The renaming of the Chronic Disease Research Centre (CDRC) to the “George Alleyne Chronic Disease Research Centre” can be viewed as a tangible expression of the collective pride and gratitude Barbados has in this son of the soil.

Such a view was shared by Health Minister, John Boyce, as he gave remarks yesterday, on the occasion of the renaming of the CDRC.

Also stating that the Chancellor of the University of the West Indies (UWI), Sir George Alleyne, has “established a legacy for all of us to emulate”, he outlined other reasons why the renaming was special.

“This honour recognises Sir George’s legacy and will ensure that his name is associated with an institution that seeks to embody the scholarship in and dedication to medicine [in] public health, which he has demonstrated throughout his life,” the Minister stated.

He added that “this renaming is also a bold statement to the world; it speaks to who we are as Barbadians and as Caribbean people”.

The Health Minister also used the occasion while addressing the gathering at the Centre to pledge government’s commitment to “the provision of funding for the Barbados National Registry (BNR)”. He explained that the BNR, which will mark its 10th anniversary in August, was initiated following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between government and the UWI. Over the last decade, he said it “has made a meaningful contribution to health programming and health policy development in Barbados through its annual reports on stroke, cardiovascular disease and cancer, which delineate disease burden and trends in our community. These reports provide the empirical basis for strategic decision making”.

Boyce expressed gratitude to past and present directors of the CDRC and the leadership of the university for their vision and support. He also acknowledged the role of the National Non-Communicable Disease Commission which provides oversight to the BNR. (MG)

More workers are being urged to come out and join in the activities to celebrate this year’s May Day.

Minister of Labour, Social Security and Human Resource Development, Senator Dr. Esther Byer Suckoo, issued the clarion call as she delivered the feature address at the May Day Media Launch and Exhibition at Solidarity House yesterday morning.

The Minister, while noting that the numbers attending the May Day march and the rally at Browne’s Beach appear to have been dwindling over the years, not only called on workers to be a part of the activities, but pointed out the need for the Social Partners to step up the campaign of awareness, to ensure that the wider public knows and appreciates the significance of the public holiday.

“We’ve seen where workers can write the newspapers, they can take to social media, you hear them on the call-in programmes when they have their concerns, but there is still strength in unity, so we need our workers to come out and be a part, be seen together, be seen as this force together, rallying for good, rallying for the improvement of conditions for all workers,” she stated.

Her comments came as she referred to the country’s strong tripartite relationship, which she alluded ensures that May Day in Barbados is a time of celebration, unlike some countries in other parts of the world.

“…It can become a scene of violence, a very nasty scene in some places and for us though, it is a time when the Government will come out, our workers will come out, the employers will come out and we will march together and agree to greater collaboration and greater dialogue. That is something to give thanks for,” she told the audience.

The Minister added, “The message of May Day is not something for the past, it is still relevant to Barbados. The message of unity is not something for the past, even though you would see the rioting and so on, and what look like bigger issues overseas, we still have a lot of work as workers and as tripartite partners to achieve here, and it will be done better if we do it together.”

The Labour Minister further told the audience that she thinks it important that greater focus is placed on celebrating the “heroes of labour”, so as to ensure that coming generations do not take for granted the peaceful and stable industrial relations climate that this country is known for. She warned that if concrete steps are not taken in that regard and the society may forget those heroes, where the country has come over the years, and then be at risk of returning to those days.

“We have to really celebrate the heroes of labour. That is something I think my ministry is going to try to do more, but of course we will collaborate with our Social Partnership to ensure that more people understand the role of the workers,” she said.

Senator Byer Suckoo’s comments came as she it is equally important that the public is made to understand the importance too of trade unions. The labour minister is adamant that so long as there are workers, there is need for trade unions to protect their rights. (JRT)

ALTHOUGH the membership of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) is working hard to help this country solve its economic problems, tourism alone just cannot do it.

That’s the view of Rudy Grant, CEO of the BHTA; and Chairman Roseanne Myers.

They told a news conference yesterday that because of the magnitude of the problems facing the country, the tourism sector cannot singly pull the country out of its troubles.

“What I will say is that tourism does have an important role to play, in that it is a leading earner of foreign exchange,” Grant said. But tourism “on its own will not be able to provide the level of growth that is necessary,” he remarked.
Saying there has to be a level of collaboration, Grant stated that when they refer to tourism, it is not only about visitor arrivals.

