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Nyabinghi Takes Charge In Naming Buckley’s Uprising Martyrs National Heroes

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Nyabinghi Takes Charge In Naming Buckley’s Uprising Martyrs National Heroes

BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Friday 31st January 2020)- The Public Relations Officer of the Rastafari Nyabinghi Theocracy Order, Ras Iyah, told the audience gathered for the 85th anniversary of the 1935 Buckley’s Uprising this week that the organisation- which spearheads the annual commemoration ceremony-is not waiting on a governmental move to name the martyrs involved as National Heroes.

“Those who were killed and jailed, we recognize them today as national heroes. We ain’t waiting until no Independence Day celebration…,” he commented in part at the ceremony held at Buckley’s Estate on Tuesday 28th January 2020 under the theme ‘Buckley’s Uprising- St.Kitts birthplace of Caribbean Democracy.’

Ras Iayh is of the view that while the historical event has influenced not just St.Kitts-Nevis but in the wider section Caribbean and South America, “We realise that many emphasis has gone out and recognize this plight but we our people have not taken it in the initiative to give honour and respect due to 1935.”

That day, three community elders Sylvine Henry, Earl Clarke and Ras Zambo Heath (deceased), and well-known media and entertainment personality Maurice ‘EK’ Flanders were honoured with a plaque each for their contribution and supports towards the honouring of the Buckley’s Uprising event over the years.

First Vice President of the St.Kitts-Nevis Trades and Labour Union Larry Vaughan, during his presentation, commented that the Union heralds the singular event as significant turning point in the social and economic advancement of workers on this island and across the English-speaking Caribbean.

“The shouts of the people here at Buckley’s on Monday, January 28, 1935 have echoed across the years. We meet today as children and beneficiaries of the progress made by the men and women who were faced with economic and social ills that could not be ignored or tolerated one hundred years after the emancipation of their parents and grandparents from slavery in August, 1834. As children and grandchildren of freed men, the workers on Buckley’s and the surrounding estates in the 1930s understood that freed men were to enjoy living and working conditions that were free of oppression,” he remarked.

“Today, we are the inheritors of the victories won by individuals such as Joseph Samuel, John Allen and James Archibald who lost their lives on that fateful but pivotal day in 1935. Because of their sacrifices, the workers in Saint Kitts and Nevis today enjoy universal benefits such as union membership, holidays with pay, minimum wage provisions, sick leave and more. Because of this, the Saint Kitts and Nevis Trades and Labour Union believes that on this day, there is no more fitting place to be than at the site of the Buckley’s uprising – the birthplace of Caribbean Democracy,” Vaughan also stated.

Chairman of the Christian Council Canon Patrick Allister Rawlins invited members of the audience to reflect on the historical happenings of 1935.

“Let us walk down memory lane for a bit as am aware that many of our citizens are not familiar with the events which have brought us here today. In casual conversation with someone who like me went to school in Basseterre, I mentioned that I was speaking here today. The retort was I didn’t know that Buckley’s had riot.’ I have subsequently learnt that despite these commemorations many of our citizens are unaware of what took place in these parts on January 28 and 29, 1935.”

“After a hundred years of quote on quote ‘emancipation’-because I have some problem with that because I think emancipation is still coming; we’re not there yet- the workers were awaking to the fact that their lot was not much improved. They were hearing of the teachings of the Honourable Marcus Mosiah Garvey with respects to black pride and dignity. They were learning of the The Pan Africanist movement and the Black Star Line which had been created by Garvey and which existed from 1919-23. So they were at a period where they were becoming conscious, of the need for unity as black people and conscious of their dignity and their rights as human beings,” he said.

Rawlins continued: “So as the workers understood that they had rights and that their employers were not doing them any favors they decided to clamor for a just wage. Joseph Nathan’s Universal Benevolent Association made a demand for a 12 and a half % increase on their 1934 wages before they would start the 1935 crop that was due to start on this day January 28. We’re told that there was a Workers’ League with middle class leadership and they gave the impression of being principally preoccupied with political aspirations and not genuinely with working class grievances and aspirations. I don’t know if much has changed.”

In further sharing a history lesson, Rawlins further told: “The planters refused the demands and on January 28, the uprising commenced.

He referred to a book by the late Governor of St.Kitts-Nevis- Anguilla and historian Sir Probyn Innis, who talked about the movement of workers from cane field to cane field estates around the island in rounding up numbers for the march.

