A secondary school on the Southern Grenadines island of Canouan, where 18 students are in the Common Entrance class, is not worth the recurring expenditure.
this was the essence of Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves’ pronouncements on the idea last Friday, when the government officially opened three buildings there.
Southern Grenadines representative Terrance Ollivierre, of the opposition New Democratic Party, raised the issue while addressing a ceremony to officially open the Canouan Administrative Centre.
He said that the island’s students “continue to face difficulties in their quest to obtain quality education on mainland St. Vincent, Bequia or Union Island.
“Definitely, there is a need to address this problem. … The time has come for us to address the situation of secondary school education on this island…” Ollivierre further said.
His dream is that the administrative building would some day be “fully staffed by personnel from Canouan: from the district officer to the clerical staff to the ancillary staff.
“And an effective education system that caters to the needs of all, despite your locality, would definitely ensure that this dream becomes a reality,” he said.
Ollivierre told the gathering that he had communicated with Education Minister Girlyn Miguel “to start the process so that our children, despite all the development that are going on here, will be able to ensure that they benefit from it”.
But Gonsalves, delivering the feature address at the ceremony, said that Ollivierre needed not initiate anything in that regard.
He pointed out that there are 139 students at the Canouan Primary School, 18 of whom are in Grade 6 — the Common Entrance class.
Gonsalves presented a scenario in which there are 20 Grade 6 students each year for the following five years. He further said that half of these students are likely to go to school in St. Vincent, Bequia, or Union Island, where the government opened a new secondary school last year.
“It means that you would have on an average 10 or 12 students going to secondary school in Canouan. So, in five forms, you would have 60 students maximum after five years,” the Prime Minister said.
He further noted that the government would have to provide specialist teacher for all subjects.
“Now, I want to ask the question: should you have all five forms or should you begin with three forms? … It’s easy for persons to talk when they don’t have the responsibility to do anything …” Gonsalves said.
“… I happen to know that the bulk of the people of Canouan have common sense, intelligence and that they are grateful. … But I am not going to sit down and hear people talk things, where there utterances are unreasonable in all the circumstances,” he continued.
Gonsalves further spoke of his government’s universal access to secondary education policy.
“I am sure that every … single student from Canouan has a place in a secondary school. And we provide assistance … through the social welfare system for students and some from Canouan get,” he added.
One of the victims in last week’s shooting spree in Campden Park is now seeking financial assistance. Desroy Jack, who was shot in his right leg, has said he is seeking the help of the general public to offset the effects of some economic cost, as he is unable to work and still needs to support his three year old daughter.
Jack stated that he is also in need of help to purchase medication for his injuries as well. He said he does not know how long he will be bedridden as is making a call for any kind hearted Vincentian to help him in this difficult time.
Chairman of the Board of Directors for Solidarity Incorporated, Renwick Rose has spoken out against what he terms as irrelevant factors to the operations of the car park currently run by his organization. The state owned car park which had been in the hands of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce for twelve years, changed hands last year when it was leased to the Solidarity Incorporated, making it the Solidarity Inc. Car Park.
Rose said a lot of positive changes have transpired over this one year period. However, some people may not understand the rationale behind it.
The Chairman said it is the first time that the organization has been in charge of such an elaborate project and they had been seeking for such an opportunity to continue to serve the organization.
Rose further stated that both the farmers and workers will benefit as it relates to efforts being implemented to train and develop the capacity of the working people’s organization and society here.
The Hon Arhim Eustace is calling on the Ministry of Agriculture to compensate banana farmers who are being affected by the Black Sigatoka disease.
Eustace said that the disease is much more serious than what it is believe to be and it should be controlled now in order to avoid a complete wipe out.
The Minister with responsibility for Agriculture and who is also the chairman of WINFRESH initially said that the Ministry will be compensating farmers involved in the cutback exercise but to this day many farmers are complaining that they have not received no such compensation.
Mr. Eustace said the banana crisis is having a detrimental effect on the farmers most of whom are poor and trying to make a living from an industry that seems to be going to the grave. He also mentioned that other businesses would be affected as well since persons in the industry will no longer have the purchasing power they once had.
Banana farmers planned a picket to voice their disapproval of the way in which the Ministry of Agriculture is handling the black sigatoka disease that is currently affecting banana farms here.
Farmers are complaining that all that they are receiving are promises that are not being fulfilled. They also complained of their voices not being heard by the management of the industry and is calling on management to listen more and speak less.
The farmers are also calling on the Minister with responsibility for Agriculture the Hon. Montgomery Daniel to either do his job or resigned from his position if he’s not capable of handling his responsibilities.
Since the black sigatoka was observed here the farmers say the ministry has not lifted a figure to assist them in any way.
The farmers are also disappointed with the treatment that they are receiving from WINFRESH representatives. They are claiming that the officials that WINFRESH sends to St. Vincent operates more like spies than representatives who are suppose to assist them.
Stakeholders in the Banana Industry met earlier yesterday Tuesday 20 September to discuss among other issues, how to control the Black Sigatoka disease and charting the way forward for the industry.
Heavy rains on the Northern side of the island caused several landslides, blockages and flooding over the weekend. This resulted in a disruption of the water systems in Fancy, Owia, Sandy Bay and Perseverance.
Fortunately for the residents of these affected villages, The Central Water & Sewage Authority responded quickly to the disastrous situation.