“The reality is that the industry touches on other important areas in the economy, whether we are talking health, transportation and so on,” he maintained.

“So when we speak about tourism and enhancing it we have to ensure there are the linkages with other sectors. From the perspective of the BHTA we will be playing our part through the collaboration with agriculture, creating more a competitive environment, and with other sectors in the economy as well,” he said.

In endorsing Grant's comments, Ms. Myers said that there is no question the industry can do better and especially with the marketing efforts.

She added that there is need to take into consideration planning for the short, medium and long term.

“But the earning of the foreign exchange is not going to help the country with its debt,” she stressed. The issue that Barbados has to deal with right now is with the high fiscal deficit, driven by the debt that was increased over the years and which the country is now trying to sort out in repaying that debt, she noted.

“So you need some economic policies to address that,” the BHTA Chairman explained.

Barbadians are being urged to stop pressuring the young children who are preparing to sit the Barbados Secondary Schools’ Entrance Examination (BSSEE).

With the highly anticipated national examination around the corner, Minister of Industry, International Business, Commerce and Small Business Development and Member of Parliament for St James South, Donville Inniss, said many of the students are pressured, because there are some people who believe that a child’s future is dependent on the secondary school they attend.

Inniss called on society to stop the stereotyping, and accept that children have the opportunity to give of their best no matter which secondary school they go to.

He referred to the fact that while he sits in Parliament with 29 other MPs, he is not knowledgeable about where most of them went to school, noting that he is not particularly interested.

“I am more interested in the contribution that they are able to make to national development. I think that must be used as inspiration for you young children to recognise that no matter which secondary school you go to, you must apply yourself.

“You must continue to respect your teachers and others around you, you must recognise that the sky is the limit and once you give of your best and do these things, you will achieve your full potential.

“Not everyone in this country will emerge in a profession that they want to get into, but it takes each and everyone of us, doing what we have to do, with our own skills, in our own domain, to make this society and economy work,” he said.

The Minister was speaking to the media at the West Terrace Primary School yesterday, where he delivered a pep talk to the 73 Class 4 students preparing to sit the 2017 examination on May 2.

Teachers must be thanked
He also voiced concerns that while parents expect much of their children at this time in their lives, the teachers who spend time preparing the students for the national examination should be thanked for the immense support they offer the charges, including the selfless act of going beyond the call of duty.

He said students are often reminded that entry into secondary school is also them entering a new phase in their lives; however, people often forget to thank the primary school teachers who have laid the solid foundation.

“On behalf of all parents out there, I would simply like to say thank you to primary school teachers who really have a mammoth task in shaping the body and the minds and soul of these young children and laying that foundation upon which they will build,” he said.

He encouraged the students, who will be making their way to examination centres early next Tuesday morning, to use the upcoming weekend to revise and refresh their memories, and also urged them not to be overconfident, thinking they know it all and have no need to “brush up on anything”.

“Put in a few hours this long weekend preparing for the examination on Tuesday and to ensure that you get a good night’s rest the next morning. I don’t think that we can ask anything more than that you give of your best,” Inniss said. (AH)

A selection of nursery, primary and secondary level students, drawn from approximately 13 schools in Barbados, joined Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth, Stephen Lashley at the Emancipation Statue yesterday, to receive a symbolic Self-Reparations Baton.

The symbolic handing over of the baton to the students gathered at the Emancipation Statue at the in Haggatt Hall, St. Michael, formed part of the celebrations to recognise National Heroes Day, which is being celebrated as a public holiday today.

Ahead of the brief hand-over ceremony, the Youth Minister addressed scores of school children who gathered under tents across from the Emancipation statue, which is also commonly referred to as the Bussa statue. He reminded them first, about the significance of National Heroes Day.

“I believe all of us are descendants of African slaves and therefore, we feel that you should be made aware of your ancestry and the rich African culture that is part of the whole cultural identity of us as Barbadians,” Minister Lashley told the students.

