about SIS::::::::::::::

SAFFL Initiative 

SAFFL is an acronym for the Spanish As the First Foreign Language initiative. In 2004, the government made Spanish the first foreign language of our nation in recognition of the fact that our country is located in a hemisphere in which the majority of the population is Spanish-speaking. Moreover, the SAFFL initiative seeks to ensure that the people of Trinidad and Tobago speak the language that is increasingly driving trade in our region, and it should be noted that in 2004 our country benefited from over one billion dollars in trade with Spanish-speaking countries. The Latin American market has much to offer local businessmen and there is a need to ensure that insufficient communications do not limit or preclude economic opportunities abroad. SAFFL can therefore benefit the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago in many ways.

SAFFL Objectives 

• Facilitate a new learning environment through which the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago will learn and adopt Spanish as the First Foreign Language by the year 2020. 

• Ensure there is a clear understanding of the cultures which are emerging in our society and their impact on the cultural landscape of T&T. 

• Ensure there is public awareness of and support for the Spanish As the First Foreign Language (SAFFL) initiative.

The Secretariat for the Implementation of Spanish (SIS) 

The Secretariat for the Implementation of Spanish is a unit of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, created to drive the SAFFL initiative. Officially launched in March 2005, the SIS was created to facilitate the Government's objective of creating a new learning environment through which all can learn and adopt Spanish as the First Foreign Language by the year 2020. Located on Level 12, Nicholas Tower, 63-65 Independence Square, Port-of-Spain, the Secretariat can be contacted at 624-8329/627-9513 and faxed at 623-0365.