LAUNCH OF THE ACTT
MONDAY 28TH NOVEMBER, 2005
CROWNE PLAZA HOTEL, PORT-OF-SPAIN
DR RUBY S. ALLEYNE – EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ACCREDITATION COUNCIL OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
WELCOME
The Seventh Meeting of the Council for Social and Human Development of CARICOM held in Guyana in October 2002 agreed that priority should be given to the establishment of autonomous accreditation bodies in member territories. The meeting also agreed that such bodies should implement a regional mechanism for quality assurance and accreditation that would provide the basis for the recognition of qualifications across the region and in so doing, facilitate the free movement of skills within the Caribbean Single market and Economy (CSME). The Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago immediately took up the challenge and tonight, three years late, I am extremely pleased to stand here and to welcome you to the Launch of the Accreditation Council of Trinidad and Tobago (ACTT).
[This is possible because of the commitment and creativity of a core of politicians, educators, other professionals and stakeholders who remain dedicated to the cause. Those who laboured in the vineyards to make this Accreditation Council a reality, share the view that this event would not be taking place at this time, were it not for the passion, commitment and political will of two gentlemen who took ownership of the process and delivered on their promises to expedite this initiative.
We have invited you all here this evening to share our vision with you. A vision for a tertiary education system in which a culture of quality is pervasive; and in which citizens of Trinidad and Tobago, and of countries abroad, have a high degree of confidence in the value and integrity of the educational process and the credentials earned. Throughout the course of this evening’s proceedings, we will also advance the process of relationship building with you, our stakeholders, since we regard this to be one of the most critical aspects of our work. We are indeed pleased to share with you, who we are and what we envision for the future.
This launch precedes the 2ndInternational Conference and Annual General meeting of the Caribbean Area Network for Quality Assurance in Tertiary Education (CANQATE) which begins tomorrow morning at this venue. This is being hosted by ACTT and earlier today we also hosted a pre-conference workshop on accreditation that was so heavily subscribed that it will have to be repeated for those whom we could not accommodate. These three events were strategically placed to coincide so that Trinidad and Tobago would have the pleasure of sharing this evening’s launch with our colleagues from the region and further abroad. It is therefore my pleasure to welcome conference participants from the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, the Cayman Islands, Chile, France, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Suriname, the United Kingdom and the United States of America to this conference. Your presence here will assist us in building collaborative relationships with you, and in establishing ACTT’s presence on the international stage.
Notwithstanding the challenges we face as a small, developing nation, Trinidad and Tobago is a vibrant, culturally rich, diverse country with much to be thankful for, much to celebrate and much to share.
Your Excellency, Honourable Ministers, distinguished ladies and gentlemen; again, I welcome you all to this launch. To our visitors, I also extend a warm welcome to the twin-island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Land of the Hummingbird and I’m sure you will agree with me, well-poised in the year 2006 to become known as the Land of the Soca Warriors. I thank you.