Coastal erosion a serious concern
MANCHESTER SOUTH Member of Parliament Michael Stewart has made a case for the Government to speedily address the critical needs of several schools in his constituency.
In his maiden contribution to the State of the Constituency Debate last week, Stewart lamented the lack of proper laboratory facilities and equipment in schools across the constituency.
He told his parliamentary colleagues that most of the computers that were distributed to schools through the e- learning programme have become obsolete and should be replaced.
“Many schools still have chalkboard partition, which really detracts from the teaching-learning process. If our schools are to remain relevant and continue to produce quality students, then the Ministry of Education must invest more in education,” he insisted.
Stewart, who is an educator, said he has assisted approximately 1,000 students from the primary, high school and university levels with tuition from his Constituency Development Fund. He said more than 50 needy students will also be assisted with payment for three subjects in
MICHAEL STEWART
their Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate exams this year.
Stewart said he will be working with the South Manchester Partners for Learning and Jamalco to ensure that a facility now under construction at Hermitage in the constituency meets the HEART Trust requirements in order to train and certify young people who are on a three-year waiting list.
He pointed out that the South West HEART Trust training facility located at Newport is an excellent facility but does not have the capacity to absorb the many young people who are seeking training opportunities. MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT: Dr Winston Green CONSTITUENCY: St Mary South Eastern
TWO-TERM MEMBER of Parliament for St Mary South Eastern, Dr Winston Green, last week highlighted the issue of coastal erosion in Annotto Bay, St Mary, and asked the Government to address this serious environmental concern.
Speaking in the State of the Constituency Debate in Parliament, Green said he had reported the worsening coastal erosion problem to the relevant government agencies but, to date, “nothing of significance has been done”.
“We cannot leave the town of Annotto Bay to the ravages of nature, and I am proposing that even the boulder solution to form a barrier, somewhat similar to the Palisadoes Strip, be considered, even to a lesser magnitude,” he said.
Commenting on the state of health centres in the constituency, Green, who is also a medical practitioner, said at least four of those facilities were in a deplorable condition. He said the Annotto Bay, Rock River, Clonmel, and Enfield health centres were in urgent need of refurbishing and equipment. Green said a Food For The Poor building is to be erected in Castleton to relocate the health centre there, while the Belfield Clinic, which is infested with termite, is awaiting a retrofitted container to house the clinic.
On another matter, the MP urged the Government to expand the Graduate Work Experience Programme to accommodate more students, particularly those in rural communities.
The programme, which is managed by the National Youth Service, provides college graduates with work experience to increase their chances of finding employment.
He reported that under the Registered Apprenticeship Programme, more than 35 young people have been placed for on-the-job training. Further, Green said 45 youth are being trained for certification under the Unattached Youth Programme.