Basseterre, St. Kitts, September 05, 2016 (SKNIS): The Ministry of Education (MOE) is “proud of the successes for the 2015-2016 academic school year and is very excited about the prospects of the year ahead. In light of this, the ministry rolled out plans to reshape the education sector for the 2016-2017 academic year.
The Honourable Shawn Richards, Minister of Education, identified a few initiatives to be rolled out during an address to officially commence the 2016-2017 school year, which began on Monday, September 05.
“Integral to charting the course for a brighter educational future for all of the nation’s children is the integration of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training initiative (TVET),” said the Minister. “The recently launched TVET initiative is an indication of my ministry’s recommitment to invest substantially in programmes of skill development that will create pathways to various levels of certification for secondary and post-secondary students.”
Minister Richards mentioned that construction of a brand new, state of the art Basseterre High School (BHS) will begin shortly. He noted that Cabinet will make final its selection for the site of the new Basseterre High School, and assured faculty and staff at BHS, as well as students and their parents that work on the new school will commence before the end of 2016.
He said that the MOE realizes the importance of reshaping the education sector in St. Kitts and Nevis.
“In so doing, the ministry has mapped out a path that will align its policies with a number educational initiatives,” he said. “Such initiatives include the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Education Sector Strategy Plan and the new Global Mandate, Education for all. To better deliver education in a manner that meets 21st century standards, my ministry is pleased to announce that during this academic year, computer labs at all of our primary and secondary schools will be upgraded.”
The Minister stated that the Ministry of Education has formalized its agreement in partnership with Ross University and DeVry University. He said that it is also the aim of the ministry to ensure that every classroom teacher will be provided with the necessary training to integrate the use of technology in the instructional process.
Another important initiative is the re-branding of the Recognizing Everyone’s Ability to Climb Higher (REACH) programme. Minister Richards stated that the programme was re-branded to meet the needs of students who need it most.
“The REACH Programme has been renamed the SAFE Programme,” said Minister Richards, while noting that the acronym SAFE stands for Support for the Advancement of Further Education.
Students who are desirous of accessing the SAFE programme are advised to collect the application form from the Project SELF Office located at Church Street in St. Kitts and return the completed application form with the relevant documentation to the said office no later than Tuesday, September 20. 2016. In Nevis, registration forms can be collected at the Nevis Sixth Form and the Ministry of Education. Completed registration forms should be delivered to the Principal Education Officer in the Ministry of Education in Nevis.
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