“We are standing a few feet away from one of our National Heroes – The Right Excellent Bussa. He was the person who led the first slave rebellion in Barbados. And although he and the persons who fought with him recognised that they may have perished… although they knew that they may have been overcome by stronger firing power, they stood up and they fought for a cause. They fought for the liberation of African slaves, because they felt that enslavement was wrong,” Lashley further noted.
“So when you pass and you see the Bussa statue, it ought to remind us of the sacrifice that often must be made, so that others may survive… they sacrificed their lives, so that you and I who are the persons who would have been following in the next generation, would have the kind of livelihood and the standard of living that we have today,” Lashley maintained.

Turning his attention to the concept of self-reparations, the Minister outlined why it is important for students to embrace such a concept.

“Unless we can have the whole principle of reparations recognised as being a key part of who we are, then we would not have been able to take forward the significant and invaluable work of our National Heroes,” he said.

“You would have heard of course that the governments of CARICOM have established a Reparations Commission and the idea
of reparations really is to look at the impact of slavery on our current development and to seek reparations or to seek various kinds of recompense, from those who enslaved our ancestors. [However], we believe that this must start with self-reparations. How we begin to look at our own lives, how we can repair in our own way, some of the injury, some of the things that are being done even today, that are wrong,” he added.

“So when I pass the baton to the schools, I want the schools to engage themselves in how can we do things better, how we can respect each other, how can we respect our communities, how can we use our education, for our own upliftment,” Lashley remarked, before symbolically passing the
baton to student representatives of the schools.

We must strive to develop and sustain a culture in our Caribbean societies that encourages our citizens to take risk in business.

That is according to Donville Inniss, Minister of Industry, International Business, Commerce and Small Business Development.

While speaking at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre at the Ten Habitat Caribbean Start up Summit, he explained what he thought were some of the key attributes of an entrepreneur. He said, “One needs to be a risk-taker, think and act outside of the box, be a visionary, be bold, global in your outlook, confident and a positive thinker.”
He further pointed out that, “Banks are risk averse, but I would like to see a stronger culture of banks in the Caribbean partnering with entrepreneurs... Banks in the region can loosen up a bit and help grow the entrepreneurial class in Barbados and the wider Caribbean and we do understand they have to make profits... [In addition] new forms of financing are also moving a bit too slow to take off in Barbados and the Caribbean, we are still depending on traditional bank financing, and we must look at other form of financing available out there.”

Inniss also reiterated, we are still too quick to condemn those who in society have failed or made mistakes in business. “We cannot foster a culture of entrepreneurship if we are not prepared to help those who are trying, even if they have failed,” Inniss warned.

The Minister added, “In the public sector we recognise there is an opportunity for us to be innovative and entrepreneurial in our own way and foster that culture of entrepreneurship. Public officers we need to appreciate our actions’ impact on the work of entrepreneurs… I don’t think there is enough cross fertilisation between public and private sector. Those in the public sector sit and say these are the rules and regulations, but it is important we understand what the private sector is trying to do and that business facilitation is important and that their duties need to be handled in a timely fashion. We can only grow our economy in a sustainable manner if the public sector develops partnerships with the private sector and foster an ecosystem that allows entrepreneurship to grow.” (NB)

A member of the Government is encouraging the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) to stop saying things because it sounds politically “nice and attractive”.

Speaking to the media yesterday during the DLP’s FACTS mission in his St Michael West Central Constituency, James Paul declared that it is disingenuous for any person to suggest that Government is not giving Barbadians the best quality of life which it can afford.

“The Opposition leader [Mia Mottley], clearly, is saying things because she wants to get elected as Prime Minister of this country. Stop saying things just for that and let’s look at it in terms of rational reasoning. In other words, what do we want to do – to build Barbados on a sound growth path . . .” Paul said.

He said he will not be side-tracked by what he claims to be efforts by the BLP to belittle and degrade the work his party, which celebrated its 62nd anniversary yesterday, has done for the country.

Paul accused the Opposition of consistently distorting the FACTS as it relates to Barbados’ economic, social and overall performance.

He said he believes that under the guidance of Prime Minister Freundel Stuart, Barbados will continue to stand out, noting that “it seems as if we have to defend ourselves against Barbadians, under the Barbados Labour Party, who basically do not believe in this country.

“We do not need to crawl into any holes in terms of trying to say what this country has achieved. We continue still to be the envy of every single Caribbean country in CARICOM, performing heads and shoulders above them. We have to understand that Barbados is still performing as a society; it is still the most attractive society in the region to live in.

