Defending the significant difference in the allocation of funds to the Bina Hill Institute as compared to the National Toshaos Council (NTC), Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs, Valerie Garrido-Lowe, during the consideration of the 2019 estimates last week, said the school will be expanded to cater for students coming from Region Seven.
Answering questions from Opposition Members last Monday night, Garrido-Lowe was asked about the line item 6321 on subsidies and contributions to local organisations.
Opposition Member Pauline Sukhai, questioned what prompted the ministry to allocate $56 million to the Bina Hill Institute as compared to $20 million to the NTC, which she said has a legislative mandate with wide ranging functions that have to cover over 215 villages and communities.
She also asked Garrido-Lowe to lay over in writing the expenditure, items and activities that will be funded by the money allocated to the institute and questioned what justification was used to allot more monies to Bina Hill as compared to the NTC.
“Honourable member, the Bina Hill Institute, I think, started out as project but now it is really an educational institute of recognition and high standing. It caters for students from Regions 1, 8 and 9 and will expand to Region 7,” she related, while noting that like any other educational institute, it runs throughout the year and is something permanent.
On the other hand, she noted, the NTC has the ability to raise its own funds from international organisations while the Bina Hill Institute heavily relies on the government for support.
She also pointed out that the allocation of $80.5 million under the subvention for local organisations line item also caters for an allocation to the Kanuku Mountains Regional Group (KMRG), which will be given $4.5 million.
The $20 million that is allocated to the NTC is an increase of $4 million from 2018, which Garrido-Lowe explained is to facilitate the work on the NTC’s secretariat next year.
Further questions were posed to Minister Sydney Allicock on why the construction of the secretariat is taking so long. He noted that the design for the project is still ongoing and once completed, further discussions on the project will be held.
“We have spoken about FPIC (Free, Prior and Informed Consent) and this is part of that process. We cannot dictate for the NTC, who are also working. We will continue to have a dialogue with them,” he said, while stating that the land earmarked for the secretariat was already handed over to the body.
The proposed allocation of $1.9 billion to the ministry was then approved after the question was put to the Committee of Supply by the Chairman, Dr. Barton Scotland.
