Tribute to Mrs. Vanta Walters
BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS - AS THE THOUSANDS of pre-schoolers made their way through the streets of Basseterre to mark the culmination of Child Month, onlookers were awed and sobered at the fantastic potential they represented. These years of Early Childhood would be the most crucial in deciding what kind of citizens we were producing and great gratitude must go to the hundreds of Early Childhood teachers who from day to day mould these young lives.
Kudos were rightfully given to the two previous Early Childhood Directors, Mrs Leona James and Mrs Vanta Walters. Mrs Walters was the longest serving director and to her especially we pay tribute for the dedication and dynamism she brought to the job which made the St. Kitts and Nevis Early Childhood Education Department the one which other islands in the region sought to copy.
MRS. VANTA WALTERS has been an exemplary Director of the Early Childhood Education Department of the Ministry of Education of St. Kitts and Nevis for over two decades.
I became familiar with her work output while I was Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Education, St. Kitts, and soon came to admire her determination and ability to overcome the most daunting of challenges.
During her term of office, her visionary and holistic approach to the job led to the creation of extremely high standards in her Department. At every level, she ensured that her staff was trained to be organised and goal-oriented.
She researched and familiarised herself with the latest findings about those in her charge and she was adept at translating her thinking into action and into reality. As a result, her leadership led to the upgrading and building of new centres, to sourcing and introducing new furniture and equipment, to upgrading the curriculum and putting the latest findings into practice, and even to initiating annual training sessions for new staff in all areas of of Early Childhood needs.
Mrs Walters’ holistic approach saw her expanding her outreach to embrace personnel from private institutions in her training sessions, and organising home visits to those not familiar with the new developments in Early Childhood Education. She has gone beyond the call of duty in organising training sessions for parents and for Kindergarten teachers to facilitate easy transition of children from pre-schools to primary schools.
A life-long learner, Mrs. Walters continued to qualify herself for the task at hand by earning her degree externally, and she continually encouraged her staff to take advantage of any and every opportunity to advance their qualifications. With her encouragement, many of them did.
The enthusiastic attitude Mrs. Walters brought to the workplace endeared her to her staff and anyone with whom she came into contact thus ensuring that pleasant interpersonal relationships existed within whatever enterprise she undertook.
Her high standards and achievements have made her a sought-after Consultant by neighbouring countries and UNICEF, and she is often invited to facilitate workshops or guide other Ministries into the setting up of their Early Childhood Education Departments. She is also the recipient of local and UNICEF awards.
When one considers the personal challenges Mrs. Walters had to undergo while she was searching for and achieving excellence in her career, one can only describe her as being indefatigable.
We celebrate 30 years of achievements of the Early Childhood Education Department and think it appropriate to pay tribute to Mrs Walters for her fantastic contribution. Well done, thou good and faithful servant! May blessings be returned to you a thousand fold!
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