Minister of Public Utilities Mustapha Abdul-hamid of Trinidad and Tobago

Tertiary Education Minister Mustapha Abdul-Hamid was responding to concerns that Government's promise of free tertiary education would not materialise before the upcoming semester.

Abdul-Hamid said the free tertiary education programme was included in the revised GATE programme.

Abdul-Hamid said he had spoken with Tewarie on the matter, and both were in a comfortable place as UWI students had another two weeks before they were required to pay fees.

Minister Abdul-Hamid said letters will be sent out to the respective institutions by today.

Public Utilities Minister Mustapha Abdul-Hamid said 74 per cent of people living in the twin-island republic currently do not get a water supply all day, every day, but promised that by the year 2012, that figure should be reduced to approximately 45 per cent and that no household would have less than three full days of water per week.

21, 1842, Abdul-Hamid was the son of Sultan Abdul-Medjid and of Tirimujgan, a Circassian.

Tewarie had requested an exact date for the implementation of the programme but Abdul-Hamid said he had spoken with the UWI principal on the matter, and both were "in a comfortable place" as students had another two weeks before they were required to pay fees.

Minister Abdul-Hamid said free tuition will be available to all TT citizens pursuing undergraduate programmes at the Cipriani College of Labour and Cooperatives Studies; Corinth Teachers' College; Costaatt; Hugh Wooding Law School; Metal Industries Company Ltd.

Abdul-Hamid said his Ministry first received a proposal outlining an increase in fees on June 9 of this year.

Abdul-Hamid said he had several conversations with administrators of the university advising them that the situation that existed in Trinidad was inconsistent with the recommendations of the accredited body.

Abdul-Hamid said yesterday on a radio programme that, based on information he had received, Indo-Trinidadian students had an advantage when applying for entry at the faculty.

Abdul-Hamid said the issue of race was raised because there were some lecturers in the faculty who held the view that to adjust the admissions criteria would be discriminatory against Indians.

Community College of TT comingThe PNM administration is disbanding the College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts (Costaatt) and replacing it a Community College of TT (CCTT) entity, Minister of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education Mustapha Abdul-Hamid said yesterday.

Speaking also in his capacity as the line minister for the Meteorological Services Division (Met Office), Abdul-Hamid said this week's heavy rains were caused by local weather conditions that had been "exacerbated by the presence of moisture which was coming in from the Gulf of Paria" and rising hot air from the period of sunshine in the morning as he noted rain is always good for the nation's reservoirs.

Mustapha Abdul-Hamid was first elected to the House of Representatives on November 5, 2007, as the Member of Parliament for the newly created Chaguanas East constituency.

Abdul-Hamid said in the story that 40 percent of the nation’s water is now lost due to leaks, illegal connections and inefficient use, according to the story.