“I sometimes don’t understand how Barbadians could feel that they should want to denigrate a country that other people find so attractive, to try to prove a political point. We need to stop it and we need to understand that Barbados still offers a better quality of life for its citizens,” Paul asserted.

The Member of Parliament noted that while Trinidadians are not openly upset about the fact that Moody’s, just two days ago, downgraded their government bond rating, there are Barbadians that do not respect the fact that Government is doing a much better job in managing Barbados’ state of affairs.

“I am saying that we really need to acknowledge the fact that this Government is doing the best it can do under the present circumstances . . .” he said.
(AH)

Member of Parliament (MP) for St Michael West Central James Paul will be defending his seat in the next general election, which is constitutionally due next year.

General Secretary of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP), George Pilgrim, told the media yesterday, during the party’s FACTS mission in the St Michael West Central constituency, that both the Executive and General Council of the DLP agreed, selected and ratified Paul as the party’s candidate for that constituency, in the next election.

Paul said, based on the fact that he has the support of the constituents he has represented since the 2008 general election, he is confident that he will regain the seat.

“I really want to say to the residents of St Michael West Central that I really couldn’t do it without you. A lot of the gains that I have made are largely gains that really emanate from you, the people of St Michael West Central.

“I take great pride in representing this constituency, largely because of the fact that I grew up in this area and I have a lot of respect for the
residents.

“I really believe that at this point in time in our nation’s history, I think that I have found myself to be the most suitable candidate. I really want to say that I will continue to represent what I think this constituency stands for,” he said.

Paul promised the residents that he would continue to fight on their behalf, to uphold the image of the constituency, and by extension, Barbados.

He said that though he has faced difficulties in carrying out his work in the constituency, Government has still been able to repair roads, houses, and continues to deliver welfare assistance to many, along with continuing a reading programme he established.

“When I came into politics, I came into empowering people and developing communities. I am going on that path of empowering people …to develop a community . . .” Paul said.

Pilgrim announced that the DLP’s mission of FACTS continues with a conference on Sunday, April 30 at the Belfield Community Centre, Black Rock, St Michael.
(AH)

With the next general elections constitutionally due in 2018, one Barbados Labour Party (BLP) candidate says he is prepared to face the electorate whenever the date is announced.

BLP St. Michael West Central candidate, Ian Gooding-Edghill, shared this with The Barbados Advocate while speaking on the sidelines of a presentation he made this week to the Class 4 students of the Lawrence T. Gay Primary School.

He gave 75 pupils gift packages comprising a clipboard, a ruler and other stationery they will use when they write the Barbados Secondary Schools Entrance Examination (BSSEE) on May 2.

“I am ready; I am doing my work and the bottom line to any successful outcome is to put in the hard work, and I am doing that as I speak to you and I will continue to do that,” he stated.

Identifying areas of concern within the constituency, Gooding-Edghill said “there is a lot of unemployment, people need jobs”. He also spoke about need for natural gas, and highlighted that “there is also a lot of broken infrastructure, road infrastructure is in dire need of repairs and it is obviously a concern to me”.

“Generally, there is a sense of national concern in the community regarding how Barbados is going forward and people are very, very concerned about the future of Barbados,” he stated.

Gooding-Edghill was defeated in the last general election by Democratic Labour Party (DLP) candidate James Paul, who is currently the Member of Parliament for the St. Michael West Central constituency.
(MG)

Employers need to see workers as their most valuable asset.

This is according to Minister of Labour, Social Security and Human Resource Development, Senator Dr The Hon. Esther Byer-Suckoo, as she called on managers across Barbados to follow the lead of Ocean Hotels Group, which is offering various National/ Caribbean Vocational Qualifications programmes to its employees.

“Too often I see employers place more emphasis on investing their money in the banks, markets, in their plant – having no problem in putting millions of dollars upgrading their equipment. But, investing in the workforce seems to be something that some have not even considered. So I congratulate Ocean Hotels on this initiative,” she expressed.

“It is important that employers follow their lead and continue to invest in workers; invest in their training, but not just training but certification. We believe that certification is just as important because without it, when life takes you elsewhere, you then have to assure future employers that you are trained. But it is when you have a recognisable certificate that you can move into another organisation seamlessly,” she said.

