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Reparations Submissions Invited

Reparations

The National Task Force on Reparations is encouraging members of the public to submit their views on the matter of reparations as it relates to the harm done through the impact of slavery.

The Task Force, which is charged with investigating public views and opinion on reparations, is inviting interested individuals and groups to submit short documents detailing ideas and opinions on Africa, Barbados’ African heritage and the connection to reparations.
Some of the information gathered will then be compiled and used to assist in creating a final report which will be submitted to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth.
Submissions must be hand delivered or posted to: The Task Force on Reparations, C/o Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, Sky Mall, Haggatt Hall, St. Michael, Barbados, by Monday, May 30, 2016. The documents should be no more than two printed pages of 8 inches by 11 inches, doubled-spaced in Times Roman 12 font.

Caribbean Primary Exit Assessment (CPEA) Schedule

CPEA

The final (external) component of the Caribbean Primary Exit Assessment (CPEA) is scheduled for Friday May 20th, 2016.

One thousand nine hundred and fifty-nine (1,959) students are registered for the Assessment. These include one thousand and six (1,006) males and nine hundred and fifty-three (953) females.  In 2015, One thousand eight hundred and thirty-seven (1,837) candidates were registered; nine hundred and forty-one (941) were males and eight hundred and ninety-four (894) were females. The assessment commences at 9:00 a.m. and will be conducted in fifty-two (52) centres throughout Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique. At 1:45 p.m. all students are expected to finish the examination.
CPEA will be opened to all students who are eleven (11) but not yet fourteen (14) years of age on September 1st, 2016.  It will consist of three multiple choice papers in the following areas:

  • Mathematics (50 items)
  • Language Arts (50 items)
  • Science (50 items)

Each paper will be seventy-five (75) minutes duration. The table below reflects the schedule for the examination.

SUBJECT

DATE

START TIME

LENGTH OF EXAMINATION

Mathematics

May 20th, 2016

9:00 a.m.

75 minutes

BREAK                            10:15 A.M. – 10:30 A.M.                             15 MINUTES

Language Arts

May 20th, 2016

10:30 a.m.

75 minutes

LUNCH                            11:45 A.M – 12:30 P.M.                               45 MINUTES

Science

May 20th, 2016

12:30 p.m.

75 minutes

 

NB: No mobile telephones and other electronic devices would be allowed at the examination centres. Electronic calculators are forbidden. Candidates should bring along 3B or 2B pencils to answer multiple choice questions.
EXAMINATION TIPS:
Before the Examination

  • Be prepared
  • Have a positive attitude
  • Get to bed early the night before the examination. Remember, your brain and body need sleep to function well.
  • A program of exercise is said to sharpen the mind.
  • Do not skip breakfast on the morning of the examination. Fresh fruits and vegetables are often recommended to reduce stress.
  • Get to school or your centre early on the morning of the Examination.
  • Relax just before the Exam.

During the Examination

  • Read the instructions carefully. Make sure you are shading answers correctly and that the number you are shading corresponds to the question number.
  • Manage your time wisely.
  • If you go blank, skip the question and move on.
  • Do not get worried or frustrated if a problem seems tricky. Re-read the question to make sure you understand it. Do not panic.

OEC S Council Of Ministers Of Foreign Affairs Met In Kingstown

OECS Meeting

OECS Council Of Ministers Of Foreign Affairs Met In Kingstown, Saint Vincent And The Grenadines On May 8, 2016

Ministers of Foreign Affairs from across the OECS region gathered in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for the Second Meeting of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs.
The opening ceremony heard addresses from outgoing chairman of the Council, Hon. Alva Baptiste, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saint Lucia and incoming chairman of the council, Hon. Sir Louis Straker, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Trade, Commerce and Regional Integration, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The attendees were entertained by calypsonian Grantley “IPA” Constance with the rendition of his song “Regional Integration”.
Delegates representing Member States of OECS discussed a number of important diplomatic issues such as the OECS-Cuba relations, the OECS Single Domestic Space and Trade Facilitation for diplomatic representatives of countries accredited to the OECS and Member States.
This meeting served as an antecedent to the nineteenth meeting of the Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR).

Minister Garcia on the issue of Rousillac Hindu School

May 17, 2016: The Honourable Anthony Garcia, Minister of Education is confirming that a team from his Ministry will be visiting the Rousillac Hindu School next week to discuss the issue of the students’ current temporary location.

