The Ministry of Education has made several changes to the senior leadership at a number of schools across St. Kitts. When schools opened their doors for the New Year and the new academic term for 2023, students and staff at some schools were officially introduced to the new senior management personnel.  

The changes include Mrs. Darneisha Williams, Principal of the Bronte Welsh Primary School; Mr. Javan Cannonier, Principal of the Cayon Primary School; Ms. Sycely Liburd, Deputy Principal of the Cayon Primary School; Mrs. Shontall Billinghurst-Rogers, Deputy Principal of the Violet Petty Primary School; Mr. Damon Bacchus, Principal of the Basseterre High School; Mr. Dalton Esdaille, Additional Deputy Principal of the Basseterre High School; Mr. Maurice Benjamin, Principal of the Cayon High School; and Mrs. Angela Matthew, Education Officer.

Almost 3 years since the first case of COVID-19 was reported in the Caribbean Region and the COVID-19 outbreak was designated a pandemic, COVID-19 cases are still occurring in our communities.  In light of this, the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) is encouraging Ministries of Health to maintain surveillance of severe acute respiratory illness; hospitalisations and deaths, PCR testing and gene sequencing of severe hospitalised cases; and hospital intensive care to avoid deaths.

The Agency is also urging the general public to safeguard against the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses through personal responsibility, that is practising cough etiquette and mask wearing according to national protocols.

CARPHA Executive Director, Dr. Joy St. John pointed out that many of the new sub-variants of Omicron have been circulating in the Caribbean region since last year, as evidenced by the gene sequencing results from samples submitted by Member States to CARPHA.  

Dr. St. John stated, “We are aware that more people are self diagnosing through the use of rapid antigen tests and so the accurate incidence of COVID-19 is hard to assess”.  She added, “There is reduced reporting of hospitalisations and death due to COVID-19.  However, other viruses like respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) have resulted in hospitalisations in the latter half of 2022. 

Dr. St. John also stated, “As we resume economic activity and school post Christmas, and commence various festivities, it is critical that people protect themselves using the measures emphasised during the Pandemic, including good hand hygiene, social distancing, mask wearing in crowded spaces, get tested when having symptoms and more importantly, get vaccinated or boosted”.

It is noteworthy that internationally, especially in northern countries, the flu season has been particularly harsh with hospitals being overwhelmed with cases.  Regionally, there has also been a rise in influenza and other respiratory viruses, which can lead to severe illness (and in some cases death) in the old, very young and other vulnerable groups.  COVID-19 hospitalisations still occur and persons are still dying.  However, the rates are substantially reduced from the peak of the circulation of the delta variant.

CARPHA is assuring the public that WHO-approved vaccines for COVID-19 and influenza are proving effective at preventing severe disease, hospitalisation and death. 

There is much disinformation circulating about vaccines, COVID-19 in particular, and how they work.  Factual, easy-to-read information is available at this  WHO resource Vaccines Explained

A few days into the New Year, the UN specialised Paris-based agency, UNESCO, confirmed to the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis some positive developments. This has resulted in the twin-island Federation being identified for high-level expertise and assistance in developing its education policy framework.

Following months of intense efforts submitting proposals to, and lobbying at, UNESCO headquarters in Paris, on the basis of some five substantive technical assistance projects identified by the St. Kitts and Nevis National Commission for UNESCO, two central projects have been approved by UNESCO experts, with funds just under US $50,000.

These encompass implementing an institutional framework for professionalising the teaching force and strengthening the Federation’s accreditation systems and processes of higher-level qualifications.

Ms. Dorothy Warner, Secretary-General of the St. Kitts and Nevis National Commission for UNESCO explained: “The National Commission formulated five distinct projects under the UNESCO biennial Participation Programme. These were submitted to solicit technical assistance of up to US$26,000 per project. Under this Programme, UNESCO provides assistance to its Member States in the Organization’s fields of competence, covering Education, Natural Science, Social Science, Culture, Communication and Information”.

The Federation will soon start working with a UNESCO-appointed expert who will guide the Ministry of Education in the development of a National Teacher Qualification Framework aimed at enhancing and targeting teacher recruitment, and the design and development of a national teacher education curriculum framework for pre-service teacher education. This will cover professional teachers across the entire education system of St. Kitts and Nevis, accompanied by guidelines, frameworks and standards for the accreditation of Teacher Education Programmes and Continuous Professional Development Programmes, which all fall under the auspices of a new National Teachers’ Council.

