Afghanistan - Kabul
Germany - Berlin (Berlin)
Guyana - Georgetown
Morocco - Rabat
Pakistan - Islamabad
Trinidad - Port of Spain
U.K - London (England)
U.S.A - Washington DC (District of Columbia)
Saudi Arabia - Makkah
Saudi Arabia - Medina
Friday, August 11, 2023
Deyalsingh Guilty of Violations!
Friday, September 18, 2020
A Defunct Education System and it's Revival.
Op-ed:
A Defunct Education System and it's Revival.
By Umar Abdullah.
Date: Friday 18th September 2020
I'm appalled by the state at which our education system has declined. A country which once boasted of an education system second to none now leaves one to wonder, where did we go wrong. It is quite obvious no due diligence was done with respect to the future of education in this country, using online platforms as opposed to an already overcrowding of classrooms and a diminished standard of teaching techniques to attract the attention of students.
Imagine every university lecturer is mandated to qualify in online teaching but it's not mandatory for pre-school, primary, and secondary school teachers. Now that COVID-19 is likened to the proverbial "monkey on our backs", it is absolutely clear how unprepared we were. And for those who prefer the response "We never expected a pandemic of this nature", is living in denial, because far too long we have been bombarded with advanced technology in the field of teaching and learning but refused to advance our thinking. This " donkey politics" approach to education by this government became more apparent when they squashed the "laptop program" introduced and implemented by the Kamla Administration. This program would have allowed for further innovative solutions to teaching and learning as it would have open a door into the new millennial age, where it would have given us the advantage before the onset of this pandemic.
Now that the Ministry of Education has been caught "sleeping on the job", a lot of homes have been disrupted, production in the workplace has declined and students are disenfranchised as a result. The government needs to seriously address this matter with urgency.
PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED
Students and their parents are frustrated and overwhelmed since there was no assessment done into whether or not homes had connectivity, or were equipped with the necessary devices, and whether or not students and parents had training in the use of online platforms. Some homes don't have connectivity let alone devices. Parents are often left with the option of data usage which is never reliable and very expensive and those without devices are forced to buy one of the knock off brands that are offered at exuberant prices. These knock off brands don't have the capacity to work these platforms.
A lot of homes have only one device and a number of students. It's impossible to share one device when all children are required to sign in. Many of the times this one device is a phone that may not have the memory and the capacity needed for such a task.
The Internet providers themselves are ill-equipped to facilitate all these online users. Video and online teaching platforms would require greater upload speeds and lower download speeds as opposed to what is being offered presently; greater download speeds and slower upload speeds. Under the present offerings by network providers, the household owner would now be required to provide advanced high-speed connectivity and this can only mean one thing; 5G. This obviously would come at a higher cost. Where is the money going to come from, when already they are faced with job cuts and losses, reduced income, and a failed government assistance program where persons are yet to receive relief grants promised to them. Not to mention the health risk that comes with it.
Schools are using different platforms to conduct classes, these range from the Blackboard Collaborate Online Tuition Software, and platforms such as Zoom, Google Class, and Microsoft Team. This creates even greater confusion as children from the same home go to different schools. Zoom being the simplest of all is a paid platform and is often the platform of choice by the higher learning institutions, except UWI which uses the Blackboard Collaborate Online Tuition Software. Early childhood, primary and secondary schools do not have the capacity to pay hence their choice of free platforms. These platforms are periodically bombarded with ads thus creating a distraction which would in turn make learning difficult.
Teachers have not been trained and are refusing to be trained, to use these platforms, and are learning "on the go" together with the parent and child. This affects the relationship between the teacher and child, as the child would see the teacher as incompetent and would lose respect as a result. Some teachers also do not have devices and proper connectivity hence further compounding the problem.
This phenomenon has caused schooling to take on a new dimension. In Trinidad and Tobago, every home now has become a school; rooms that once provided a comforting space now has taken on the resemblance of a classroom, with parents acting as teachers. Should there be an expectation that the responsibility which was exclusive to the school whilst students are in attendance would now be shared by the Ministry of Education and the parents? With parents having to devote more time away from their jobs and other responsibilities, should they be compensated or given some sort of incentives? These newly formed schools are now geographically located in very close proximity to Bars, Pubs, and Gambling Dens. How would the law which states that these establishments cannot be in close proximity to a school or learning institution be applied? These are the state of affairs that has now come into existence due to a lack of planning, foresight, and proper decision making.