“The uprising continued up to Tuesday January 29 when it was in full force, and it was on that day when the three men were shot dead…Joseph Allen (a labourer), James Archibald (a labourer) and Joseph Samuel (Sugar Factory watchman),” he highlighted.

Rawlins pointed out that the labourers were at the forefront of the uprising and commented that the ten (10) individuals wounded were mostly likely labourers too.

Govt’s Former Hired Pollster Predicts One Term For Team Unity

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Govt’s Former Hired Pollster Predicts One Term For Team Unity

BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Friday 31st January 2020) –Bill Johnson, an international hired pollster who back then predicted Team Unity’s February 2015 win is of the view that the present administration will not get a second term, which contradicts the findings of the government’s survey conducted by the Caribbean Development Research Services (CADRES).

This comes in accordance with the details he revealed during a live interview on Freedom FM with an ‘Issues’ session with Juni Liburd on Wednesday 29th January 2020, stemming from a December 2019 survey conducted on the island in all eight constituencies showing a lead by the opposition St.Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP).

“I think my record will show particularly in St.Kitts. I have an amazingly accurate record. As a matter of fact, two days before the last election, I wasn’t working for Labour in the last election; I was hired by Team Unity, and I was on the radio and I said that the good news for St.Kitts [that there] was going to be another doctor who’ll be available to make house calls after the election because Labour was going to lose the election, and everybody thought I was nuts, and it turned out that I was correct,” Johnson, who has conducted polls in the Caribbean region for twenty three ( 23) years, stated.

He pointed out that his integrity in getting accurate results are more important than pleasing clients.

“The surveys that I do are accurate. If I was doing the same survey for Team Unity, I would still be coming up with the same results so it’s not a question of the questions are slanted towards my client of the results are slanted by my client. The results are the results regardless of who is paying my fee. My reputation is much more important than pleasing momentarily a client.”

Johnson went on to share: “One of the hardest things to do in keeping your integrity  is when you’re working for a client  and he says that we’re gonna win  and you have to look him in the eye and say ‘You know, the way things look now sir, you’re not  going to win. You just haven’t gotten your record across to the people.’ Telling a person they’re going to lose is very difficult but you have to. You don’t have to be nasty about it but you do have to be truthful.

In providing a results from his survey, he told: “Overall at this point, I’m projecting that Labour is ahead in seven seats. Having real challenges in two seats, and two seats are up for grabs.”

CADRES -via a January 2020 press release following its October 2019 survey- states: “The actual expression of voter preference on this occasion was 43% Team Unity; 32% Labour NRP and 24% Uncommitted, with 1% opting for another party/independent candidate. This would of course present a scenario where the Uncommitted vote was large enough to alter the course of the election; however, CADRES has consistently applied this vote along historic lines with considerable success regionally in terms of its projections. In this regard, CADRES is projecting a level of support for Team Unity of 54% which computes to a swing of 4% in Team Unity’s favour which we believe is sufficient for it to successfully defend all the seats it currently has and threaten one additional seat in St Kitts. This swing projection is statistically similar to that of 2018 suggesting that the political environment continues to be more favourable to Team Unity as this time.” 

In addressing leadership choice, Johnson said SKNLP leader Dr. Denzil L. Douglas (of Constituency Six) is preferred Over Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris (of Constituency Seven).

 “Let’s just take the eight constituencies, Dr. Douglas is significantly ahead of Timothy Harris in six of those constituencies. Harris is better perceived in one, and I guess you might imagine in Number Seven, he is better perceived than Dr. Douglas but in six of them, Dr. Douglas has a decided lead in terms over who they want to be Prime Minister and who would make the best prime minister, and one is sort of a toss-up and then the other one, Harris leads Douglas. So when I see figures that claim overall Harris is favoured over Douglas, I’m sorry, I just can’t believe those figures.”

According to CADRES: “The more significant political findings relate to leadership, with the leadership of Team Unity preferred over the alternative. 53% of people preferred the leadership of Team Unity, compared to 39% preferring the leadership of Labour/NRP. The movement regarding leadership within parties is also interesting as in 2018 the non-Douglas options in the Labour/NRP totalled 5%, while non-Harris options in Team Unity totalled 27%. On this occasion there has been considerable consolidation within Team Unity, with non-Harris options totalling 13%, while the situation within the Labour/NRP group remained the same. The other noteworthy observation relating to leadership is the fact that Harris leads at this time among Uncommitted voters as 29% of these persons said they would prefer to be led by him (Harris), while 22% opted for the leadership of Douglas. Therefore, Opposition Leader Douglas continues to trail PM Harris both in terms of committed and uncommitted support.”