Parallel work with two other UNESCO-appointed experts will be pursued in strengthening the Federation’s National Accreditation Framework for reviewing and approving higher-level qualifications in the post-secondary sector. It also includes the drafting of a legislative framework with policies and procedures to be followed by the reformed Accreditation Board, covering accreditation policies, registrations and accreditation. The measures are designed to create education qualifications that singularly match the Federation’s labour needs.

The Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Geoffrey Hanley commented: “On behalf of the Government of St Kitts and Nevis, I express our gratitude to the education policy experts at UNESCO, and the Assistant Director-General for Education, Stefania Giannini, for allocating timely and focused technical assistance to our twin-island Federation to strengthen our education framework”.

“The singular focus on developing a structured policy  framework and implementation guidance in the two areas of UNESCO input – accreditation of higher  diplomas and professionalisation of teachers – will align the Federation’s education environment with the best international standards, while taking account of the specificities of a small island developing state.”

Upon notification by UNESCO of the Federation’s success in securing this education policy technical assistance, with concomitant funding, St. Kitts and Nevis’ Permanent Delegate to UNESCO in Paris, Ambassador Dr. David P. Doyle, met late last year with Ms Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director-General for Education, to express the gratitude of the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis.

Ms. Giannini, UNESCO’ head of education, noted: “We are delighted to have worked with St. Kitts and Nevis’ Ministry of Education on these two important capacity-building education projects. Evidence-based cases from other UNESCO countries would suggest that a combination of the newly-structured education accreditation and professionalization frameworks will significantly contribute to quality training and pedagogical outcomes of value to students.”

Ambassador Doyle stated: “The UNESCO Participation Programme and other related technical assistance funds have been extensively employed by St. Kitts and Nevis for the past 15 years to seek leading-edge expertise and hands-on technical guidance in the areas of education, water resilience policy, cultural heritage and biodiversity. St. Kitts and Nevis has secured just under $200,000 of capacity-building finance from UNESCO in the present 2022-2023 cycle. As a small island state, we continue to be active via UNESCO expertise in areas of critical importance to the country’s development strategy”

The long-standing Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme in St. Kitts and Nevis, grounded in sustainability, good governance and pragmatism, will undergo a much-needed legislative and administrative evolution aimed at benefiting the citizens of the Federation, as well as regional and international investors of the highest calibre, according to Michael Martin, the new Head of the Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU) during an address on Tuesday, December 27, 2022.

The CIU’s Head said that “St Kitts and Nevis’ Citizenship by Investment Programme will be underpinned by three fundamental principles: sustainability, good governance, and pragmatism… A situational analysis is immediately being conducted to assess the status of the Unit as we will determine the best way forward to maximize efficiency and effectiveness. We will also engage independent external professionals to assess our programme holistically as we chart a path towards ensuring that our citizenship by investment programme is sustainable as the platinum brand for which it has become renowned, for many more years.”

The much-needed legislative strengthening of the CBI Programme, by way of new Regulations, was gazetted on December 23, 2022, and will take effect on January 1, 2023.

The impending appointment of a Professional CBI Board of Governors and CBI Technical Committee to begin working on January 1, 2023, lead the fundamental legislative strengthening which seeks to make the CBI Programme legislatively durable and administratively sustainable. Persons interested in investing in St Kitts and Nevis, and thereby applying for citizenship, will have four investment options: a donation to the Sustainable Growth Fund, purchase of real estate in an Approved Development, purchase of an Approved Private Home and investment in an Approved Public Good Investment project or industry.

“The Sustainable Growth Fund (SGF) is preserved and continues in effect for the purposes of uplifting the nation and its people. The Fund will be used for school construction and education-related initiatives; to mitigate the effects of climate change; support the economic growth of the nation including improving its competitiveness, support various industries along with small and medium-sized businesses; build infrastructure that supports all ports of entry, repay loans for ports of entry, to enhance the port facilities of the airports and seaports; develop and enhance medical facilities; support local tourism development; promote, preserve, protect and develop our nation’s culture and heritage; and support other sustainable growth initiatives in St Kitts and Nevis,” said Mr. Martin.

Mr. Martin noted that since assuming office in August 2022, it was important for the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis to hit the ground running to enhance the programme.