Recently, parents of the school visited the Ministry asking for intervention to address issues at the community centre where students are currently being accommodated.
Following the protest, Mr. Harrilal Seecharan, Chief Education Officer of the Ministry of Education met with the parents of the school and told them that Ministry officials will be visiting the community centre, by next week. On the issue of the school’s construction, Minister Garcia stated that the Rousillac Hindu School still requires approvals from Town and Country Planning, Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission (T&TEC), Water and Sewerage Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (WASA) and the Ministry of Works and Transport.
 In addition,in light of the considerable funds still owed to contractors the Minister stated, “We are trying our best to come to terms to see how quickly we can pay our contractors. When some of these works are halted or slowed the contractors, under agreement, have the right to add penalties to the cost so that the money owed is really a sanitised figure.”
 Minister Garcia said he is hoping that the outstanding amount can be settled soon. He said, “We are hoping that in the not too distant future, for the latest by June this year, funds will be released so that contractors will be paid.”

PAHO aids zika response

Mosquito Bed Nets

The organization donated bed nets as one part of the strategy to prevent the spread of Zika.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), on Friday, presented the Ministry of Health with a quantity of bed nets to assist with the island’s zika response.
PAHO Country Program Specialist Valerie Beach-Horne, said the bed nets, in addition to PAHO’s technical support should assist in reducing the spread of disease.
“These nets will not cover all of the people who are at risk, but I hope they will help prevent the mosquito bites that are responsible for spreading three major diseases zika, chikungunya and dengue. Part of the strategy to prevent the spread of zika is self-protection from bites. We are giving these in addition to PAHO’s technical support which includes staff training and providing materials and support to rid our country of the Aedes aegypti mosquito.”
Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Merlene Fredericks thanked PAHO for the timely donation.
“This is not the first donation we have received from the Pan American Health Organization. PAHO has been instrumental in assisting us, and we still have in stock some mosquito nets from the chikungunya response which we are utilizing in our hospitals.
“This shipment will be utilized in our primary care centres, and at our antenatal clinics where we treat, manage and monitor pregnancies.”
The bed nets will be distributed among the 33 wellness centres, and the Soufriere and Dennery hospitals. Pregnant women in need of bed nets can access one free of charge from these facilities.
The presentation took place on May 13 in the Department of Environmental Health’s conference room in Bois d’Orange.

Bypass started for $500,000 geneva bridge project

Photo Courtesy: travel.domnik.net

Work has begun on the over $500,000 Geneva Bridge Rehabilitation Project which was contracted to Offshore Civil and Marine Inc.

Geneva Bridge BypassContract signing took place between the contractor, Francis Emanuel, and the Ministry of Public Works on April 27th.
This project is one of 10 contracts signed for the south of the island.
“This project is expected to deal with the underpinning of the abutment wall to the old bridge, repairs to the metal bridge deck, rock revetment and bridge levelling. During Erika there was some level of undermining and the bridge is no longer level and a little shaky so they are now creating a bypass before they begin work on the bridge,” she explained.
The Hon Grand Bay MP remains optimistic bearing in mind that the river in that area is flowing heavily following rainfall over the past few days.
She explained that the material to be used for the bypass is a bit lighter than anticipated but the team is already working on a solution.
Minister Charles identified rainfall as the main challenge.
“When it rains, this river flows very heavily. That is one of the challenges they may encounter. Even with what they are doing right now I am still afraid that if the river starts flowing heavily it will affect it like the temporary one after the storm which was washed away during subsequent heavy rains.”
She is relying on prayer and the expertise of the engineers “to make it work.”
The sum of the project exceeds $4m.
These projects are part of the drive to ensure the safety of Dominica’s roads and infrastructure.

Lashley: Cut Out Negativity In Dancehall!

Stephen Lashley
Minister of Youth, Stephen Lashley. (FP)

Barbadians have been urged to reject the negative content present in some dancehall songs.

This instruction has come from Minister of Youth, Stephen Lashley, as he voiced concern over the recent escalation of gun violence in the country and the possible links to the dancehall music culture.
Mr. Lashley was delivering remarks on Saturday at the launch of Community Independence Celebrations at the Gall Hill Playing Field in St. John.
While the Minister instructed the newly-appointed Parish Ambassadors to “lead other young people in Barbados in denouncing violence in all its forms”, he also pointed out that as a society, we must acknowledge and condemn the content of certain types of dancehall songs and videos.
“Some of these songs portray gun crimes, lewd behaviour and promote the use of illegal drugs. I believe that if our society does not take a united stand against these influences, then of course we have only ourselves to blame,” Mr. Lashley cautioned.
The Youth Minister then voiced his belief that such songs should not be played on local radio stations, and that individuals should not create a market for them by either purchasing them or circulating them on social media platforms.
The launch of the Community Independence Celebrations, themed: Celebrating Who We Are, introduced the parish ambassadors and attendants for 2016. It included performances from several individuals and groups, among them Shellaine Bourne, Hazel Charles, Romaine Lovelle and Shernell Graves-Clarke.

