TRINIDAD: April 22, 2016: The Honourable Anthony Garcia, Minister of Education visited three (3) schools in the South Eastern District on Tuesday 20th April, 2014.
Minister Garcia met with teachers and students of the Moruga Government Secondary School, Cowen Hamilton Secondary School and St Mary’s Government Primary School. Teachers had the opportunity to express some of the challenges facing them at their respective schools and also offered possible solutions. One of the major issues facing the teachers at the Cowen Hamilton Secondary School is the underpayment of some of the teaching staff. Some teachers explained that even though they went through the necessary process and their qualifications have been updated, they are still being paid as Assistant Teachers when they should be afforded graduate status. The Minister promised to “deal with this issue, as a matter of urgency.”
At the Moruga Government Secondary School, Minister Garcia addressed the staff and encouraged them to be role models for the students that follow. He spoke of plans to further develop the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) component in the school, and at the St Mary’s Government Primary School, students showcased their diverse talent with performances by the school’s steelband and choir, as well as moko jumbies.
Minister Garcia said he learned a lot from his interaction with both the students and teachers during his visit, and expressed his commitment to further develop schools in the South Eastern District and his intention to make certain that the required facilities are in place to ensure that quality education is provided for all. He said that, “Moruga is a rural community and at the level of the Ministry of Education, we are going to do everything to ensure that all those who reside in this area are afforded the same opportunities as those students in urban areas.”
Minister Garcia was accompanied by the Honourable Dr. Lovell Francis, Minister of State in the Ministry of Education; Ms. Natasha Barrow, Permanent Secretary (Ag); Mr. Harrilal Seecharan, Chief Education Officer; senior officials of the Ministry of Education and members of the Moruga/ Tableland Constituency Office.
The Honourable Minister Anthony Garcia visits schools in the South Eastern District
Sod turned for Vieux Fort Administrative Complex
ST. LUCIA: A number of basic services will become available to residents of the south of Saint Lucia within the next two years, thanks to a project being undertaken by the Government of Saint Lucia, in partnership with the National Insurance Corporation (NIC). Sod was turned this week for an EC$64 million, 75,000 square foot Administrative Complex in Beanefield, Vieux Fort. The sod turning ceremony was held at the project site on Wednesday, April 20, 2016.
The sod turning ceremony was addressed by Hon. Dr. Kenny D. Anthony, Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Economic Affairs, Planning and Social Security, and Member of Parliament for Vieux Fort South. In attendance were Hon. Stanley Felix, Minister for Physical Development, Housing and Urban Renewal; Mr. Matthew Mathurin, Director of NIC; members of the Board and Investment Committee of NIC; Rayneau Gajadhar, Team Leader of Construction and Industrial Equipment Limited; and Winall Joshua, Mayor of the town of Vieux Fort.
Conceding that ‘decentralisation’ has often been spoken of, the Prime Minister pointed out that the concept had to be made “meaningful to people’s lives.” One of the ways to make this manifest, he explained, was to ensure that strategic investments – such as the project now being undertaken by the NIC – encompass all of Saint Lucia. This, he explained, was the thinking behind his pursuit of this undertaking, which he first proposed in 2012.
Said Dr. Anthony,
I have repeatedly made the point that there must be equity in our country, equity in investment, equity in the treatment of our people wherever they might be. And it is a message that I have drummed into the National Insurance Corporation, emphasised time and time again that all investments should not be located in the north, in the Castries Basin, that all workers of this country wherever they may be located, contribute to the resources of the National Insurance Corporation and they too must be part of the investment initiatives of the Corporation. In that spirit, I hope that whilst this investment takes place here in Vieux Fort, that in time, NIC will turn its attention to other towns, for example Soufriere and even to the rapidly developing town of Gros Islet for other strategic investments of this type.
Dr. Anthony went on to explain that delivering on his promise to build this facility for the people of the south will reap benefits for residents not only in Vieux Fort, but surrounding communities as well. Referring to his “deep elation” that this project is now becoming a reality, he pointed out that the island’s southernmost town is a hub, and that the establishment of the Administrative Complex will fill a gaping void for tens of thousands of citizens in the south of the island.
Dr. Anthony continued,
The fact is the town of Vieux Fort is like the mini metropole for the surrounding constituencies. People of Micoud South, Micoud North, Vieux Fort North, Laborie, way back to Choiseul, come here to do their business on a regular basis, and they turn to Vieux Fort for the facilities and services that Government offers.
“We also have to make some giant strides in the administration of this country. We are managing a country that it too centralised. Our citizens have to travel to Castries to secure basic services. It cannot be right that someone requires a civil status record and they must pay a bus to travel to Castries, pay a bus to come back down, pay a bus to see whether the record has been prepared, reach up there, it’s not prepared, pay a bus, come back down, and it’s a never ending story. Other countries, huge countries, large countries, have been able to decentralise basic services. For some strange reason, here in Saint Lucia, despite our size, we have not been able to accomplish this.
The Vieux Fort Administrative Complex is set for completion in 2018.
Vacancy : UN Headquarters, New York
The Secretariat of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Unit, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations (UN) Headquarters, New York, is seeking to fill the vacant post of Chief of Unit.