SOLUTION
The government should have seen this coming and not blame COVID-19 for their own incompetence. The 5G infrastructure is already in place and our service providers are just waiting on us to demand higher speeds before the 5G technology is rolled out. (you're) "damned if you do and damned if you don't", 5G is here to stay, whether you like it or not. This was their plan all along. Create a pandemic, shut down the schools, forcing online teaching, and increase the demand for higher speeds.
Here are some suggestions as to how the government can solve this issue.
Subsidize the cost of devices for middle-income families and provide devices free of charge, for low income and unemployed families at selected retail and wholesale outlets offering particular brands only. The Head of the household can be asked to produce at least one form of ID and a payslip. Those unemployed can be asked to produce in addition to their ID, a recommendation letter from a recognized institution or a recognized religious body.
The government, in conjunction with selected Internet providers, can allow schools free access to the internet of the required bandwidth; i.e. higher upload speeds rather than the lower upload speeds; which is being offered now, between the hours of 8 am to 3 pm (Duration of School). This can be done through a portal only accessible by the teachers by using a special teacher/school ID, using one specific online platform, such as the Blackboard collaborate online tuition platform, which can be brought by the government with multiple licenses and given to the schools. By using Wireless Local Area Networking (WLAN), the teacher would be able to teach and provide content to the students without the student requiring an internet connection. This can be done using the already installed 5G infrastructure from the Access Point Main Antenna and fed wirelessly to the students in any part of Trinidad and Tobago. These Access Point Antennas have a range of up to 25kms.
Presently using the 4G infrastructure the capacity of a CAT 5 cable is 100 MB per/sec and a CAT 6 cable has a capacity of 1000 MB per/sec which can service between 500 - 500,000 students. The difference with using the 5G infrastructure is that it has a capacity of 3000 MB per/sec. It is becoming more apparent, that this is a planned strategy by world governments to force households to run begging for higher speeds, hence the reason why 5G technology will be offered. We can circumvent the wide use of this 5G technology by using WLAN for a lot less, across the board.
The government can allow students who fall out of this bracket to attend normal school. The numbers in class would be reduced considerably, there should be no interchanging between classes and strict COVID-19 protocols should be observed. These classes can then be streamed online using the preferred platform to benefit those students with devices at home.
In treating with this new dynamic, the government must now rethink its strategies and policies. The education act must be revisited and amended to reflect the new normal as it relates to education and learning. The act must address these newly created schools (homes) and the shared responsibility that parents, now have with respect to the mandate and responsibly of the Ministry of Education. Parents must be compensated and a support mechanism must be put in place now that they have taken on and doing half the work teachers and schools are required to do according to the act.
This administration must stand guided by these recommendations. The government must seriously commit themselves to understand the plight of its citizens in achieving competence in our education system as the future of our beautiful nation lies in the hands of our youth and future generations.
Umar Abdullah
Head of Waajihatul Islaamiyyah (The Islamic Front)
Tel: +18687870765 or +18683656253
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Media Release: Amidst this COVID 19 PANDEMIC, Remember our Citizens Still Trapped in Syria and Iraq; Their Present Status: Stateless.
Media Release:
Re: Amidst this COVID 19 PANDEMIC, Remember our Citizens Still Trapped in Syria and Iraq; Their Present Status: Stateless.
In an article entitled "THE GREAT ESCAPE", authored by Anna Ramdass, and published in the Trinidad's Express, dated 22nd March 2020. It laments the horrendous journey of one of our nationals; Ijanaya Jacob-Brown, daughter of journalist and educator Debbie Jacob, in returning home amidst the COVID 19 Crisis. Ijanaya Jacob-Brown is quoted as saying:
“I couldn’t believe the lack of humanity Kenya Airways staff showed throughout this traumatizing process. They did not care what my situation was and was obscenely hostile. I cannot express the feeling of claustrophobia, panic, and stress I have experienced the past few days and will continue to feel until I arrive in my country. At least I am heading home to wait out this madness, this is a humanitarian mess of epic proportions and it is clear the world does not know how to handle this.”