Changes in petroleum prices – May 2016

Pumping Gas

ST. GEORGE’S, GRENADA, Tuesday, May 17, 2016: The General public is hereby informed that, effective, Wednesday May 18, 2016, the retail prices of petroleum products (Gasoline, Diesel, Kerosene and LPG ) in the State of Grenada will be as follows:

Grenada:
Products Old Price New Price
Gasoline $13.20/IG $13.50/IG
Diesel $11.46/IG $12.04/IG
Kerosene $5.96/IG $6.45/IG
L.P.G (Cooking Gas):
20 lbs Cylinder  $42.00  $42.00
100 lbs Cylinder $167.04 $174.60
Bulk $1.73/lb $1.85/lb

Carriacou
Products Old Price New Price
Gasoline $13.38/IG $13.68/IG
Diesel $11.64/IG $12.22/IG
Kerosene $6.15/IG $6.64/IG
L.P.G (Cooking Gas):
20 lbs Cylinder $51.00 $51.00
100 lbs Cylinder $190.04 $197.60
Bulk $1.73/lb $1.85/lb

Petite Martinique:
Products Old Price New Price
Gasoline $7.88/IG  $8.18/IG
Diesel  $6.14/IG $6.72/IG
Kerosene $6.15/IG  $6.64/IG

The new Retail Prices are computed based on the average FOB costs: that is; (Ex-refinery prices), for the period, 14th April, 2016 to 12th May, 2016.
It important for the public to understand that petroleum prices are likely to remain high since Grenada imports nearly all of its fuel.  Consumers are, therefore, urged to act wisely by conserving and using energy efficiently.
Furthermore, consumers are encouraged to immediately notify the Price control/Consumer Affairs Unit in the Ministry of Finance of any instance of overpricing at telephone number 440-1369.

St. Vincent And The Grenadines Hosted PAHO/WHO Eastern Caribbean Countries Ministers Of Health Meeting

PAHO/WHO

St. Vincent and the Grenadines hosted the PAHO/WHO Eastern Caribbean Countries (ECC) Ministers of Health and Senior Officials Meeting ahead of the 69th World Health General Assembly, on Monday, May 16th, 2016.

The main objective of the meeting was to provide a forum for the Ministers of Health and Senior Officials to prepare and coordinate their participation in the 69th World Health Assembly in Geneva from May 23rd-28th, 2016.
The World Health Assembly is the decision-making body of WHO. It is attended by delegations from all WHO Member States and focuses on a specific health agenda prepared by the Executive Board.
The main functions of the World Health Assembly are to determine the policies of the Organization, appoint the Director-General, supervise financial policies, and review and approve the proposed programme budget. The Health Assembly is held annually in Geneva, Switzerland.
An opening ceremony took place on Monday, May 16th, at the Blue Lagoon Hotel and Marina.

Professor Sir Hilary Beckles receives Honorary Doctorate from University of the Virgin Islands

Professor Sir Hilary Beckles
Professor Sir Hilary Beckles after receiving Honorary Doctorate from University of the Virgin Islands. (Photo courtesy www.facebook.com/UVI.edu/photos)

May 17, 2016: The UWI Regional Headquarters, Jamaica– The University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) has conferred an honorary doctorate on the Vice-Chancellor of The University of the West Indies (UWI), Professor Sir Hilary Beckles. Sir Hilary delivered the keynote address at the 2016 commencement ceremonies of the UVI.

“I was a student in the 1970s, a decade that embraced Black Power, anti-apartheid, and all of those struggles. We had a sense of responsibility for those who were going to walk in our footsteps. You have done what our generation expected of you and, to my mind, you are looking just fine,” he told the gathering.
UVI President David Hall said Sir Hilary is “The epitome of academic excellence and an outstanding Caribbean scholar. We want the presence and words of Sir Hilary Beckles to inspire our graduates to reach for the stars of their own aspirations, and to contribute to the intellectual, educational and economic growth of the Caribbean as Sir Hilary has done through his work.”
Renowned Virgin Islanders Ruth Moolenaar of St. Thomas and Richard A. Schrader, Sr. of St. Croix also received honorary doctorates at the UVI’s 52nd annual commencement ceremonies for their cultural and intellectual contributions to the territory.
Nearly 300 degrees were conferred at those ceremonies, held on May 12 and 13, in St. Thomas and St. Croix.
Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, an Economic Historian, was installed as the 8th Vice-Chancellor of The University of the West Indies (The UWI) on 30, May, 2015. Before assuming the office of Vice-Chancellor of The UWI, Sir Hilary was Principal and Pro Vice-Chancellor of the University’s Cave Hill Campus in Barbados for thirteen years (2002-2015). Sir Hilary is a distinguished university administrator, and transformational leader in higher education.
For his complete biography, visit:  http://www.uwi.edu/VCBiography.asp

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