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| Minister Livingston Herbert Junior Minister of Education in Nevis |
CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (October 19, 2005) -- Junior Minister in the Ministry of Education in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) Hon Livingston Herbert, has given a commitment to teachers undergoing teacher training in St. Kitts that the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) will assist with alleviating expenses associated with their studies brought on by rent increases there.
The Minister made that disclosure at a town hall meeting at the Alberta Payne Community Centre in Bath Village recently. It was the first in a series of meetings in which the ministers in the NIA are keeping the public abreast with happenings in their ministries.
He said the Administration was committed to supporting persons who undertake tertiary level training and had recognised that an increase in house rent in St. Kitts had made it financially difficult for the Nevisian teachers there.
We have a number of teachers at the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College and we recognise the situation is not ideal and we have to do something. In recent times for example, in St. Kitts the house rent has skyrocketed as a result of the thrust into the offshore medical school. People are no longer looking for rent in EC dollars they are looking for it in US dollars and that has placed a burden on our teachers undergoing training.
I want to say that the Administration is looking at it and will address that perhaps partially. I cannot say that it will be addressed fully but certainly the teachers have our commitment, that we will do something about it, Mr. Herbert said.
The Minister also addressed the number of Nevisian students who attend the University of the West Indies and other international institutions. I believe that at no other time in the history of Nevis that we have had so many of our people exposed to tertiary level education whether within the Federation, regionally or internationally and it is a credit to the Concerned Citizens Movement led administration, he said.
Mr Herbert took the opportunity to appeal to the public to establish a partnership with the Ministry of Education or with a school of their choice. He said, though Nevis had performed creditably at regional and international examinations, the Ministry and Department of Education and teachers needed the support of the public
I believe that once we can work together, as much as we have achieved we can achieve much more. The future of Nevis depends on how well we support our young people, he said.
