Educaation

Education Reform Critical To Barbados’ Future Development

Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley is insisting that education transformation was necessary for the country, declaring that “for more than 70 years we have been practising education apartheid”.

She emphasised that point yesterday, during a special screening of XQ Institute’s documentary: The First Class, for educators, students and other specially invited guests at Olympus Theatres. The film follows the founding class of Crosstown High, Memphis, Tennessee, United States of America as one of the XQ schools redefining the future of learning.

Ms. Mottley told her audience that the country could not “continue writing off so many of our children each and every year. And, if it is the last thing that I do, whether in or out of public life, we are going to continue this fight because this defines the Barbados of the present and the future”.

She continued: “And it can’t be done because I, as Prime Minister, want it or the Minister wants it or the Chief wants it…It has to be done because the country needs it…The country needs it because for more than seven years, we’ve been practising a form of educational apartheid [meaning]. We take the best view and we make the best of them and then we leave the rest or the majority outside and that cannot work… If you do not understand how the other side lives, moves and works on 166 square miles, you’re not going to get the best out of this country.”

The Prime Minister contended that there were multiple teaching methodologies that could be utilised, declaring that it was up to the principals working alongside the Ministry of Education to determine the best option for their respective schools, adding that “what we can’t do is to do one or two [methods] and believe that, that is change”.

“This country needs this transformation and the exact design of what we do will come after the consultative process finishes. Everything that we have set out to do, may not be the exact framework that we end up with because what matters is that we carry the majority of the people in the country with us.

“If we are not carrying the majority with us, then there’s not enough people to lift the weight and we have to make light work of this education transformation process,” Ms. Mottley underlined.

She pledged to allocate additional human and financial resources to the Ministry to deal with all aspects of the transformation over the next few years.

Following the screening of the film, there was a panel discussion moderated by Chief Education Officer Dr. Ramona Archer-Bradshaw, with Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of XQ Institute Russlyn Ali, Executive Director of Crosstown High, Chris Terrill and Principal of Queen’s College, Mitchelle Maxwell fielding questions from Dr. Archer-Bradshaw on a range of issues.

There were also screenings for the wider student body and the public. (PR/GIS)

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The UWI Cave Hill & UNCTAD Sign Partnership MOU

The University of the West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill Campus, the Shridath Ramphal Centre for International Trade Law, Policy and Services, and the United Nations Trade and Development (UNCTAD) concluded a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to further trade-related research and cooperation.

The MOU was signed by Principal of The UWI Cave Hill Campus, Professor Clive Landis, and UNCTAD’s Deputy Secretary General, Pedro Manuel Moreno, on Tuesday, June 18.

It was witnessed by Barbados’ Ambassador to the United Nations, the World Trade Organization (WTO) and other International Organizations in Geneva, Matthew Wilson, who also serves on the Board of the Shridath Ramphal Centre; Director of the Centre, Dr. Jan Yves Remy, and The UWI’s Cave Hill Dean of Social Sciences, Professor Troy Lorde.

The partnership is a direct outcome of the recent Global Supply Chain Forum held in Barbados in May and builds on almost 20 years of collaboration between The UWI and UNCTAD, specifically concerning annual visits to Geneva by students.

A focus of the partnership going forward will be on joint research, especially in the area of the blue and green economy, building on the Villars Framework, and supporting trade-related data and analysis.

Principal Landis praised the collaboration and said it was an input into the ongoing work on ‘remaking trade’, led by Dr. Remy and other academics under the Villars Framework.

UNCTAD’s Deputy Secretary General Moreno pointed out that the MOU represents a continuation of the long collaboration between UN Trade and Development and the Caribbean.

Ambassador Wilson, who has been involved in the Centre’s MITP Programme for almost two decades, stated: “The policy support and analysis that can result from this partnership will be incredibly useful for the small Caribbean missions in Geneva, which often have to cover a multitude of issues and need quick policy contributions.”

Students of the Shridath Ramphal Centre’s MITP Programme have been in Geneva for two weeks as part of the Joint University Study Tour, where students visit international organisations, CARICOM embassies and missions, as well as private sector entities, to get a first-hand view of how trade practitioners, from a variety of fields and institutions, undertake their tasks and put trade policy in action.

The Barbados Mission in Geneva is hosting four interns from The UWI and the University of Newcastle, who will be shadowing the Barbados team, at meetings of the Human Rights Council and the WTO Trade Policy Review of Canada, where Ambassador Wilson is serving as the discussant. (PR/GIS)

CAPTION: Principal of The UWI Cave Hill Campus, Professor Clive Landis (sitting left); UNCTAD’s Deputy Secretary General, Pedro Manuel Moreno (sitting right); and officials pose with the signed MOU which will further trade-related research and cooperation.

Educaation

National Council on Substance Abuse To Host Cannabis Panel Discussion

The National Council on Substance Abuse (NCSA) will be hosting a panel discussion on the topic “The Grassroots of Medicinal and Recreational Cannabis.” This insightful event is scheduled for May 30, 2024 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Chesterfield Brewster Empowerment Center, Silver Hill, Christ Church.

The panel discussion aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of cannabis from various perspectives, including medicinal, recreational, and sacramental use of cannabis. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from the following panellists who are experts in their respective fields:

Mr. Joel Barrow – Nursing Officer, Psychiatric Hospital – Mr. Barrow will discuss the biopsychosocial effects of cannabis on the mind and body of the user.

Dr. Adrian Waterman, Barbados Association of Medical Practitioners – Dr. Waterman will discuss the qualifying conditions for medicinal cannabis use and address common concerns of patients regarding their treatment with medicinal cannabis.

Mr. Corey Beckles, Senior Attorney-at-Law, CBL Chambers – Mr. Beckles will discuss the legal aspects surrounding the sacramental use of cannabis.

Representative from the Barbados Police Service – the new amendment to the Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act CAP 131.

The NCSA is committed to fostering informed discussions on health risks associated with using legal or illegal substances and its implications for society. This event promises to be an enlightening experience for all members of the public. For further information please, contact the NCSA at 535-6272.

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BARBADOS VOCATIONAL TRAINING BOARD

Programmes for January & February 2024 with two new courses, Introduction to Entrepreneurship and Massage Therapy for Beginners. Register today!