Defence Minister Wayne Sturge confirmed yesterday, that the Military-Led Academic Training Programme (MiLAT) has been suspended.But he insisted that it has not been shut down as Government is undertaking a major restructuring of MiLAT.His clarification came after reports surfaced that all teachers and civilian staff members attached to the programme were sent home on Monday, raising questions about the future of nearly 100 junior trainees and the programme itself.Responding to questions from the Express, Sturge said Government had not closed the programme but had paused operations because of financial concerns and the need for reform.“The programme has not been closed down but temporarily suspended pending ongoing structural reform. It was necessary to suspend at this time having regard to severe financial constraints coupled with the fact that it was not economically viable in its present form,” the minister said.According to Sturge, the decision was only taken after the current Form Five cohort had completed their Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations.He said the Ministry of Defence is now working with the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force Reserves and the Ministry of Tertiary Education to redesign the programme, with the aim of accommodating the remaining Form Four students as quickly as possible.High costsSturge also defended the move on economic grounds, arguing that the programme’s operating costs were too high.“I am advised that it is far cheaper to educate a student at university than it is at MiLAT,” he said.MiLAT was established to provide military-style discipline, academic instruction and life skills training for young people, particularly those considered at risk, and has often been cited as a crime prevention and youth rehabilitation initiative.However, Sturge rejected claims that suspending the programme would contribute to an increase in crime or remove an effective intervention for vulnerable youth.“I am firmly of the view that temporarily suspending the programme will have little to no effect on crime and criminality, given that the last administration had these programmes yet crime skyrocketed to record levels previously unseen. I don’t buy that narrative which has become a trademark of the Opposition,” he said.The minister did not directly respond to reports that teachers and civilian staff members had been informed their contracts would not be renewed, nor did he confirm the employment status of those workers.He also did not provide a timeline for when the restructured programme is expected to resume, saying only that the Government intends to complete the restructuring exercise “in the shortest possible time”.