“Since August, the government has interrogated the legal aspects of our Citizenship by Investment programme as it currently stands and has taken concrete steps to update and enhance certain aspects of the governing legislation to ensure that it continues to meet the needs of an intelligent investment-minded person looking for an enriching base for their families and businesses,” he said. “The Government has made swift, bold and innovative decisions needed to strengthen the legislative structures of the programme and to ensure that real estate projects funded by the programme are completed.”

Further details can be accessed via the following links: https://youtu.be/z0UuuCSf9Ys and http://www.sknis.gov.kn/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/CBI.pdf.

The Ministry of Social Development and Gender Affairs wishes to advise the general public that it has become necessary to establish a registration deadline for the Poverty Alleviation Program. To date, there are eleven thousand, four hundred and eight-five (11,485) applications of which eight thousand, nine hundred and fifty (8,950) are fully completed and submitted for verification.

Each application will undergo a three-step verification process related to the eligibility criteria for the Poverty Alleviation Program, namely:

1. Verification of the total earnings of the household to ensure that the household, meaning everyone that shares common utilities and the same roof, earns less than $3,000 per month
2. Verification of the household composition
3. Verification of the applicant’s history with the Poverty Alleviation Program; current beneficiary, past applicant, etc.

In an effort to complete the three-step verification process in order to have payments commence at the end of January 2023, the general public is hereby informed that access to the online application will cease as of 12 noon on Friday, December 31^st, 2022.

If there are any persons who have started on the application but have not received their application number via the email address provided on your application form, you are guided to send an email to pppu@gov.kn with your name, date of birth, and social security number which would be used to verify your identity and your application number will be provided.

If there are any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the PAP Hotline at 765-5993.

Prime Minister and Minister of Health, the Honourable Dr. Terrance Drew brought cheers and joy just in time for Christmas to the patients, medical teams and support staff of the three hospitals here on St. Kitts, namely the Mary Charles Hospital in Molineux, the Pogson Medical Center in Sandy Point and the Joseph N. France (JNF) General Hospital in Basseterre.
 
Prime Minister Dr. Drew was accompanied on his Christmas visit to the health institutions today, Friday, December 23 by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Delores Stapleton Harris and Director of Health Institutions within the Ministry of Health, Dr. Jenson Morton.
 
At his first stop at the Mary Charles Hospital, Prime Minister Dr. Drew said, “I want to wish all those who are interned here all the best for the season and a speedy recovery and hope that the numbers go down to zero because everyone would have recovered.”
 
The Honourable Prime Minister also stressed the importance of the Mary Charles Hospital in ensuring the adequate and efficient delivery of healthcare services to citizens and residents.
 
Dr. Drew added, “In the New Year, we look forward to upgrading it to have doctor services improved so that there is a doctor always on call here at the Mary Charles Hospital to cut down on the referrals to JNF. We also want to offer at least basic lab tests and we also want to offer basic X-rays and that will tremendously take the strain off JNF but more importantly, it would offer better service to the people who are served by this institution.”
 
During his visit to each hospital, Prime Minister Dr. Drew presented Christmas gifts to the patients.

 The Department of Labour wishes to express its profound gratitude to the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan), and to recognize the outstanding contribution to women’s empowerment and development through its aid and collaboration with the Small Enterprise Development Unit, Small Business Development Centre and Ministry of Social Development and Gender Affairs. We are especially mindful of the far-reaching, insightful and impactful contribution to empowering women within our Labour market.
 
Congratulatory wishes are further expressed to the winners of the Elite Award Competition held on 21^st and 22^nd November, 2022. 
 
Women entrepreneurs pitched their businesses before a panel of judges who had the challenging task of selecting the top entrepreneurs from a wide selection of businesses. These entrepreneurs have previously been engaged in different forms of theoretical and practical training. The entrepreneurs arriving at this junction were top performers from four (4) cohorts in St Kitts and three (3) in Nevis. The Women Entrepreneurship Empowerment Financial Inclusion Project has harnessed together various components of vocational skills training focusing predominantly on women entrepreneurs who were affected by the COVID- 19 pandemic, and new and or startup businesses. The entrepreneurs were engaged in preparing business plans and initially pitched for a grant of USD 3000.00 to invest in or start their new businesses. 
 