Information on the post can be obtained via the following website:
https://careers.un.org/lbw/
Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform. In relation to the requirement of the job opening, applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their qualifications, including their education, work experience and language skills.
Each applicant must bear in mind that the submission of incomplete or inaccurate applications may render that applicant ineligible for consideration for the job opening.
The deadline for the submission of applications is Friday, May 13, 2016.
Governor General of St. Lucia taken on tour
DOMINICA: Governor-General of Saint Lucia Her Excellency Dame Pearlette Louisy knows a bit more about the nature island, its infrastructural development, as well as the impact of Tropical Storm Erika as well as the ongoing recovery efforts.
H.E. the President of Dominica Charles Savarin, his wife and other officials have been taking the St. Lucian official on tours across the island this week.
The first stop on Wednesday April 20th, was at the Newtown Primary School where they were greeted by the Hon Minister for Education Petter Saint Jean, and other education officials.
The school was recently constructed with grant funds from the People’s Republic of China. The excited students and staff were eager to show off their new facilities to the visitors.
The next stop for the touring delegation was in Centre, Grandbay where work is at an advanced stage for the resettlement of residents of Dubique.
They were welcomed to the site by the Hon Parliamentary Representative for the Grand Bay Constituency Justina Charles, officials of the contracting firm, among others.
Dubique was completely destroyed by Tropical Storm Erika in August 2015.
Last month an estimated 36 of the targeted 50 houses were erected with 38 individuals from the communities of Dubique and Grand Bay employed on the project.
H.E. the President and the other officials got a grim picture of the ravages of last year’s storm on their final stop in the community of Petite Savanne.
During the storm, many lives were lost and hundreds of homes were destroyed and most of the residents were evacuated.
Swedish partner Eager to move swiftly on sustainable energy development
DOMINICA: At the end of a three day consultation on Sustainable Energy and Climate Change, representative from the Swedish Energy Agency, Maria Kalberg, expressed enthusiasm to get the ball rolling on projects to improve energy efficiency in Dominica.
On Monday, the Government of Dominica collaborated with CARICOM, SIDSDOCK and the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre with funding from the Swedish Energy Agency, to host the workshop on building resilience to climate change in islands through the energy sector: north-south cooperation for sustainable energy development in island states.
In her address at the closing ceremony, Kalberg stated that the activity was an integrated process where they could identify options that could be taken to an organized body.
From the Swedish Government side, Kalberg promised to provide support for identified products, technical assistance, capacity building and pilot projects.
Dominica’s Ambassador to the United Nations and Chair of SIDS DOCK, His Excellency Dr. Vince Henderson expressed renewed faith in the projects to be executed.
“I am looking forward to the assistance of the Swedish Agency but for me it is more about the belief in ourselves knowing that we can solve our problems, that we have the ideas that we need and being able to identify and access the technologies that we need to solve these problems. We have to generate the innovation from within.”
Consultant at the three-day workshop Dr. Alvaro Umano emphasized that the most important subject is identifying the projects that have multiple benefits and linkages between the sectors.
Third OECS Council of Ministers meeting on Tourism Opens in Antigua and Barbuda
ANTIGUA: St. John’s Antigua; April 21, 2016, The Official Opening Ceremony for the 3rd meeting of the OECS Council of Ministers for Tourism was held on Thursday in Antigua and Barbuda at the World renowned Sandals Grande Antigua.
Host Minister for Tourism and chairperson Hon. Asot A. Michael delivered the welcome address centered around the theme for the one day meeting entitled OECS Economic Union- Tourism, the Driver of Growth and Development.
With 18 delegates representing OECS Tourism Ministers, Directors of Tourism, Executive Members of the Caribbean Tourism Organization, The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association and the OECS Commission, Minister Michael used the opportunity to focus on the need to drive towards growth and development in light of the multiple challenges existing across the Tourism Industry. Minister Michael said such challenges are funneled into the region through security concerns, economic spurs, and other global phenomena.
The OECS Council of Tourism Minister’s meeting is seen as presenting an opportunity to enhance cooperation among the small states of the OECS Economic Union.
Minister Michael stated that creativity, innovation, and moving towards a harmonized platform characterized by joint tourism development and promotional efforts in the OECS are instrumental if the region is to truly maximize and diversify its tourism offerings: “We must be proactive, we must foster development while at the same time accede to factors of ecological and sustainable concerns.”
The Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Minister noted that already new European markets are being targeted for aggressive promotions and this augurs well for all OECS countries.
Director General of the OECS Dr. Didacus Jules, reinforced these points by citing Heritage and Sports Tourism as niche areas that governments should intensify efforts to develop and make tourism product offerings more unique.
Dr. Jules noted that Germany is an ideal market to target and already an OECS roadshow has been organized for major German cities from June 6th to 9th2016.
Key aspects discussed at Thursday’s meeting include Facilitation of Ease of Travel within the OECS, The OECS Eastern Caribbean Institute of Tourism as well as the World Bank Regional Tourism Competitiveness Project.