In commenting on the CADRES survey conducted by Peter Wickham, Johnson bashed the correctness of the overall results.

“I happened to see the results of that poll. If you look at it, closely you’ll see he just interviews a hundred and eight (108) people in each constituency and the surveying that we did for Labour, we interviewed almost 300 people per constituency and when I see him calling constituencies on the basis of a sample size of a hundred and then to compare that with the virtually 300 that we do in each constituency, I just have to think that on the surface alone, a 300 sample is going to be more accurate.”

In underlining his point, he exampled conducting a survey down one lane and it happens to be just one family that is supported by Labour or Team Unity in that particular constituency.

“So I have a real problems of the methodology of just interviewing 100 people per constituency,” Johnson noted.

Insurance Company Contributes To Children’s Home

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Insurance Company Contributes To Children’s Home

BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Friday 31st January 2020) – This week, the St. Christopher’s Children Home has been a recipient of a monetary donation provided by Massy United Insurance (St.Kitts-Nevis).

On the morning of Thursday 30th January 2020, a presentation event -held at the home located on Cardin Avenue in the St.Johnston’s community- saw the handing over of a $2500 cheque.

Sales Manager at the local Massy United Insurance branch Hadiya Mills, in speaking with this media house, commented: “We at Massy’s United Insurance are very happy to offer assistance to the St. Christopher’s Children Home. We recognize the important work of the staff and management in providing a safe and nurturing haven for the children that reside here, and Massy United Insurance is ever committed to the development of communities in which we operate and as every child is a blessing an require every opportunity to succeed, we trust that our donation will support the advancement and realization of talents and aspirations of these children.”

She informed that the company has been in the Federation for about three years.

Mills disclosed that Massy United Insurance operates in nineteen territories throughout the region, and is well known in quite a number of Caribbean islands including Trinidad, Barbados and St. Lucia.

She continued: “For St.Kitts, we are relatively new. However, today we are asking our foot mark. We want to support organisations like the Children’s Home. We offer insurance at the Massy United stores but we also want to show our support, our love and as an organisation, we want to foster the achievements of all the youth of S.Kitts and Nevis in whatever way possible. Today, we’re making a donation and tomorrow we may be donating our time but in any way that we can support, Massy United Insurance wants to be a part of it. Hopefully, this would be the beginning of a long lasting relationship.”

Mills revealed that for the past two years, the company has donated to the Charlestown Primary School in Nevis at the interschool sports event whilst further talking about the company’s interest and willingness to contribute to other sports teams and organisations like the children’s home.  

Acting Manager of the St. Christopher Children’s Home Shannizua James expressed: “On behalf of the St. Christopher Children’s Home, we would like to thank Massy United Insurance for their generous contribution to the home and we wish them every success in all of their endeavours.”

This media house understands that the home has the capacity to accommodate thirty children.

Douglas To PM Harris On IMF Debt Payment: ‘You Continued Labour’s restuturing Plan’

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Douglas To PM Harris On IMF Debt Payment: ‘You Continued Labour’s restuturing Plan’

BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Friday 24th January 2020)- Ongoing claims by the government that it has paid off a high IMF (International Monetary Fund) debt left behind by the former St.Kitts-Nevis Labour Party administration has been labelled “nonsense” by Opposition Leader and immediate former Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas.

“This nonsense, this deception and hypocritical talk of the present prime minister that he paid back the IMF debt for us is absolute nonsense. The records are there that the St.Kitts-Nevis Labour administration had advanced significantly.”

Dr. Douglas at the time was responding to a question posed by this media house at the party’s press conference held on Friday 17th January 2020.

He continued: “In fact, we were the first government I think in the world that had paid back money to the IMF basically saying ‘We don’t need it because we are satisfied, we are confident that the transition that we had planned for during a three-year programme that transition was taking place smoothly ‘ we don’t need your money…take back your money’.”

At his live broadcast monthly press conference held in December 2019, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Dr. Timothy Harris said in part of his opening remarks in continued claims on the topic that: “Thankfully, our IMF debt has been paid off by this Team Unity Government and those dark, stormy days are now behind us.”

“Because Labour could not manage money, in 2015 St. Kitts and Nevis owed the IMF $117,000,000 out of the $234 million borrowed in 2011,” he said also.

