DR VASHTI SINGH
IN RETHINKING political leadership for the 21st century, few individuals emerge whose contributions transcend time, leaving a unique and distinctive mark on education for national and regional development. One such luminary was the late Fazal Karim, a beacon of political will, intelligence and mentoring with genuine concern to improve tertiary education access and quality in Trinidad and Tobago and the wider Caribbean.
Karim served as general secretary of the United National Congress from 2000 to 2010 under the guidance of the late Basdeo Panday, then opposition leader. Under the People’s Partnership government (2010-2015), Karim was appointed a senator and minister for pioneering change in the Ministry of Tertiary Education and Skills Training.
At the regional level, he spearheaded the Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ) through the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) and workforce assessment centres to certify skilled citizens towards licensing within the national qualifications framework. This was Karim’s foundational work to ensure education as a basic right for disadvantaged youths to help them rise out of poverty and transition from precarious livelihoods to formal employment and decent jobs.
As minister Karim significantly revolutionised the education sector of TT into a seamless system through the integration of tertiary education, technical and vocational training and lifelong learning. His goal was diverse pathways within and across the vocational and academic tracks aligned with pedagogical reform and research to inform policy for equality of access and quality assurance.
Karim assured citizens that Government Assisted Tertiary Education (GATE) would continue to be secured and expanded, inclusive of technical and skills training. This provision was meant to empower youth with specialised knowledge and practical skills for life in building a talented workforce.
Karim’s transformative impact as minister resides in the evolution of the tertiary education and skills training expansion programme for opening as many as nine new projects, including the UTT Aviation Campus in Camden, Couva. On September 2, 2015, hundreds of individuals including educators and students lined the airstrip at Camden to witness a 727 Boeing jet land at 9.16 am for the launch of the campus.
Twenty-five students (20 males and five females) from communities across TT gained admission to the UTT’s Certificate in Aviation Technology programme. Minister Karim stated: “For many years, education and training was available to a privileged few. Today we level the platform for citizens keen on pursuing a career in aviation. Your present position is not your final destination” (https://utt.edu.tt).
The UTT Aviation Institute, the first of its kind in the region, was intended to position TT as a regional leader in the aviation industry. Karim believed that the institute would become a centre of excellence in the entire Caribbean as well as Latin America. He said, “By 2026, 480,000 new technicians would be n
