BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – SEVERAL of the nation’s primary schools got a boost yesterday morning (Jan. 22) with the Organisation of American States’ (OAS) donation of educational material during a brief ceremony at the Industrial Site Day Care Centre.
The materials, which were handed over by St. Kitts-Nevis OAS Representative Starret Greene, include items such as puzzles, magnifying glasses and picture-word matches.
The transfer of these materials is a key component of the Early Childhood Development (ECD) Unit’s objective to smoothing the transition for children entering primary school from pre-school.
ECD Director Vanta Walters gave some background into the project, revealing that the 15 recipient schools had all participated in a kindergarten teachers’ seminar facilitated by the Ministry of Education last year.
“It is our hope that with the training these teachers received they will be able to maximise use of these materials. ECD Unit staff will visit the schools regularly to ensure they are being properly utilised and to receive feedback from the teachers.
“This is a huge step in the right direction for ECD and one that will facilitate education reform and develop and strengthen a child’s foundation for future learning,” she declared.
Greene expressed pleasure on behalf of the OAS at the progress made by the ECD and Education Ministry in training kindergarten teachers to help children make a smooth and effective transition at the onset of their primary education experience.
“It points to another successful investment the organisation has made to further develop, modernise and strengthen education in the Federation. Through this project, the OAS is helping to create an environment that will provide specialised support to our children at this critical stage of their physical, social, cognitive and academic development.
“Our support for this technical cooperation activity confirms the organisation’s commitment to shaping and moulding young lives, because there is every indication that these young children will ultimately emerge as the architects and builders of this twin-island nation,” said the Representative.
Chief Education Officer Patrick Welcome reaffirmed his ministry’s support for the activities undertaken by the ECD Unit and encouraged principals to ensure their kindergarten teachers receive the moral and financial support to effectively perform their duties.
A similar ceremony was held in Nevis later in the afternoon to hand over the learning materials to Nevisians teachers who had participated in the ECD seminar.