In addressing the IMF debt subject matter at last week’s press conference Dr. Douglas outlined: “We did in fact have a security lending to the government of St.Kitts and Nevis when we entered the IMF programme that was firstly to restructure the economy so that we would be able to sustain economic development in the future. We therefore because we were introducing a massive debt restructuring exercise that was approved by the international financial  institutions especially the IMF, we were concerned that there might have been some negative impact on the banking sector in particular and so in order to safeguard people’s interest in the banks to prevent any collapse of the banking sector especially the National Bank, the IMF had advanced us a security loan  which after a few months when we recognised that the transition that was taking place  in terms of debt restructuring was so smoothly being pursued that we paid back the IMF a significant portion  of that money which was advanced to us.”

In accordance with the former Finance Minister: “The debt, I want to emphasize, that was incurred for several reasons over the years was about 160 per cent of GDP when we introduced the IMF programme. When we left office in 2015 February, the debt was already significantly reduced to 73 per cent. All that this government has done is simply continue on the programme of debt restructuring that we had put in place so that by the end of 2015 and maybe where it stands today is just about 60 per cent which is exactly where we had structured it to be whether or not we were in government. They have done nothing new.”

Rasta Group To Recognize Buckley’s Uprising Martyrs As National Heroes

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Rasta Group To Recognize Buckley’s Uprising Martyrs As National Heroes

BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Friday 24th January 2020) – The Rastafari Nyabinghi Theocracy Order is putting a national heroes spotlight on the martyrs of the 1935 Buckley’s Uprising.

Ras Iyah, during an interview this week, shared such details ahead of the 85th anniversary event slated to take place on Tuesday 28th January 2020 at Buckley’s Estate under the theme: ‘Buckley’s Uprising St.Kitts Birth Place Of Caribbean Democracy.’

“We are pushing this event to mark the 85th anniversary for our people to analyse the greatness that our ancestors did in 1935. We want to see that we impact this history to the people in a fiery way and a way that we have to make the gesture of honouring our ancestors, our martyrs and the people who had been put in shackles, put in jail, who have been hurt to be recgnised as national Heroes  so, the Rastafari Nyabinghi Theocracy Order is going to recognise our martyrs and those who have made great sacrifice as national heroes in our book and that is straight coming from I and I so we are not looking at it from an independent gesture; this is gesture  from the Buckley’s Uprising to climax through the whole format of St.Kitts and Nevis and the wider section of the Caribbean shores.”

He said four individuals will be honoured at the event namely Ras Zambo Heath (deceased), Sylvine Henry, Earl Clarke and Maurice ‘EK’ Flanders.

“We find that these are the four people who have been instrumental in helping us to go forward. Even though elder Ras Zambo is not with us physically, he was one of the visionaries in the celebration of the Buckley’s Uprising so we have to show respect for what he has seen in the years in the celebration of this magnitude history of I and I people as a part of changing the social fabric of how the condition was facing at the time of 1935 and onward even before Adult Suffrage. So we say thanks to all those who have made strides in recognizing what the Buckley’s Uprising means to our people so we are carrying on as the Rastafari Nyabinghi Theocracy Order of honouring history in marking I and I people in where we go forward from here.”

Additionally, Ras Iyah disclosed that homage will be paid to one 2019 honouree Viola Warner -who has gone into the Great Beyond- in attending the funeral service prior to the Buckley’s Uprising event.

“She was honoured because of her father John Allen who was one of the martyrs who got killed in 1935… seeing that she was just two years old when her father got killed, looking at the structure over the years of understanding not having a father from since 1935 to now and she has passed off now on her 83rd birthday. So she’ll be laid to rest on the same day she was born.”

Ras Iyah said that a visit is scheduled to the Bronte Welsh Primary School on Monday 27th January for a talk session with students of grades five and six.

Man Shot After Armed Robber Enters His Home

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Man Shot After Armed Robber Enters His Home

Police on St. Kitts are currently investigating a home armed robbery incident which resulted in a man being shot over the past weekend.

Wounded is Shakim Joseph of Ponds Extension.

According to a police report, close to 4 a.m. on Friday 17th  January 2020, an armed masked assailant entered  Joseph’s home, demanded items be handed over and injured him at some point during the incident.

Reportedly, the victim was taken to the JNF Hospital and warded in a stable condition.

Responding to that crime scene were police and members of the Forensic Unit. Items of evidential value were taken into Police custody and investigations into the matter are ongoing.

