speaker said he does not pause to allow an MP to speak when he is calling out a particular programme. He said that he recognises a member when the MP gets up after he would have presented the programme and not before. It was noted that Manickchand was in the habit of getting up to speak even before or while the Speaker was speaking.

PPP/C MP Ganga Persaud, who was heckling from the start of the session, was told by the Speaker to “Please rise.” When he did not, Scotland said, “You will rise when the Speaker asks you to.” When Persaud stood, Scotland said, “I am advising you right now that you will not disrupt the session. Please take your seat.”

After Persaud sat, Teixeira took to her feet and Scotland said, “You will allow the Speaker to finish what he was saying” about how Members of Parliament should conduct themselves.

Teixeira rose on the point of order and asked the Speaker to reopen the inquiry into the current estimates for primary education, to which the Speaker acceded.