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Government not about Censorship – Education Minister

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JIS: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, has emphasised that the Government is not about censorship.

 

He pointed out that the Government is not considering censorship of communication done through various media entities and platforms, but noted that regulations have not been updated with the new era of communication.

 

“It is an issue that we can’t ignore; we will have to deal with it as civilised individuals. We are about ensuring that we protect the rights and freedoms of each citizen,” Senator Reid told a breakfast meeting held at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Campus, today (May 19).

 

While outlining moves by the United Kingdom (UK) Government and Trinidad and Tobago to put forward a legal framework for cybercrimes and communication via the Internet, the Minister said that discussions are needed and a position taken, so that “we can articulate going forward”.

 

The issue, he said, requires a look on how the society has evolved, and “what we can do to make our society a better place”.

 

He said that a challenge exists where the landscape that the regulations were meant to govern has changed due to convergence.

 

“Traditional media has now converged with social media. Technology is driving media and has brought about a situation where the regulations required to properly marshal this new paradigm simply have not yet been created,” the Minister said.

 

The forum consisted of school principals and vice principals. It was organised by the UWI Faculty of Humanities and Education, under the theme ‘Education as a Collaborative Enterprise’.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (right), greets Lecturer at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Campus, Faculty of Humanities and Education, Dr. Mairette Newman (left), at a breakfast meeting held today (May 19), at the university. Others (from left) are Lecturer in the Faculty, Dr. Yewande Lewis-Fokum, and Associate Dean, Dr. Marcia Rainford