Persons with information about this incident are asked to contact the Violent Crimes Unit (VCU) at 467-1887, 467-1888, or 662-3468. Persons can also contact their nearest Police Station or call the crime hotline at 707.

Occupational Safety and Health

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Occupational Safety and Health

Workers (People), at the beginning of a new year and a new decade (a future period of peace and happiness), hearing predictions (something that forecast in advance) is nothing new.

What will the next five (5) years bring? It had the usual suggestions about growing importance about new medical breakthrough and about the smooth, faster ways of getting around. Once or twice I’ve heard my mother say: ‘Prediction is at best risky business” to which all I did was just laugh.

Hear this: Man may speculate (to form opinion what will happen). Workers (People), let us enjoy lasting happiness under the best conditions in wonderful surroundings. This is no mere (a take) dream, for God actually offers us the key to such a happy future, and that key is knowledge.

Let’s move on. In my last article,  I said 2020 is a year of renewal. I also thought about a checklist and what it is and how useful it is. Hello! Once we have knowledge that leads to everlasting life so for this article, I will say a little bit on toxic releases. There are large numbers of chemicals with which particular care needs to be taken to prevent them from having harmful effects on workers.

The main discipline (the practice of imposing strict rules of behaviour) of occupational hygiene exists to develop the methods necessary to control exposure to these chemicals possibly over a long period as the working lifetime of an operator. This is of fundamental importance to workers’ safety.

People, the effects of toxic chemicals when considering major hazards, on the hand, are quite different and are concerned with acute ( severe exposure during and soon after a major accident rather than with long term chronic (exposure  developing slowly or lasting for a long time. In other words, the book considers the storage and use of toxic chemicals often in very large quantities which, if released, would be dispersed in the wind and have the potential to kill or injure people living many hundreds of miles away as I said before from the plant and being able to escape or find shelter.

Before I close, I will leave this with you: Chlorine (a poisonous strong-smelling greenish yellow gaseous element used in water purification and as a disinfectant (a substance that destroys harmful germs and combined with sodium to make common salt is known to be dangerous to human health.

*Note Well* coming together is a start, keeping together is progress and working together is success. Continue to read the Labour Spokesman and welcome more information on the above topic.

Thanking you.

Senior Civil Servant: ‘I’ve been sent home penny less’

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Senior Civil Servant: ‘I’ve been sent home penny less’

Iris Williams,65, stood outside steps of Government Headquarters on Church Street Wednesday this week (15th January 2020) with a hand-written sign pinned to her chest which read: “I was sent home without notice penny less.”

Speaking to the local media, she explained that she has been sent home “from working for government institution for 18 years at the General Post Office.”

According to Williams: “It’s a sad moment why I have to do this.”

Due to a knee injury she was on leave from work and had to undergo surgery. She has indicated that she informed her workplace about her medical leave situation.

It is understood that in February 2019, Williams was notified by Bank of Nova Scotia online after checking that no deposits, totalling the four, were made into her account to which she was asked to check the payroll officer.

She said she then contacted the payroll officer and explained that she had “sent in a medical report and my medical report was a 90 days medical leave for me then to prepare myself then to go to Montreal (in Canada) to have the knee replacement.”

She continued: “I was distraught, hurt. I called my doctor who was seeing me and people who would have seen me [in Montreal] and they are all still concerned about my condition up to this day. Nobody at the Post Office notified me. I keep going there and it’s just like no answers. Yes, I am 65; I have no problem with that. I know my challenges, I know my hurdles and I worked hard over 18 years with the government. I wouldn’t really go into other things; I’ve been sent home without proper due notice. It’s a sad situation as a senior citizen… I have served the public as a child from 12 and more  up to this present moment and I stick certain principles  and I said let me come here today because somebody  may be able to rise up above the call. You can’t sent home no worker in the country without notice.”

According to Williams: “The first day of 2nd day of August, I received under my door notifying me.”

“It appears that I’m just a stumbling block in the community.  I am just here stuck to the goose cannot get loose, penny less… It’s a long story and I’m not getting any answers and I am standing on my own religiously,” she added.

Opposition Leader Talks Payroll Change For Civil Servants

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Opposition Leader Talks Payroll Change For Civil Servants

Opposition Leader Dr. Denzil Douglas of the St.Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) is promising a change in the payroll system for civil servants of every two weeks instead of the traditional monthly salaries.

“A new Next Gen SKN Government will also ensure that our civil servants will be paid every two weeks to ease the pain of the long wait between salaries. In fact so many of our mothers, so many of our household heads have been saying how difficult it is to wait after the first two weeks in a month in order to be able to have money to do what they have to do for their families.”