Addressing the launch of the CVQ in Customer Service – Level 2 at Ocean Two Resort & Residences yesterday, the Labour Minister also called on those employers who complain about not being satisfied with persons that employ out of University and learning institutions to assist with training. She is also urging them to communicate with the training institutions such as the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Council, as well as the Ministry of Labour.

“Let us know what it is you need. It is not just enough to be saying that the workforce doesn’t have the skills you need. Tell us what are the skills you need. Offer to come and help with training in some of those areas. You know what you need and you may have trained in that area and have years of experience, so come and help us to train,” she stressed.

“My last call is also for employers to partner with us with on-the-job training, where we can take some of those students that we have in training programmes and attach them to the various organisations ...that is where they can get the skills. Because you know as well as I do that those skills you cannot teach on a chalkboard, you cannot teach with a book – those are skills you develop hands-on”. (TL)

THERE is a need for society to change its perceptions of women in ICT fields and in the workplace.

This is according to Deputy Dean at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill campus, Dr. Jeanese Badenock, who revealed that very few women have enrolled in undergraduate and post-graduate Information Technology and Computer Studies programmes on the campus between 2015-2016.

The Dean of Outreach and Research in the Faculty of Science and Technology made this comment at the inaugural Girls in ICT Day Caribbean Hackathon recently.

The educator explained that in the faculty where students study Computer Studies or Information Technology, at the undergraduate level 81 per cent are male, while at the graduate level 69 per cent are male. She added it was only last year that a second female graduated with a M.Phil qualification and the faculty staff only consists of two female full-time lecturers out of ten in the discipline of Computer Science.

According to the 2017 UWI Vice-Chancellor’s Report, despite the Cave Hill campus having a 66.6 per cent female student attendance, one of the male-dominated faculties is Science and Technology. Dr. Badenock reported that only in the Faculty of Science and Technology, there are 46 per cent female to the 54 per cent male students.

Meanwhile, Dr. Badenock argued that the inclusion of women in the world of work “injects flexibility”. She noted that they are effective communicators, strong team players with solid work ethics, empathy, intuition, optimism, emotional intelligence and passion. Additionally, she said that their ability to multitask makes them excellent managers and work colleagues. She saw the event as a way to encourage more females into the field.

“This forum is intended to foster your interest, inspire your creativity and most importantly, highlight some of the careers that await young women in this sector,” said Dr. Badenock.

Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and International Transport, Senator Irene Sandiford-Garner, gave a speech which focused on the global gender gap of Internet users and the lack of research on female ICT users in Barbados and the region. She highlighted that between 2013 to 2016, there has been a one per cent increase (11 per cent to 12 per cent) in the global gender gap Internet users while there is a 31 per cent gender gap in less developed countries when it came to Internet usage.

Sandiford-Garner added that there were no statistics on gender indicators on ICT usage in Barbados. “The lack of data means no visibility and if you are not visible it means you as a sex cannot inform or influence policy.”

She said that this should be addressed as limited research makes it difficult to make the case to government for the inclusion of gender issues in ICT policies, plans and strategies. (KPB)

ONE member of Government is adamant that greater focus needs to be placed on creating new opportunities for study, and by extension business to help drive the growth and development of Barbados.

Minister of Industry, International Business, Commerce and Small Business Development, Donville Inniss, was speaking to The Barbados Advocate recently as he lamented that too often governments get caught up with thinking in five-year terms and then, he said, they are “prone to be too short-sighted” in their approach to development.

“Those children who will be doing the 11-Plus soon, we have to think of what kind of opportunities must present to them in ten years’ time when they are out of university, so we just can’t think in terms of the next elections. Yes there are some short-term issues we have to focus on, but we have to create new opportunities for this country in the ICT world for example and really foster a greater level of innovation and entrepreneurship, so that those kids who are 11 years today, will in ten years’ time feel that they can not only own a piece of the rock, but own a business, or that they can be the greatest innovator in technology, the sciences or agriculture - but that planning process has to begin now,” he maintained.

Inniss is therefore adamant that the educational system has a major part to play in creating opportunities for this type of advancement, but he contended that they cannot do it alone.

“I think we have a good educational system, I consider myself fortunate to have received a solid education in Barbados first at St. Catherine’s Primary School, Harrison College, Community College and the University of the West Indies, and it is that education that has taken me around the world… but our educational system must not just be seen as one that is traditional, but one that is able to respond to the needs of society, a changing society,” he said.

