Nevis, West Indies. ?A Non-Tourist-Trap? Blog About Nevis.

Basseterre, St. Kitts – Nevis
July 20, 2010 (CUOPM)

As many as 60 scholarships will be available to St. Kitts and Nevis nationals and other CARICOM nationals through the Australian Awards International Scholarship Programme.

That is according to the Australian High Commissioner and Plenipotentiary Representative of Australia to the Caribbean Community, His Excellency Mr. Philip Kentwell.

He explained during a recent interview with a Barbados newspaper that the Awards Programme forms part of the Memorandum of Understanding that was signed between Australia and the 15-member CARICOM grouping under a four-year development partnership.

“We are looking at 60 scholarships over the next four years and the scholarships are in the post-graduate level and fellowships are for shorter term exchanges for up to 6 months. In the latter case, we will look for an Australian institution to sponsor someone from a Caribbean country, so that they can go down on exchange to develop their skills,” he said.

The High Commissioner added that while traditionally education donors and sources made available to the Caribbean countries were mainly from North America and to a lesser extent, Europe, the Australian Government believes that they are well placed to offer training to Caribbean nationals as well and in areas that will help the development of the individual countries and the region and as a whole.

“Australia is an island country and Australia has tertiary institutions that are focusing on small island country issues and I think it would be really wonderful if that competitive advantage that Australia may have on small island state issues, would be an advantage and we would get applications from the Caribbean,” he said.

The High Commissioner said that he is confident that the Awards Programme, once it gets underway, would without a doubt help to forge links between Australian institutions and institutions here in the Caribbean. He suggested that such partnerships are strong and that both parties should capitalise on the mid-to long- term benefits that will be derived from the development partnership.

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Charlestown, Nevis
June 22, 2010

The contract for a second project under the Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF) this month, was signed between the Nevis Island Administration and Contractor Beyond Homes, at the Fund’s local office on Government Road on Friday.

The new project which is scheduled to commence on June 21st and conclude by October 01, 2010, will see the construction of the Barnes Ghaut Adult Education Centre. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Social Development Mr. Alsted Pemberton, who signed the contract on behalf of the NIA, said the project would be of benefit to the adults and young people of Barnes Ghaut and environs.

“This facility would be very beneficial to the adults and young people of the area as we seek to continue the development of our young persons, as well as our older persons within the community.

“We in the Ministry of Social Development see training as a very important tool to the development of the economic and social development of Nevis and we continue to strive in that regard,” he said.

According to Project Coordinator BNTF Nevis Office Mrs. Myrthlyn Parry, the facility would be a one storey lumber and galvanise sheet building. The structure would house two class rooms, a computer lab, a library, office space, a store room, two bathrooms, kitchen and a room for use by the elderly. The senior citizens would be able to utilise their specialised area for social interaction, to receive health care and to engage in mentally stimulating activities.

She explained that the project, in its current state, had been modified from a structure that would house two classrooms, a kitchen, library and a small meeting room as submitted under the previous NIA. It was also slated to be constructed above the existing basketball court. Consultants for the project are Best and Associates of Basseterre in St. Kitts.

Mrs. Parry said the structure would be constructed on the site of the existing basketball/netball court which would be relocated to the lower section of the community.

Meantime, BNTF Project Manager in St. Kitts and Nevis Mr. Osbert DeSouza said the Caribbean Development Bank, the Canadian Development Agency and the Federal Government were pleased to execute another project in partnership with the NIA.

He indicated that work toward the project had commenced some time ago but was certain that the final product would ultimately uplift the people of Barnes Ghaut socially and educationally.

However, he used the moment to issue an appeal to persons who would utilise the facility on completion, to keep it in good order.

“I want to make a special appeal to the users of the facility to try to see if you can ensure that the facilities are kept in a very good state of repair. Please be minded that maintenance is a very challenging thing with all of the BNTF projects.

“When we have visits by the Caribbean Development Bank officials we would like to visit this facility and see that it is being properly kept by the users,” he said.

Mr. DeSouza also thanked all who he said played a successful role in the project which included contractor Mr. Curtis Liburd, whose work on a prior BNTF project he said was impressive.

In response, Mr. Liburd registered thanks to those who made it possible for his successful bid on the project. He said he was hopeful that work would run smoothly and looked forward to the challenge of constructing the facility within the contracted period from June 21 to October 1st, 2010.

Also present were Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Communication and Works Mr. Ernie Stapleton and Public Works Representative Mr. Glenville Bowrin. Principal Education Officer Mrs. Lornette Queeley Connor witnessed for the NIA and Ms. Naomi Simmonds who witnessed for Beyond Homes.

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Dr. Patrick Welcome – Chief Education Officer

Charlestown, Nevis
May 10, 2010

The Federation’s Top Educator called on school Principals in St. Kitts and Nevis, to seek divine intervention in their tasks as leaders in their various learning institutions, particularly when they felt helpless.

Chief Education Officer Dr. Patrick Welcome told the head teachers who were on Nevis to attend a one day workshop on Friday hosted by the St. Kitts Principals Association that in order to raise the standards, promote success in education, moved to identify the best practices and help the islands boys and girls, they had to collaborate and maximise resources.

“I know it is difficult to do it on your own and sometimes you are tired as leaders of your school, you don’t know what to do. I want to say to you, that in that critical moment we can address God because he is always there so he can give us the extra energy, the extra idea because we can’t do it alone. We understand how tired you are, how frustrated you are but you cannot give up now, you cannot give up on little boys and on little girls they will be taken over by the enemy and find themselves in drugs, find themselves with guns and find themselves in prison.

“We have a responsibility…to do what we can do to save our boys and girls and this document [the White Paper] gives us some clear directives where we should go as we endeavour to educate our nation to help everyone to be more productive and good citizens,” he said.

Dr. Welcome told the participants that it could no longer be business as usual neither could they afford to be confrontational to the detriment of the Federation’s young boys and girls. He applauded the St. Kitts Teachers Association for recognising the importance of uniting with their counterparts on Nevis.

“It means that as we come together, we agree on some practices, principles and procedures that we can all use as educators to help us to perform our duties well.

“We cannot afford to be confrontational while we continue to lose our boys and girls to the enemies of the world and so I want again to commend the principals because in recognising the changes in the system today, what we use to define as…today is quite different to that of yesterday. There are many distractions and disruptions and in order for us to grapple with these changes, we need to come together,” he said.

The Top Education Officer pointed to the success Nevis had made in the education system citing that the move by the Principals to learn from the Nevis counterparts was important and the White Paper had called for collaboration.

He also commended Education Consultant on Nevis Dr. Bronte Gonsalves who he said had worked over the years to push the education system forward.

“She recognised early a clock that this meeting of minds is critical and she worked extremely hard to make today a successful day,” he said.

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