 After the initial contending, winners were then assigned to the Small Business Development Centre (SBDC) for Relief Counselling for Micro, Small to Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) at the Ministry of International Trade et al.  While there, they were placed with experienced business owners who provided counselling. The attachments drew on knowledge from business owners who were in operation ranging from 0-3 years to 3-6 years. Each participant in these cohorts was engaged in training to develop business improvement plans to incorporate the topics of export readiness, innovation, strategic planning, and digitalization. At the end of the training, each successful trainee received USD 3000.00 to invest in their business. 
 
Within the Relief Counselling, there were three cohorts. It is out of these groups that each past winner of the previous grant was given the option to compete willingly in the Elite Award Contest for a final grant that could be used for any purpose. The three cohorts competed with trainees who were grouped with them. Two winners per cohort won the first prize of USD 5630 and the second prize of USD 4300.00. 

Soldiers of the St. Kitts and Nevis Defence Force (SKNDF) were today (December 22) saluted for their bravery and dedicated service in ensuring and maintaining the peace and security across the twin-island Federation.

The commendation to the officers was given by the Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, the Honourable Dr. Terrance Drew when he delivered remarks at the annual SKNDF Christmas Luncheon.

“I take this opportunity to say thank you for your dedicated service on behalf of our beloved Federation. We, the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party administration, honour the sacrifices you make to keep us protected and safeguarded. Your role within our society is of critical importance. The citizens and residents throughout the Federation can celebrate the Christmas and Carnival seasons with an assurance of safety and security because of your dedicated service,” Prime Minister Dr. Drew said to the rank and file of the Defence Force. 

Just as the officers are committed to service, the Honourable Prime Minister assured them that the government, under his stewardship, remains committed to providing the necessary resources to ensure that the soldiers can effectively carry out their duties.

Dr. Drew said, “During my Budget address last week [Wednesday 14], I made mention of allocating EC$74.6 million to the Ministry of National Security, Citizenship and Immigration to honour our commitment towards your advancement. Therefore, the Budgetary resources would support the Police Force and Defence Force’s strategic outlook for improved collaboration with local law enforcement entities, regional and international, continued use and pursuit of science and technology in crime prevention and solvability, and importantly, embracing and actively supporting the current social intervention programmes.”

Prime Minister Dr. Drew was given the honour of carving the turkey before he, as well as other senior officers, served lunch to the soldiers.

Prime Minister Dr. Drew lauded this practice, saying, “I think that the spirit of this is to show that irrespective of your rank, you are much appreciated and are equal, in some sense, when it comes to service.”

The annual Christmas Luncheon was held in the mess hall at the St. Kitts and Nevis Defence Force Headquarters at Camp Springfield.

“With all this rainfall that we have had recently, why don’t we capture it in large storage tanks and prevent it from running away to the sea through our ghauts?”

It’s a question that many people have asked over the years as water shortages have increased over the past several years. In a statement on the Water Supply delivered by the Minister of Public Infrastructure, the Honourable Konris Maynard, on December 19, 2022, during the Budget Debate, he said that capturing additional rainfall is not a silver bullet.

Firstly, Honourable Maynard explained that when rain falls, as much as 80 percent of the water evaporates back into the atmosphere from the ground and plants. Eighteen percent goes into the ground, while only two percent runs into the ocean.

Even if the government constructed a seven-million-gallon water tank to store the rainfall, it still would not be adequate.

“By our current demand of roughly 7 million gallons per day, we would consume that water in one day or, at the very least, a few days if we were to merge it with our present capacity. It would then need to rain every one to three days to keep those tanks filled,” Minister Maynard said.

The extended dry spells that have persisted over the years make this an unrealistic prospect at this time.

“Therefore, one of our major problems is not storage, rather, a major problem is a constant renewable source of potable water,” the Minister indicated. “In fact, we can view our mountain ranges, skirted by our gently sloping lands, as one giant reservoir that captures 18% of the rainfall and deposits it into aquifers around the island. This is actually the best reservoir we have. Therefore, we must ensure that we continue to explore all our groundwater potential as I am advised we have explored just about 60% of the island’s capacity with 40% remaining untapped.”

The Government has re-engaged the services of Bedrock Exploration Development Technologies (BEAD) to continue groundwater well-drilling. Technicians are expected to arrive on December 27, 2022, in preparation for the start of drilling in January 2023.

Persons are strongly advised to conserve water to help reduce the demand on water aquifers that have dangerously low levels of water.