Minister Inniss mentioned that education is faced with a difficult task of being expected on one hand to be an agent of change, and to also be able to respond to the needs of society. With that in mind, he contended that entrepreneurship and innovation which will help drive the economy forward now and in the future, must go beyond the formal school system. To that end, he is suggesting that the future of such is also dependent on how society raises future generations.

“If we do not encourage our children to think for themselves and to challenge the system, they then become just those who can read, write and regurgitate; but they will not become very creative. They will not be thinkers, and will just be maintaining the status quo,” he contended. (JRT)

There is tremendous potential for this country to capitalise on the medical tourism industry as a valuable source of earning foreign exchange.

This was one of the points stressed by Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Richard Sealy, who delivered remarks at the 15th anniversary celebrations of the Barbados Fertility Clinic (BFC) on Wednesday night, at their headquarters at Seaton House, Hastings, Christ Church.

“Tourism is in a good place right now. We had a record year last year and…the first quarter of this year so far is actually showing some double digit growth over last year, so it looks like we would have a hat trick for three consecutive years for record tourism levels of visitor ship.”

However, the minister stated that in order to sustain these levels, this country must take advantage of the niches.

“But in order to sustain that, we need of course to attack the niches. So you hear us talking about the year in sports, sports tourism niches are important. You hear us talking about facilities coming on stream like the Wyndham Grand in Sam Lord’s and the Sandals Grande that would have conference facilities, because the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Events) niche is important.”

Likewise, the medical tourism and health care services is another niche that this island can utilise; and this fertility clinic, with their in vitro fertilisation (IVF) services, is just one example of an organisation that has recognised and made the most of this opportunity.

Sealy added, “And of course I want to encourage the team to continue to do it and to continue to be a shining example. It certainly is a desire of mine to see the medical tourism niche expanded upon and Juliet and Anna have demonstrated it – you can be a medical practitioner and an entrepreneur at the same time and for that matter, you can do so in a manner that earns foreign exchange for the country.”

Sixty-nine students from Deacons Primary and Grazettes Primary received a fitting send off to the Barbados Secondary Schools’ Entrance Examination (BSSEE) on Thursday, the last school day before the exam.

Representatives from CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank’s Risk Assurance Department visited the urban schools, during the morning session, armed with the supplies for each of the 37 pupils from Grazettes Primary and 32 from Deacons Primary who will be taking the 11-plus exam on May 2.

CIBC FirstCaribbean’s Shernelle Grant said it was a “small gesture’ by her department aimed at ensuring that each boy and girl would be able to focus on the examination readily furnished with adequate supplies. The exam packs contained pencils, rulers, erasers, plastic holders, clear bags and clipboards.

During their visit to both schools, the CIBC FirstCaribbean team was accompanied by motivational speakers, Monique James and Timothy Kellman, who passed on some words of wisdom and encouragement to the children. James’ pep talk focused on helping the children see that they were all winners, while Kellman gave them tips on “the transition from primary to secondary school.”

Grant said that talks were aimed at confidence building, and added that the bank hoped the children would be furnished with the skill sets necessary to go forward in their endeavours.

The presentations were part of the bank’s outreach to the community through its “Adopt-A-Cause” programme. The initiative allows employees to identify projects in their immediate community for which they can provide both financial and voluntary support.

The Xplosion band gave the Class 4 students of the St. Lawrence Primary School tokens to assist them in their upcoming 11+ examination.

Band Leader, Quincy Jones, revealed that as a part of the band’s duties to give back to the community, they donated clipboards for the students to use in their exam on Tuesday.

He divulged that the St. Lawrence Primary was the third stop as they previously made a visit to Christ Church Girls’ Primary School and Milton Lynch Primary School to donate tokens to them as well.

Jones went on to encourage students to check and recheck their work when in the exam room and to spend the weekend preparing for their exam. He added that they should at least take one day out of the four-day weekend to rest as this was also a part of good exam preparedness.

The band leader encouraged the students to not get caught up in the politics of which school was the best school and reminded them that each school set the same CSEC examinations at the end of five years.

“Students have to do the same amount of work, each school just has a different technique and method of teaching; so it does not matter what school you go to but what you do when you get there and what you do with the education that you gained there,” he said.