The CWSA’s crew worked all day on Sunday to restore three of these systems- Sandy Bay, Owia and Perseverance. Work is still ongoing at Fancy where a large landslide has to be cleared. Residents are being asked to monitor their taps while water is being restored.
The CWSA has however commenced trucking water for the residents of Fancy and this assistance will continue until the system is completely restored.
Bonadie Baker Permanent Secretary within the Ministry of education is calling for Parents and Guardian to monitor the way in which their children used the laptops.
According to Baker several calls have been made to have these netbooks repairs. Research Information Technology unit within the ministry has commenced an Island wide survey to monitor the usage, care and maintenance of these netbooks by students.
Baker said that extensive damage has been done to these laptops which only left them to believe, that children are not being supervised while using these netbooks.
She explained the damage that has been done to one laptop that no longer works. Baker said, it cannot be powered on, screws are missing and match sticks are being place in it to hold it up.
She added that if this matter is not taken seriously some student will be left behind academically, while the rest of the class moves forward.
She further stated that its tax payers from Portugal that helps to afford these netbooks; and not taken care of these gifts is a slap in the face.
A British legal expert helping with the revamping of the criminal justice system in the Eastern Caribbean believes that preliminary inquiries should be abolished.
A preliminary inquiry determines if the state has enough evidence to justify a trial. It is intended to safeguard against putting people in jeopardy of being convicted in a trial without the state having sufficient evidence to prove the case.
If, after hearing the evidence, the magistrate is satisfied that there is enough evidence that the person could be convicted, then the person is committed to trial at a higher court.
Witnesses often testify twice: during the preliminary inquiry and also at the trial.
“Why call witnesses twice? We can call witnesses just once at the trial and then their evidence can be tested,” Criminal Justice Advisor to the Eastern Caribbean in the British High Commission Daniel Suter said, referring to preliminary inquiries.
Suter last Wednesday, on Jomo Thomas’ “Voices” discussed the Prosecutors’ Code recently launched in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Suter spoke of the deficiencies in the local court system saying that delays, often caused by procedures and the manner in which matters are investigated, were one of the main concerns.
“What I am looking at is to make investigators work more closely with prosecutors at an early stage. … What I can see as a good way ahead is abolishing preliminary inquiries. I don’t think that they are systems that allow for justice in as much,” Suter said.
He further said that preliminary inquiries also delay trials and accused persons should be tried “at the earliest stage” since this relates to human rights.
“It is [also] not fair for witnesses and victims, that matters are prolonged for that period of time,” he further said.
Suter further emphasised the role of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) in determining who is prosecuted.
He objected to the police performing the role of arresting, interviewing, investigating, charging and then prosecuting an individual, as is generally the case at the magistrate’s courts.
“My personal view is that that’s unconstitutional and that it should be the DPP who determines the matters that are prosecuted both in the Magistrate’s Court and also the High Court.”
He said that with the implementation of a national prosecution service, police prosecutors, would become part of the DPP’s office.
In this way, the DPP would be fulfilling his constitutional role of managing prosecutors going through the Magistrate’s Court and “maintaining that objectivity and independence,” Suter said.
He said that police prosecutors who do not become members of the national prosecution service could return to investigating or study law.
Suter also addressed the issue of prosecutors passing the “evidential stage” and the “public interest test” before going to trial.
“Within the code for St. Vincent, it says that there must be a reasonable prospect for conviction. So, if all the points to prove for an offence are made out and the prosecutor decides ‘Yes I believe I can get a conviction on the basis of the evidence that is produced to me by the police,’ the evidential stage is passed.”
He, however, cautioned that it should not always be the case even if there is sufficient evidence that a person should be prosecuted.
Prosecutors, Suter said, should consider, on a case-by-case basis, the potential long-term negative impact of prosecution on a person’s life.
He said if a prosecutor, after such considerations, decides not to move forward with the case, the crime would still be recorded and prosecutors might not be as lenient with repeat offenders.
The Prosecutors’ Code speaks to this in that it sets out the parameters in which a prosecutor decides whether to prosecute.
The opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) will decide on Wednesday the date for its annual convention, last held in July 2010.
The central committee of the party will be meeting on Wednesday to finalize convention matters, NDP president Arnhim Eustace revealed.
He said there were “no specific reasons” why the NDP is yet to hold its first convention since its third consecutive defeat at the poll last December.
Eustace has two years left in his current term as president of the NDP, having been re-elected overwhelmingly when he opted for early elections a few years ago.
He said that while offering up the NDP presidency for early election “is an option” he couldn’t say “that is what I he is going to do.
The NDP head further confirmed that opposition senator Vynnette Frederick has “made a formal statement to the party” indicating that she would not be contesting the next elections.
He further said that Sen. Anesia Baptiste is interested in running for the party in the West St. George constituency Frederick contested last year.
“No decisions have been made. Anybody who is interested has to go in the field. It is the constituency division who made the recommendation for the candidate and that is then recommended to central committee, which then ratifies it,” Eustace said.
Is the Unity Labour Party administration preparing for early elections? A post by a ULP Member of Parliament on a social networking Website as the ULP began its rallies several weeks ago, suggest that the party might be preparing for early elections.
“It’s been eight months after the election and you need to see us back on the road. We need to touch flesh and see each other eye to eye and talk face to face,” Sen. Julian Francis, ULP general secretary said of the rallies on radio recently.
He further said that his government was “not delivering maximum as was expected in certain areas but [is] still in touch on all subject areas.”
The ULP last December scraped home to victory with a one-seat majority in the 15-member Parliament.
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