BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – IN the fulfilment of a pledge mandated by the Education Act of 2005, the Federation now has a Special Education Curriculum for students with learning differences and challenges.
At a ceremony held yesterday (May 26) at the Ocean Terrace Inn, St. Kitts-Nevis OAS Representative Starret Greene presented the document to Minister of Education the Hon. Sam Condor. Over the past two years the OAS has been financing the project, which will serve as the primary guide for teaching children with special needs.
The project was developed through the expertise of two local consultants and input from special needs teachers across St. Kitts and Nevis. One of the key components of the project is the training of teachers in Special Needs Education to acquaint them with the content and requirements of the newly-produced curriculum.
Calling the project “a milestone” in the quarter-century partnership between his organisation and the federal government, Greene noted the project was the first major step towards systematically addressing the educational requirements of special needs children. He urged stakeholders to update the curriculum so that it would remain relevant to challenges and requirements in special needs education.
“Building a comprehensive special needs education system will require continued teacher training, increased financial investments in infrastructure, material resources and equipment, and the building of a support mechanism that involves key stakeholders such as the Ministry, special needs teachers, parents and civil society groups and organisations.
“Such a support mechanism, through effective cooperation and collaboration, will serve to promote concerns in special education and resolve current problems associated with the delivery of special needs education,” he informed.
Project Coordinator Clarice Cotton thanked the OAS for their contribution, recalling that prior to the curriculum’s production, teachers were forced to search for teaching material on various Internet sites in order to prepare their work plans for teaching special needs children.
Condor echoed her gratitude and said that the curriculum would go a long way in strengthening special education in St. Kitts and Nevis. He also expressed his pleasure at the progress the Ministry had made under his leadership in advancing education for all students in the Federation.