Revealing that he did not go to one of the “big up” schools in the island, Jones divulged that he put in the hard work necessary to gain an exhibition, then a scholarship when he attended the Barbados Community College, and is currently pursuing his PHD. He explained to students, that much like a person – who would want to become a famous footballer – would put in all of the practice necessary, students should put in the extra work to get to whichever school they had their hearts set on.

He encouraged them to swallow their nerves, check over their work and not be discouraged by whatever school they ended up attending, but, rather to work as hard as they can when they get to their new school in September.

The Barbados Community College (BCC) Hospitality Institute has been trying its best to assist students experiencing financial difficulties.

This has been through a contingency fund, which Deputy Principal Dr. Cheryl Weekes said is “drying up”.

Even though there is no tuition cost, she indicated that there are some students who still struggle to pay the registration fee of about $400 a year, as well as to buy uniforms, books and the paraphernalia used in their craft which are quite expensive.

“The contingency fund was established by the College to assist students over the years. However, as you can imagine more and more students will be in greater need and if that fund is not replenished you come to the point where it dries up,” she said, explaining that contributions to the fund were made from the fees students paid.

However, she believes it would be better if they had “consistent injection into the fund so that on an annual basis we can really give assistance to the number of students who need assistance”.

The Deputy Principal also observed the efforts of tutors from various divisions of the college who link with stakeholders to find assistance for their students, in the form of scholarships.

Dr. Weekes was at the time speaking to the media on the side-lines of the launch of the Barbados Tourism Product Authority (BTPA) Culinary Tourism Scholarship for students of the BCC Hospitality Institute. She commended the
initiative which will provide two scholarships valued at $2 500 each, annually, during the period 2017-2019.

“There are young people who really want to develop themselves, but financially they are not able, so we really are appealing to Corporate Barbados to invest in our young people… come on board to offer more scholarships; offer funding so that we can help our students.

“Sometimes it’s just bus fare or lunch money they need. However, whatever it is, it means that sometimes a student doesn’t attend class because they don’t have bus fare or lunch money. We really want to ensure that once they are in our programmes, that every obstacle that prevents them from developing and succeeding; we would like to mitigate,” she stressed. (TL)

THE Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Barbados, will soon be celebrating the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Barbados.

As such, Chinese Ambassador to Barbados, Her Excellency Wang Ke, has noted that greater effort will be made to further bilateral co-operation and enhance friendly relations, between the two countries.

Pointing to an arrangement which is now ongoing, which will see a Chinese medical team supporting the QEH over a six month period, the Chinese Ambassador noted that based on the working experience of the first team, the two sides have agreed on the spectrum of medical personnel of the second delegation, and the service of the second team will be extended from six months to one year.

Stressing that the team’s service to Barbados has written a new chapter in China-Barbados relations, Ambassador Wang Ke, however, noted, “The Chinese medical team has drawn the attention of the public and media, while questions like why they travelled this far to work here, are frequently raised to me”.

She then sought to explain why the team has travelled the distance, to give service to the people of Barbados.

“The Chinese medical team comes for friendship. In the past 40 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Barbados, the two countries have always treated each other with respect, equality, sincerity and fraternity. China offered grants and aids to Barbados, within its capability to implement projects that benefited the social development and livelihood of Barbadian people, which is China’s assistance of no strings (attached) to Barbados, in the framework of South-South Co-operation,” she said.

“The Chinese medical team to Barbados is just this kind of generous aid in the sector of human resource. The team members offer free service, not occupying any job opportunities at the QEH or requiring the QEH to bear their salaries and any of their living and international travel costs,” she added.

“The Chinese medical team comes for exchange… the medical and health care experts from China and Barbados should enhance their exchanges and learn from each other, promote mutual understanding and jointly improve the two countries’ medical services,” she also remarked.

“The Chinese medical team comes for co-operation. Taking the medical team’s service in Barbados as a good opportunity, the two countries should expand co-operation in the health care sector, especially in enhancing communication between hospitals and training medical personnel. China and Barbados can also explore co-operation in terms of medical equipment and medical consumable materials,” the Ambassador stated. (RSM)

Ronald Jones, Minister of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, believes that the past generation has denied the current generation the opportunity to develop the positive attitudes and values that they were taught growing up.

Jones’ comment came as he delivered his remarks during a speech day ceremony last week.

