BUDGET STATEMENT 2014
25
SUSTAINING GROWTH, SECURING PROSPERITY
be constructed at the intersection of the
Churchill Roosevelt Highway and Southern
Main Road leading to the removal of the
existing traffic lights. Second, the Valencia by-
pass whichwas scheduled to start this year but
which was delayed as a result of the review of
the PURE programme will commence in the new
fiscal year.
An overpass between the Lady Young Road
and the Priority Bus Route is in the early stage
of evaluation.
EDUCATION AND HUMAN-
CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT
Mr. Speaker, this Administration has been
promoting education as the main agenda of our
country. It is one of the fundamental pillars of
our economic development. We are convinced
that investment in knowledge, information and
human capital development is a pre-requisite
for the prosperity and well-being of our citizens.
Mr. Speaker, we are moving rapidly to improve
our education system:
• we are creating a technologically-based
education system. Laptops have been
provided to 70,000 students, 4,000 teachers
and over 650 principals, vice-principals
and supervisors. Wi-Fi connectivity is being
installed and, to utilise the technology, the
competency and quality of teachers are
being improved;
• we are rolling out early childhood centres to
accommodate 35,000 students ages 3-4. By
2015 we would have achieved universal early
childhood education;
• we are now focussing on the special
needs of those differently-abled students.
They represent 30 percent of the school
population;
• we are enhancing the skills of teachers
through continuous teacher training and
development; and
This critical infrastructure will benefit thousands
of individuals in the southern peninsula. It will
cost approximately $7.5 billion and is within
budget. Both phases 1 and 2 will entail work from
Golconda to Debe and from Debe to the Mon
Desir interchange.We have funded work done to
date from operating cash flows but, conscious
of the concern to ensure full transparency
and accountability, we have instituted regular
reviews using a firm of independent auditors.
Mr. Speaker, Government has been working
assiduously towards improving our road
network through systematic rehabilitation and
upgrade to provide relief to our citizens.
In that connection, we have completed
substantial road rehabilitation and stabilisation
works to several roads and highways. Among
these projects, the Tarouba Link Road has been
completed, the Southern Main Road upgraded
and an access route to the St. Barbara’s Spiritual
Shouter Baptist Primary School was created.
We are now taking steps to:
• construct a pedestrian walk-over on the
Audrey Jeffers Highway in the vicinity of
Movie Towne and the Hasely Crawford
Stadium;
• construct two bridges over the Aripo and
Valencia rivers;
• upgrade the Arouca river bridges on
the Churchill Roosevelt Highway to
accommodate 3 standard lanes; and
• construct an additional overpass in
Chaguanas to ease the congestion in what is
one of the fastest growing city centres in the
English speaking Caribbean.
Construction work has been advancing on the
Churchill Roosevelt / Uriah Butler Highway and
next month would witness the de-commission-
ing of the traffic lights.
Mr. Speaker, 2 additional highway projects
will commence in the new fiscal year. First,
near the Kay Donna Cinema, an overpass will
