The G.A.T.E. question

"The government who gets rid of G.A.T.E. is a government that has decided to retire."

This was my attitude for years, an attitude which time has made me lose confidence in. G.A.T.E. is a government programme in Trinidad and Tobago which funds tertiary education for citizens. This leads to large number of T&T citizens staying in the country for college. On the other hand, this system has invited abuse in past years because of poor regulation. Instead of tightening controls, from what I can tell the programme has just become less accessible to people. Arbitrary rules and regulations have been set up with means students have to jump through hoops in order to receive funding for their education. While there is a need to make sure that G.A.T.E. funds are used appropriately, these regulations have made it harder for students to even get the funding. Students now even have difficulty getting funding if they want to switch programmes, and often G.A.T.E. pays students' tuition late.

While I do not receive G.A.T.E. funding myself, most of my knowledge of the troubles associated with G.A.T.E. come from the experiences of my friends and family. While successive governments have tried to make G.A.T.E. more efficient, their efforts have been like a bull in a china shop. There is huge concern right now that students are abusing G.A.T.E. funds and wasting taxpayers' dollars. The concern is valid, however their approach is worrying.

Suggestions have been made that the programmes and institutions which qualify for G.A.T.E. funding be reviewed, or a 50/50 loan programme be put in place. How do you judge which programmes deserve to get G.A.T.E. funding? Do the sciences and law get prioritised over humanities and the arts? With the rising cost of education, how much can students really provide towards tuition?

As a nation we've decided on certain national priorities, education being one of them. Funding is expensive, but the rewards are greater than the expense. A nation with more educated people is a nation whose citizens are more productive and are more perceptive. Regardless of the degree, when a person is educated that person is empowered. By deciding that education is right, not a privilege we decide that nothing can disqualify a citizen from that right and that systems will be designed to prevent abuse of that right. Delinquency is a huge problem that has to be dealt with. Making access to fund for education creates more problems than it does solutions, It can end up decreasing the number of people who can reap the benefits of the system.

My first year

When I was saying goodbye to all my friends before I left to get on the train that could take me away from my first year of college one of my friends said something that I didn't quite expect. She said:

"I'm so glad you came, I know you had a tough first year."

This was so strange for me to hear because until she said that, I would have never though of it. So much happened during my first year, and a lot of it was really great. I got into a really great college, I made some amazing friends, I got the idea that what I want to study won't leave me broke and destitute for the rest of my life. I joined a sport (rowing) and actually gained muscle. I wrote and I completed my first solo film project. Leaving at the end of the first year, I was torn. I wanted desperately to come home and I desperately wanted to come back.

Looking back, many tough things did happen in my first year. I spent both semesters stressed about my mother back at home, I worried about my grades and someone I cared about very much died while I was away. The friend who recognised these things was someone I'd told this to throughout the year. Yet, all these pressures didn't overcome me. Having friends like her really helped, they were there for me through everything.  I guess the moral of this blog is when you're going through a tough time, depending on where you are and who you're with it can be a little easier.