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Trust Fund Assessments of Primary School Children Highlights Opportunities for Government Sint Maarten to Strengthen Education

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3 months ago

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Philipsburg, Sint Maarten, October 16th, 2024 – The National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB) recently presented the results of assessments of primary school students to stakeholders as part of ongoing educational consultations. The Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) and Early Grade Mathematics Assessment (EGMA), conducted over the past year, have given the Government of Sint Maarten insights into pupils’ reading and math skills across the island. These consultations are part of the Trust Fund’s Fostering Resilient Learning Project (FRLP), which aims to help restore and strengthen the island’s education system following the damage caused by Hurricane Irma and disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic. The project is implemented by the NRPB on behalf of the Government of Sint Maarten, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth, and Sport (MECYS). While the FRLP mainly focuses on repairing the Charles Leopold Bell School, Sister Marie Laurence School and the Sint Maarten Jubilee Library, the assessments offer further opportunities to improve literacy and numeracy for children in these restored learning environments.

Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Minister Lyndon Lewis stated that the government is committed to using the data from the assessments to shape the future of early education in Sint Maarten, “The EGMA and EGRA assessments provide us with an invaluable snapshot of where our students are today and where we need to focus our efforts. With this data, we are better equipped to tailor our education strategies to meet the needs of every child in Sint Maarten. By investing in teacher training, enhancing the curriculum, and supporting students at home and in the classroom, we are committed to ensuring that every child has the tools they need to thrive academically and in life.”

Group three (Grade one) pupils typically aged seven to eight from 17 primary schools across Sint Maarten made up the study; The assessments tested children’s proficiency in Math, Reading, Comprehension, and Dutch. EGMA tests focused on skills like number identification, addition, subtraction, and problem-solving. EGRA assessments evaluated letter and word recognition, reading comprehension and understanding of phonemes. Results were categorized into three levels: mastery, developing, and emerging. Students at the mastery level demonstrated a strong understanding of concepts and skills, and showed they were ready for advanced challenges. The developing group had some knowledge but needed support to reach mastery while students in the emerging category were in the early stages of acquiring the necessary skills for their grade level and would benefit from re-teaching and practice.

The assessments indicated that many students were below the mastery benchmarks, instead falling into the developing and emerging categories. For example, only 6% of pupils achieved mastery in oral reading fluency; the benchmark is 50+%, while 11% reached mastery in numeracy based on their addition speed; the benchmark is 56+%. However, data varied by school, with some schools reporting more than 80% of pupils had mastery in literacy whilst other schools had scores as low as 36%.  The report also showed that student performance was affected by teaching methods and support at home. Teachers who used a mix of teaching styles, explained lesson goals clearly, and reviewed lessons often saw better results. More than half the students said they had little or no help with homework and family income also played a role in learning outcomes. Additionally, the assessments found close to three-quarters of students used tablets, suggesting that technology could be a tool to improve learning.

Sidonia Lacorbiniere-Hodge, ECYS Department Head of Education stated, “This marks a significant milestone for MECYS in assessing student learning within the Primary Education Cycle. This assessment provides valuable insights for school boards, school management and education staff into student performance in Group three in 2023, particularly for this group of students whose education was disrupted by the COVID-19 Pandemic.  We look forward to continued collaboration with all partners in utilizing standardized assessment results to inform strategies to meet each student’s developmental needs.”

This long-term commitment to enhancing literacy and numeracy aligns with St. Maarten’s broader educational objectives. Through assessments like EGMA and EGRA, the government aims for the island’s education system to meet the needs of students from an early age. This will ensure they have the foundation needed to succeed academically and beyond. The NRPB is implementing the FRLP project on behalf of the Government of Sint Maarten under the Sint Maarten Trust Fund, which is managed by The World Bank and financed by the Dutch Government.

INSET: EGRA/EGMA results presentation, September 12th at Simpson Bay Resort

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U.S. Virgin Islands Sets New Tourism Record in 2024, Welcoming Unprecedented Visitor Numbers

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3 days ago

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January 12, 2025

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St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands — The U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism proudly announces new record-breaking passenger arrival numbers, which highlight the continued growth of St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John as a leading tourism destination.

Closing out the year on a high, December 28 recorded 4,606 passenger arrivals, surpassing the single-day arrival record set earlier in March 2024. This achievement also led to a new weekly passenger arrival record, with over 24,000 arrivals, marking a 5.92% increase over the previous record.