Dr. Douglas made the disclosure live on Tuesday 14th January during the weekly edition of ‘Ask The Leader’ aired on KYSS FM.

According to him: “We will implement significant increase in civil servants salaries and pensions to improve their standard of living and this will be done within the first 90 days  if not before if taking office.”

Additionally, he spoke about plans for professional development training civil servants.

“We will implement professional mandatory training for our senior civil servants paid for by the various ministries to ensure that they keep abreast of the latest best practices and pioneering technique.”

The opposition leader criticised the present government for   negatively impacting the morale of civil servants.

“Over the past five years, there has been a serious decline in the quality and delivery of our public service. This is largely of course due to the nepotistic and the victimising practice of this present regime where the Harris family are in fact seen to be omnipotent because of this, morale of the civil servants is at an all-time low. Efficiency and productivity are at ban all time low and this has had an impact on the ease of doing business here in St.Kitts and Nevis. Our government must become much more transparent, much more accountable, much more responsible and responsive to the needs of our people that it is serving. Our government must show more respect for our public servants as well. We must have leadership that is committed to innovation. We need a government that is open, bold, dedicated and disciplined.”

Speaking about the SKNLP’s vision to make a turnaround in the public service sector, he pointed out that such “must change mindset in some ministries and department to embrace new ideas and more modern best practices as well. For example, there has to be flexi time being incorporated in the hours for public servants here in St.Kitts and Nevis. There is a need for more coordination and dialogue between the ministries that relate to each other.

Dr. Douglas added: “The creation of a next generation public service is a national imperative if St.Kitts and Nevis is to remain competitive and to stay competitive. In order to achieve these things, our next generation to public administration must be more impactful and create a more engaged work force. Happy and engaged public servants mean happy citizens which will bring economic. Social and environmental benefits to n all of our people our country on a whole 

Ministry Still Checking Electrical Issue At WAHS

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Ministry Still Checking Electrical Issue At WAHS

BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Friday 17th January 2020)– An official from the Ministry of Education has informed this media house that continuous work involving the necessary checks and repairs will be carried at the Washington Archibald High School (WAHS) in light of this week’s electrical problem incident which raised alarms concerning a fire threat issue.

On Wednesday 15th January 2020, school- located at Taylor’s Range- was dismissed during the morning session as students, staff members and other workers evacuated the premises in an emergency response to the situation during the rainy day.

The WAHS-via its social media Facebook page at 11:08am- disclosed in part that “Based on the advice of Public Works, the decision has been made by the Ministry of Education to resume school tomorrow, Thursday, 16 January, 2020. We thank you for your understanding. cooperation and fervent prayers and we will continue to do all within our power to ensure the safety of all.”

A fire truck parked outside the school

Yesterday (Thursday), this media house reached out to the school via telephone for an update and was instructed by the person on the other end to contact the Ministry of Education on the matter.

An individual from that ministry explained the clear was given for school to resume after the relevant work units involved gave feedback keeping safety in mind.

“We’re doing everything we could to make sure that the space is safe for the children.”

Chief Education Officer Darryll Lloyd via a statement on the day of incident informed that the ministry made a decision that day to dismiss school “early in the school, day in order to ensure the safety of all students and other employees of the school when an electrical problem manifested itself.”

He said there was not an actual fire at the school.

 “The issue arose when persons at the school experienced the smell of smoke in school spaces. There were also crackling sounds on the second level of the school. While there was no actual fire, school authorities felt it best to the attention of the relevant education officials who immediately determined early dismissal until the specific issue could be identified and addressed.

Lloyd pointed out that as is customary, Public Works Department and SKELEC (St. Kitts Electricity Company) were apprised of the issue and that the Fire Department was also called to the scene as a precautionary measure.

“The ministry continues to do all in its power to ensure that other employees of education institutions in St.Kitts and Nevis are safe and secure. Compliance with the school safety policy is of the utmost importance and is being adhered to for the good of all involved,” he remarked.

At that time of his remarks, the Chief Education Officer said the school would have remained “closed until they are absolutely certain of the safety of the establishment” as parents were advised to stay informed via local media announcement-specifically radio and television as well as the ministry’s social media Facebook page.

Lloyd highlighted that school authorities have been commended by the Ministry for the quick response to threat and continues to advise extreme caution in such circumstances.

Additionally, staff members were applauded for the emergency plan and high degree of professionalism.

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