A regional approach to addressing the ZIKA virus and its implications for the vital tourism sector also formed part of the agenda.
Acting Prime Minister and RGPF Leadership visit family of fallen officer
GRENADA: ST. GEORGE’S, GRENADA, 21st April, 2016 –GIS: Acting Prime Minister, Honourable Gregory Bowen, has conveyed deepest sympathy, on behalf of Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell, who is away from Island, and indeed on behalf of the Government of Grenada, to the wife, children and other members of the family of fallen Police Officer, Corporal Daniel Edgar.
Corporal Edgar, who was attached to the Western Division, tragically lost his life from gunshot wounds, after responding to a call at a farmland in St. Mark on Wednesday, April 20th.
“We cannot begin to imagine the pain you feel, but we grieve with you, because all of us who knew Corporal Edgar understand how much of a tremendous loss this is to the Force, and to the entire Nation,” Minister Bowen told Mrs. Edgar. He went on to speak of Edgar, whom he had known personally, as a “genuinely good guy; one of the nicest officers.” His was a sentiment also expressed by the Commissioner and the ACP.
According to Commissioner James, “Edgar was not only one of the nicest guys to work with; but he was a very effective police officer, who had served the Force with excellence for over 20 or so years.”
Minister Bowen assured the family that “the government shares their sorrow and pain and through the Ministry of National Security, will continue to provide support through the healing process.”
Dominica State College may be incorporated in a waste to energy project
DOMINICA: His Excellency Dr. Vince Henderson believes the Dominica State College could be a critical part in the development of waste to energy and the use of new technology in the energy sector.
Addressing the closing ceremony of a workshop to build resilience to climate change in small island developing states through the energy sector, Dominica’s Ambassador to the United Nations proposed possible linkages that could be developed.
“We want to use the Dominica State College as an incubator for deploying new technology to solve problems. We have to see education as a tool for development; not because we can get a job and get paid, but we can create stuff and solve problems. The Dominica State College has a very important role to play and I hope that we will be able to implement some projects.”
The ambassador challenged the Dominica Solid Waste Management Corporation to expose themselves to new opportunities, ideas and technologies.
Dr. Henderson is convinced that if the Dominica Solid Waste Management Corporation can connect with the state college, a pilot project can be developed that can benefit the entire island and the Caribbean region at large.
“Whether it is through pyrolysis, we can make use of some of the resources or waste [and turn them] to treasure. We would be able to allow our students to be part of that process. Perhaps you could be generating power that can electrify the Dominica State College.” he said.
Dr. Henderson believes that stakeholders at the consultation have the ideas that could generate the solution. He said discussions over the last three days have been second to none and is persuaded that stakeholders can build with the expertise among themselves.
Participants at the three-day consultation were from the various government ministries, CARICOM, the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre, SIDSDOCK and the Swedish Energy Agency.
Revenue Authority Tax Clinics On
BARBADOS: With the May 3 Income Tax filing deadline date quickly approaching, the Barbados Revenue Authority is urging members of the public to take advantage of its ongoing tax clinics at Massy Stores.
Barbados Revenue Authority’s Communications Officer, Erica Lazare, said that the first clinic, which took place last Saturday, was held with the busy taxpayer in mind, and was a great help to those persons who have filing queries.
“We understand that some people simply do not have the time to come to us during the week and prefer face-to-face interaction when looking for clarification on areas.
“We wanted to make sure that we gave those persons a chance to have access to our customer services at a more convenient time outside of regular working hours,” she stated.
Ms. Lazare explained that forgotten passwords and email addresses were the biggest reasons for the long lines seen at the Treasury Building, Holetown and Weymouth Corporate Centre customer service locations during the last few days before the filing deadline.
“We continually have persons who come to us not knowing their passwords, or more importantly, not having access to the email address they used when registering. Not knowing the password is easily fixed by simply clicking on the reset password button but the new password is sent via the email address we have on record, so you see the problem some persons would have if they cannot access their email,” she explained.
Ms. Lazare stated that although the majority of queries at last week’s clinics were income tax-related, persons are free to seek information on other tax areas such as Value Added Tax or Land Tax. She is also encouraging persons to file before the deadline to avoid the $500 late filing penalty.
The remaining clinics will be held tomorrow, Saturday, April 23, and Saturday, April 30, at Massy Stores in Warrens, Sky Mall, and Sheraton and will be held simultaneously from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Statement from the Immigration Department
BARBADOS: The Barbados 22 Department sincerely apologises for any inconvenience caused by the increased waiting times for appointments via its online platform, and is actively working to correct the problem, which is expected to be resolved shortly.
However, applicants may visit the Department if an interview appointment is needed earlier than scheduled due to an urgent situation.
In these circumstances, the applicants may be required to provide documentation to support the need for urgency.
Please note that passports should be valid for at least six (6) months on the date of departure. The Department therefore strongly encourages Barbadians seeking to apply for passports to plan ahead and visit our website before their planned travel dates.
Barbadians seeking to travel are reminded to refrain from finalising their travel arrangements, including purchasing their airline ticket, until they have received their new passport. Kindly note that 10 working days should be allowed for the normal administrative processing of the passport.