Waajihatul Islaamiyyah (The Islamic Front) prays that Ijanaya Jacob-Brown arrives safely home and is reunited with her family after her incubation period. Hers was a very traumatic ordeal and we can't help but wonder what others are going through especially those who are in worse situations.
One such people are our nationals who are still trapped in concentration camps across Syria and Iraq. These; our Citizens have been denied since 2017 long before this pandemic. And with the government's announcement to bring an amendment to the Anti-Terrorism Act in order to facilitate the return of these nationals, it seeks to delay the process of repatriation even further. Now with the restrictions on travel and travel bands leaves one to wonder what is going to become of our citizens who have been sufferings under very inhumane conditions, who are being beaten on a daily basis, who are being tortured and whose children are being snatched away and made into child soldiers. We sympathize with Ijanaya and the traumatic ordeal she has had to endure, at least with a Trinidad passport in her hands she knows she'll be home and reunited with her mother and family. What about those in Syria and Iraq who have been rendered Stateless by our government? Who has no idea and no hope of returning home?
Jacob's mom was reported to have said: “I’ve been very worried because she had to go through a lot of places to try and get back...all of a sudden you realize how many people, not just her but how many people are stranded and desperately trying to get home...”
“It’s scary and it’s heartbreaking and I assume that everybody feels like her..."
"... Desperately trying to get back home..." Imagine how desperate our nationals are who are trapped in Syria and Iraq...
“It’s scary and it’s heartbreaking..." Yes, indeed it is...
Considering our present circumstances, this is not a call for our government to repatriate our Citizens from Syria and Iraq now. But rather it's a call for our government to not forget about them and to do what they must to comfort them and to give them hope. This government needs to recognize and accept the many failures and inapt positions it has taken over their period of governance.
Amidst this COVID 19 EPIDEMIC. Just as how this Rowley administration was wrong when they didn't see it important to cancel the Carnival celebration even though they boosted being prepared since the end of January 2020. So too they were wrong not to repatriate our Citizens.
Just as how this Rowley-led government was wrong when they failed to issue a traveling band in February before the Carnival celebrations; which should have been canceled. So too they were wrong not to repatriate our Citizens.
Just as how this Rowley-led PNM administration is failing to see the prudence of increasing the incubation period from 14 days to 21 days, So too they have failed to see the importance of repatriating our Citizens before it's too late.
In the words of, Ijanaya Jacob-Brown: Waajihatul Islaamiyyah (The Islamic Front) is saying the same about our nationals trapped in those concentration camps: “We can’t believe the lack of humanity the government of Trinidad and Tobago has shown throughout this traumatizing process. This government don't care what their situation is like, our government is obscenely hostile. We cannot but express the feeling of claustrophobia, panic and stress these people are experiencing since 2017 and will continue to feel until they return home. Unlike Ijanaya, they are not heading home anytime soon. This is a humanitarian mess of epic proportions and it is clear this government simply does not care.”
Waajihatul Islaamiyyah (The Islamic Front) reiterates its commitment to supporting the government in all of its positive initiatives. We encourage and advise that they should try their endeavor best to be proactive not just in this current situation but in all such situations that relate to the best interest of the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago.
For Immediate Release:
Date: March, 25th 2020
Umar Abdullah
Head of Waajihatul Islaamiyyah (The Islamic Front)
Tel: +18687870765/+18683656253
Sunday, March 8, 2020
In Commemoration of International Woman's Day 2020: Women in the Quran and the Sunnah
Tuesday, February 18, 2020
Waajihatul Islaamiyyah’s (The Islamic Front’s) Objections to The Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill, 2020. Scrap This Bill and Repatriate our Citizens Now Before It’s too late.
Tuesday, February 11, 2020
Media Release: Columbian Drug Cartel Link to Trinidad.
Monday, January 6, 2020
Media Release: Response to Guardians Article; Caterer Under Probe For Jailbreak Connection; dated, Sunday 22nd December 2019, by Guardians Investigative Journalist, Mark Bassant.
Media Release:
Re: Response to Guardian's Article - "Caterer Under Probe For Jailbreak Connection" dated, Sunday 22nd December 2019, by Guardian's Investigative Journalist, Mark Bassant.
