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Undecided procedures for TCI Education; COVID-19 Guidelines still in draft

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#Providenciales, Turks and Caicos – August 12, 2020 — A mere 19 days before schools across the Turks and Caicos Islands reopen and the specific path to how teaching will happen in the new academic year in this COVID-19 era remains undecided.

“We have in the past weeks put together several documents which we will make available to you (and to other media houses); the documents were presented to cabinet and Cabinet gave us approval to go ahead and to do further consultations and that is the process we are in now; we will have that finalized by the end of this week and then we will know exactly the way forward,” said Karen Malcolm, Minister of Education.

Guidelines for Reopening of schools in Turks and Caicos provided to schools on Monday August 10, 2020

The Minister, joined by Sharlene Robinson, Premier; Wesley Clerveaux, Permanent Secretary of Education and Edgar Howell, the Director of Education, today hosted a Media Q&A session at the Office of the Premier in Providenciales.

A set of press conferences did little to quell concerns about the method of return to the classroom, which remains undecided despite a national opening of schools announced for Monday, August 31.

Premier Sharlene Robinson said this is the usual time of year for Education to communicate on school reopening. Premier Robinson did not agree that the timing of the report was late.

“I think closer to school opening and when the situation is there…” she questioned, “…vocal in the summer months, just to say I am being vocal? Because the options are there, we knew what the options were going to be.  But the consultation, the official consultation would have been lost months out.  Would have been lost months out, that’s the truth and if we want to be honest, we would say that.  So to consult in June for what will happen in September?”

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The Premier continued that the pandemic itself presents a fluidity which makes concrete planning a challenge.

“You’re responding to something fluid.  So today cabinet makes that decision, something drastic happens, we have to reverse that decision or we have to build on that decision.  I know we are anxious, I am not going to at all dismiss it….  We (the Government) get the anxiety but I want us to be fair in our approach.  I want us to be fair, because the options are limited, the options were discussed in March.”

Those options are online or education face-to-face.

The draft guidelines have suggested a combination of both learning styles.

Residents charge the Ministry of Education with wasting the five months of down time and are disappointed that a plan for classroom learning and campus life remains in limbo. 

Education Minister Karen Malcolm said time was not lost; that work was being done behind the scenes.

“We have been working on protocols all during the summer.  The Ministry of Education has put protocols in place as it relates to e-learning, as it relates to the opening of schools where by face to face or blending.  Blending I n that some students are in school or some students are at home.  But we want to ensure that the risk, we know that the risk is there and we want to do our best, as the Ministry of Education to ensure that our children are safe,” explained Minister Malcolm earlier today.

Schools, on Monday, received the 18-page draft ‘Guidelines and Protocols for Returning to Schools’ and are expected to log their feedback by Thursday (August 13). 

Zoom Meetings are also planned for the private schools on Thursday.

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Decomposing Body Found

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***MEDIA RELEASE***

 

Turks and Caicos, February 5, 2025 – The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force is investigating the discovery of a decomposing body found in the vicinity of Delco Yard, Snake Hill, Blue Hills.

At approximately 7:45 pm on Tuesday, January 15, 2025, officers received information regarding the presence of a body in a ditch near Delco Yard.  A team of officers and the TCI Regiment were deployed to the scene.

Upon arrival, officers confirmed the presence of a deceased male wearing black jeans and blue Jordan sneakers. The deceased had a black locks hairstyle. The body was in an advanced state of decomposition.

If you have any information that could assist in identifying the deceased or in the ongoing investigation, please call 911 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-8477 (TIPS).

Information can also be shared via the Crime Stoppers P3 app.

Further updates will be provided as the investigation progresses.

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Turks and Caicos is on Live TV Again. This Time, as a Top Romantic Getaway Destination

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Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands — Visit Turks and Caicos Islands secured a coveted live television feature for the country Tuesday morning on Live with Kelly and Mark, the American morning show watched by millions and hosted by actors Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos.

Content provided exclusively by VisitTCI.com helped promote Turks and Caicos as one of only six destinations the segment highlighted as the best spots for a romantic getaway.

“That’s what it actually looks like,” said Ripa, pointing to the titular VisitTCI.com image of Middle Caicos, while Consuelos mused about the country’s trademark white sand and turquoise water.

The feature comes less than a month after Visit Turks and Caicos Islands collaborated with NBC’s TODAY and Travel + Leisure on a segment that featured the archipelago as one of the 50 best places to travel in 2025.

The Turks and Caicos Islands is a popular destination for weddings, honeymoons, and proposals. Several celebrities have chosen to marry in Turks and Caicos, from model Emma Heming and actor Bruce Willis—a former long-time owner of property on Parrot Cay—to Roxy Music frontman Bryan Ferry and Amanda Sheppard.

Ripa and Consuelos, who are married, visited the Turks and Caicos for a kid-free getaway themselves in 2009.

Live with Kelly and Mark is one of the most-viewed entertainment talk shows on American television, with an audience of more than 2.5 million total viewers.

The show joins a collection of dozens of media companies and publications that Visit Turks and Caicos Islands has partnered with to promote Turks and Caicos as a leading tourism destination. VisitTCI.com has collaborated with powerhouse publications such as National Geographic, The Wall Street Journal, AFAR, and Condé Nast Traveler.

You can watch a recording of the show at livewithkellyandmark.com.

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SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS WARNS AGAINST “TREATING”

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PRESS RELEASE

FROM THE ELECTIONS DEPARTMENT

 

 

Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, 6th February 2025 – Political campaigning is well on the way for Turks and Caicos Islands General Elections that is scheduled to be held February 7th 2025 and the Supervisor of Elections take the opportunity of reminding Candidates, Political Parties and Independent Candidates or anyone associated with them of the need to comply with the provisions of the Election Ordinance, and in particular he reminds what is expected by virtue of Section 81 of the said Ordinance which reads:

  1. Every person who corruptly, by himself or by any other person, either before, during or after an election, directly or indirectly, give or provides or pays, wholly or in part, the expenses of giving or providing any food, drink, entertainment, or provision to or for any person for the purpose of corruptly influencing that person or any other person, to vote or to refrain from voting at such election, or on account of such person or any other person having voted or refrained from voting at such election;
  2. Every voter who corruptly accepts or takes any such food, drink, entertainment, or provision.

The Supervisor also explained that “Treating” has been illegal for many years and in the past, leading up to the General Election some people choose to ignore the offence of Treating and such behavior he said will not be ignored.

The person offering this kind of inducement is committing a serious criminal offence and so is any member of the public who accepts a gift or cash.

The Supervisor has also warned that he will follow up upon all reports received and will not hesitate to collaborate with the Police to initiate criminal investigation.

Political Party bodies and Candidates should make it known through their organization or campaign machinery of the need to comply with the law so as to uphold the law and ensure a level playing field between campaigns in the best interest of voters in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Anyone who is found guilty of Treating under the Election Ordinance shall on summary conviction be liable to a fine of $5,000 or to imprisonment for twelve months or both.

Please avoid any activity that attracts the attention of treating and any other provision of the Election Ordinance

 

Lister Dudley Lewis

Supervisor of Elections

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