TCI News
TCI: The GSAT is dead but the issues causing some poor results are still alive.
#Providenciales, June 24, 2019 – Turks and Caicos – IThe Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) is an exam that many elementary schools used to test their performance against other schools throughout the Turks and Caicos. Personally, I have always had mixed feelings about the GSAT, having gone through it with my daughter in 2010. However, replacing it with CPEA is not the answer at this time as we have too many other issues to address in our schools.
Before I proceed any further, let me congratulate all parents, teachers and the students who were successful in the GSAT. A special mention to Providence International Academy (my children’s school) that captured 2 top 10 spots in the country. A special recognition also to Community Christian Academy (my church school). Last but not least, I have to recognize a very special school to me, Oseta Jolly that continues to soar despite the setbacks.
This article is to address some issues that affected the results of the GSAT in the public schools specifically on the island of Providenciales.
Student Ratio
On Providenciales, the average student teacher ratio is 28 students to 1 teacher in the public school, while in the private school, the average student teacher ratio is 12 to 1. A lower student teacher ratio will no doubt have a positive significant impact on students which is reflected in GSAT results.
English as Second Language
English is not the first language for most of the students in the Provo Public Schools and so many of them have a challenge comprehending the work. Despite the fact that some of them cannot read and write properly, they are promoted from one grade to the next. Apparently this promotion is done to accommodate space for new students. Let me pause me right here and say that there are many success stories of students who could not speak English but were very successful in previous and current GSAT results.
The role of parents
The role of parents in the life of children have a significant impact on their education. Some parents depend solely on the teachers to train their children. Some parents have multiple jobs and they are not even at home and so some of these students ae left on their own and hence their education is impacted. Some teachers see the jitney drivers more than the parents.
Recommendations
Government needs to lower the student ratio and when the school reaches its desired ratio, discontinue accepting applicants. Perhaps this is why the previous administration and the current administration proceeded with a fourth primary school on Provo. I don’t know if that is the reason but we will wait and see.
Outsource to a private institution or individuals to train students that cannot speak English. Once they are proficient in English Language, then transition them into the Public school. No one should be allowed to enter the Public School until they mastered the English Language. Otherwise, we are setting up these children for failure.
Train our teachers to teach English Language as a second language or foreign language to students that speak Creole and Spanish.
Encourage the promotion of the expansion of private schools. After all, the majority of locals are frustrated with the public schools and are sending their children to the private schools. You can easily count the locals at the Public schools on the island of Provo.
Make parents pay a fee for their children to attend the Public School. It seems if parents pay for something, they will pay more attention to our children.
Conclusion
Like a parent knows most things about his or her child, the teacher knows most things about the student. They know the issues and are not surprise with the results. The ministry needs not only to have constant dialogue with the staff but they should also listen and implement the recommendations from the staff. Somehow, Oseta Jolly seems to have the formula right based on their consistent performances. Unlike the other two public primary schools on Providenciales, the parents of Oseta Jolly are very much involve in the education of their children.
Release: Drexwell Seymour
Almost two million visitors recorded in 2025
PROVIDENCIALES, TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS – The Turks and Caicos Islands saw an increase in stayover arrivals in December, seven percent higher than the corresponding period in 2024.
Preliminary data suggests that stay over arrivals by air for the month of December was 66,427 in comparison to 62,610 in December 2024.
From January to December 2025, preliminary visitor arrival numbers totalled 640,754; on par with the number recorded for the same period of 2024.
Stay Over Arrivals YTD December 2024/2025
The first quarter of the calendar year attracted the largest number of arrivals with visitor arrivals three percent higher than the first quarter of 2024. Reduced airlift from the United Kingdom and the United States, most notably the Virgin Atlantic and JetBlue services, was however felt from the second quarter (April to June). As a result, visitor arrivals dropped three percent in the second quarter.
By the third quarter of this year (July to September), geopolitical and economic conditions in the key source markets, namely the United States, led to further contraction of arrivals. In the last quarter of 2025, arrivals were impacted in October due to the passage of Hurricane Melissa but additional airlift from the USA and Canada resulted in an increase in arrivals in November and December.
Mr. Paul Pennicook, Interim CEO Consultant of Experience Turks and Caicos, said December’s increase in stayover arrivals is an encouraging indicator of the sustained interest in the Turks and Caicos Islands as a premier destination.
“While we note and continue to monitor geopolitical shifts that affect us, Experience Turks and Caicos is focused on increasing marketing initiatives in our primary source markets. We have spent the last two years investing in groundwork such as crucial travel advisor training to assist them in selling the destination more effectively. In the next fiscal, we will be building on those initiatives with co-op activities with partners as well as out of home advertising to increase visitation to our destination,” he said.
In Cruise, the preliminary count of passenger arrivals for the month of December 2025 was 129,346, a 22 percent increase over last December. This growth follows the berthing of 11 additional ships in Grand Turk this month.
From January to December, the cruise sector continued to outperform the same period last year, as the 1.3 million total cruise passengers recorded, marks a five percent Year-on-Year increase. 
The cruise sector experienced significant growth in the first quarter of 2025, with passenger arrivals surpassing last quarter by 53 percent. In the second and third quarter however, several cruise lines adjusted their itineraries as vessels were pulled from the fleet or from the Caribbean region, which resulted in fewer passengers.
Arrivals dropped seven percent and 10 percent in the second and third quarters, respectively. Double digit growth was recorded in the last two months of Quarter 4. This growth however, was not sufficient to outweigh the drop in arrivals experienced in October, following the cancellation of cruise calls due to the passage of Hurricane Melissa. Despite the late-quarter rebound, arrivals for the final quarter of 2025 closed six percent below the same period in 2024.
News
The Department of Trade, Industry & Fair Competition to Host Export Readiness Workshop Under the theme “Empowering TCI Businesses for Local Growth and Global Markets.”
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – Wednesday, 11 February 2026: The Informal Settlements Unit (ISU) coordinated a multi-agency enforcement operation on Thursday, 29 January 2026, led by the Planning Department, with support from the Crown Land
Unit, the Turks and Caicos Islands Border Force, and security provided by the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force. The operation, carried out at three different locations in Providenciales, formed part of ongoing government efforts to address unauthorised development and illegal occupation of land in accordance with governing legislation.
The operation commenced in Blue Hills, where five Section 58 Enforcement Notices were issued on unauthorised structures identified on Block and Parcel 60502/48.
Enforcement activity then moved to a second location off the Leeward Highway near Caicos Lodge, where six Section 58 Enforcement Notices were issued on additional unauthorised structures on Block and Parcel 60802/66.
The final phase of the operation took place in The Bight, where three unauthorised structures were removed, with all debris cleared from the site in keeping with established safety and environmental protocols.
The Informal Settlements Unit remains committed to working alongside its partner agencies to support lawful development, protect public and private land, and ensure that planning regulations are enforced in a coordinated and transparent manner across the Turks and Caicos Islands. Similar joint operations will continue as part of the Government’s wider strategy to address unauthorised development and informal settlement activity.
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