Waajihatul Islaamiyyah (The Islamic Front) is shocked and amazed with an article that appeared in the Guardian Newspaper on Sunday 22nd December 2019. The article by Guardian's investigative Journalist, Mark Bassant, which headline's read "Caterer Under Probe For Jailbreak Connection." Waajihatul Islaamiyyah (The Islamic Front) is making the revelation, the article is slanderous and misleading. This is a perfect example of irresponsible, inaccurate and reckless journalism.
Contrary to what the article is stating, the caterers for the Futsal competition in July 2018 was not the same caterer used by Allan "Scanny" Martin in 2015.
In the article Mark Bassant has indicated in the beginning "Prisons source say they believe the weapons which were used in that jailbreak were smuggled in with the food."
Further down in the same article, another reference was made, except this time it was worded differently stating "prisons officers findings". "Believe" and "findings" are totally different. One is drawn from an opinion and the other is drawn from facts.
As we read further, the main agenda begins to unfold itself. Who is being referred to as the "high profile inmate now at the MSP"? Why is Mark Bassant documenting information that is false and malicious in nature?
As we continue to read we observe a deliberate attempt to link the murder of Wayne Jackson to this "high profile inmate", suggesting Wayne's refusal to allow wild meat in the prison as the reason why he was killed. Wild meat was never ordered by this inmate in 2018. It was other inmates who had made the request and it was denied because the caterer indicated at the time it was not part of his menu list for that occasion.
As we move on we discover another unfounded statement. "One of the men who were responsible for killing Jackson, well-placed intelligence sources confirmed to the Sunday Guardian, was Marcus Marshall".
Marcus Marshall never was involved nor was he connected in anyway to that murder. Because of his association with the Carapo Jamaat, this allegation was made. Wayne Jackson was well loved and respected by the Muslims. There were other inmates were "toting feelings" for Wayne Jackson, why ain't they being investigated?
As we continue reading, another blatant lie is told; "Marshall was found shot dead along the Old Valencia Road on November 19, dressed in Muslim garb. He was shot multiple times in the head and back. He was found with both his hands clasped tightly to a bag containing thousands of dollars."
Marshall was never found with any money. And if Mark Bassant would have done his enquiries well, he would have known, Marshall was a very skeptic individual. He would not have stopped for anyone, except for someone in authority or in uniform. He was made to come out the vehicle before he was murdered. By all accounts it appears it was the "Police Hit Squad" that killed Marshall.
Subsequent to the Murder of Marshall, three (3) members of the Carapo Masjid was arrested by the police for the Murder. However no one was ever charged. All in keeping with the storyline of Mark Bassant. In this article a foundation is being laid which indicates the direction an intention of the TTPS.
Waajihatul Islaamiyyah (The Islamic Front) is convinced and of the firm believe that Mark Bassant is doing the bidding for this rogue elite squad. This now begs the question, who is really incharge of the TTPS?
It is quite clear Mark Bassant compromised the reputation of the Guardian Newspaper. This was a grave compromise of Mark Bassant's values and oath of duty testifying the belief, that clear thinking and clear statement, accuracy and fairness are fundamental to good journalism. - It is a policy that a journalist should write only what he holds in his heart to be true. - and the belief that suppression of the news, for any consideration other than the welfare of society, is indefensible.
Waajihatul Islaamiyyah (The Islamic Front) is calling on the Guardian's editors to retract this story in like manner it appeared in the public and we call on the Media Association of Trinidad and Tobago's, Dr Sheila Rampersad and Nicholas Sabga - Managing director of Guardian Media Limited, to immediately launch an investigation into the conduct of Mark Bassant. Waajihatul Islaamiyyah (The Islamic Front) views this as indulging in state sponsored character assassination in an effort to spew hate and division amongst the people of Trinidad and Tobago.
Link to article: https://www.guardian.co.tt/news/caterer-under-probe-for-jailbreak-connection-6.2.1013374.fe55ad4ac5
For Immediate Release:
Date: January, 06th 2020
Umar Abdullah
Head of Waajihatul Islaamiyyah (The Islamic Front)
Tel: +18687870765/+18683656253