“We have denied our children the correct attitudes, so don’t blame them; blame us, blame we,” he said.

He explained that he made the proclamation because he has seen many people forego teaching their children certain things because they did not want their children to suffer much in the way they suffered growing up. He noted that whether some parents or guardians may think that they are doing the best for the child, they are actually denying the children the opportunity to develop these important core values.

“We must change. Yes, I understand not wanting our children to suffer, but there are values of the past that are important to the current time,” he said.

He went on to say that it is his wish to see young people nurtured in an environment that aims to foster good attitudes that will transform them into better human beings. For this to happen, Jones advised students to be weary and careful of what kind of music they listen to, as he came to realise that much of the current music they listen to “is so much rubbish”. He reminded students that “we are what we take in, not only food, but what goes into our minds”.

Additionally, Jones reminded students that success is not a moment that happens in your life journey, rather it should be viewed as a total journey. He encouraged students to strive to adopt positive attitudes, as the right attitude will carry them to successes in life.

The Minister also urged students to recognise that teachers are a gift to humanity. He explained that even though they do not make much, they still give 110 per cent to making sure that students are able to gain a beneficial education.

As a part of this society, we are responsible for the way the environment is kept.

This comment came from James Paul, Chief Executive Officer of the Barbados Agricultural Society. In a recent interview with The Barbados Advocate, Paul revealed that they were trying to encourage persons to be more responsible in terms of the way they deal with the environment. He believed that if they could make persons more aware of their responsibility to the environment, especially in terms of responsible garbage disposal, then the environment would certainly benefit.

Regrettably, he divulged that he found that generally, persons tended to fool themselves into thinking that when we talk about garbage disposal and a clean environment that this is the job of someone else, however, “It is the man in the mirror that needs to be responsible for this whole thing.”

He mentioned that there needed to be greater support on the part of the community as this issue affects us in a great number of ways and expressed that the issue of proper garbage disposal practices is not usually linked back to sustainable development but the fact of the matter is that proper garbage disposal helps create a cleaner and better environment for us all. He added that he was disappointed to hear persons say they would rather dump their garbage elsewhere than pay a tipping fee.

Paul said that he did not understand how citizens of a country can travel to another country and respect the country’s garbage disposal rules but can not respect the rules of their own country. Understandably, he said that those other countries have gone further in making sure that their citizens fall in line and said that he wished for the same thing to happen in Barbados.

He said that for that to happen, the citizens of Barbados need to understand the importance behind disposing of their garbage in a suitable manner so that our island can continue to thrive.

“If we are going to be serious about the whole question of creating a better society for the future, then we need to critically discuss better garbage disposal options,” he said.

Minister of Housing, Lands and Rural Development, Denis Kellman is adamant that as the urban area further develops, especially as it relates to high-rise housing, it is imperative to have more open spaces and parks that would provide opportunities for recreation as well as economic activity.

“We cannot have open areas and parks and people believe that these are areas only for people to come and loiter or play. Wherever there are open spaces and parks, there must be opportunity for some type of commercial activity so that the persons in the area can generate some type of income,” he said during a recent debate in the House of Assembly.

Minister Kellman added, “We have to understand it is not just about planting trees, putting down benches and things like that, we also have to recognise there is a human side to everything we do.”

With that in mind, the Housing and Lands Minister said he looks forward to the day when there is a wider appreciation for the role that vending has played in the overall development of this country.

“We would not have called it vending in the day or vendors, we would have called them hawkers, but their contribution to the development of this country is so great that no one can question it. And I want to make the point that if we continue to turn a blind eye to vending then we would turn a blind eye to growth in this economy as it relates to manufacturing and the link to agriculture etc,” he stated.

Kellman, adamant that vendors are the drivers of local produce and products, said it is imperative that in locations across the island are allocated for open spaces, that adequate provision is made within those spaces for persons to ply their trade. He said doing so creates not only opportunities for self employment, but for persons to become empowered and to be able to support their families.

The Minister, who is responsible for the Rural Development Commission (RDC), went on to say that agencies like the RDC and its sister agency the Urban Development Commission (UDC) also have a significant roles to play in further developing the country. He said fortunate for the UDC a lot of the work has already been done, but he said the RDC faces the challenge of having the largest land mass to cultivate and it must therefore find the necessary resources to make that a reality. (JRT)