“As a destination, we continue to explore, elevate, and improve, which further supports the ongoing goal to build upon our commitment to be a premier Caribbean destination,” shares Commissioner Joseph Boschulte of the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism.

In 2024, combined airline arrivals at Cyril E. King Airport in St. Thomas and Henry E. Rohlsen Airport in St. Croix totaled 932,265 passengers. This figure surpassed the previous record set during the COVID-19 pandemic by over 100,000 passengers and represented a 16.5% increase compared to 2023.

The newly released numbers culminate a year of exponential tourism growth for the U.S. Virgin Islands, including a record-breaking month of arrivals in March with 106,026, and the introduction or return of airline routes from American Airlines, Cape Air, Delta Air Lines, Frontier, JetBlue, Spirit Airlines, Sun Country, and United Airlines.

The Territory also experienced a significant boost in cruise passengers, welcoming 1,770,922, resulting in a 9.8% increase compared to 2023. This growth was driven by the maiden voyages of several ships, including Scarlet Lady, Icon of the Seas, Disney Treasure, Explora I, Sun Princess, Explora II, Emerald Azzurra, Celebrity Apex, and Rhapsody of the Seas. The increase in cruise arrivals highlights the ongoing efforts of the Department of Tourism and local partners to strengthen and foster relationships across the industry.

In addition to welcoming more visitors, the territory also received several prestigious industry honors, including:

“As we look to 2025, we will continue to push the creativity of our marketing strategies, which includes advertising, social media, public relations, and partnerships to connect with and keep the U.S. Virgin Islands top of mind for new and returning travelers,” adds Commissioner Boschulte.

Commissioner Boschulte and the Department of Tourism team continue to set their sights on an ambitious future, positioning the U.S. Virgin Islands as the premier destination for travelers seeking natural beauty, cultural richness, and warm hospitality.

For more information about the U.S. Virgin Islands, please visit https://www.visitusvi.com/.

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CARPHA and TEPHINET Sign MoU to Increase Technical Skills of Public Health Professionals in the Caribbean  

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4 days ago

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January 11, 2025

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Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago – The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and Training Programs in Epidemiology and Public Health Interventions Network (TEPHINET), recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) renewing their commitment to increase the skills of public health professionals in applied epidemiological interventions, including outbreak detection, emergency response and surveillance analyses.   

Field epidemiology is often described as “applied” or “intervention” epidemiology. It seeks to rapidly address priority public health issues in the community by using the appropriate resources and epidemiologic methods to investigate a problem and make recommendations for public health action, for immediate and longerterm control and prevention.

Dr Lisa Indar, Ad Interim Executive Director, CARPHA reiterated the importance of Field Epidemiology Training Programmes (FETPs) to the Region, ”CARPHA’s novel FETP has the laboratory component added to it and is regarded as a ‘boots on the ground’ programme. It has built much needed human resources capacity for health (HRH) in the small island developing states of the Caribbean.  Participants’ work contributes to the strengthening of the national public health system as a whole, by providing evidence-based information for public health action”.

Dr Carl Reddy, Programme Director, TEPHINET expressed his satisfaction with the outcomes of the regional programme, “TEPHINET is proud to have the Caribbean Regional FELTP as a member of its global network, given the sterling job that it has done in building field epidemiology capacity in an underserved region susceptible to climate change and prone to public health emergencies such as natural disasters”.

Dr Laura Lee Boodram, Head, Caribbean Regional Field Epidemiology and Lab Training Programmes (CRFELTP), CARPHA said, “The tiered training programme is based on a model of building practical competencies, which enables trainees to apply classroom-based learning to solve real world situations”. CR-FELTP training content and learning projects address priority public health issues in the Caribbean, such as communicable and non-communicable diseases including HIV/AIDS; emerging health threats including Chikungunya and Ebola viruses; and laboratory surveillance.

Key objectives of the MOU are:

  • Developing public health human resource capacity through Field Epidemiology Training (FETP)
  • Implementing, following up and supporting epidemiological surveillance activities in communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases, injuries and emergency preparedness and response
  • Promoting networking opportunities to support further programme development and sustainability
  • Collaborating holistically by coordinating efficiently on activities, identifying synergies, optimising resources and opportunities, and mitigating contradictory or duplicative efforts.

In January 2017 a technical partnership was formed between Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC)/TEPHINET and CARPHA in order to implement Frontline training as a pilot initiative, against the framework of the CR-FELTP.  To date, 18 CARPHA Member States have benefitted from the Programme.

 

Background:

CARPHA is the sole regional public health agency for the Caribbean, legally established in 2011 by an Intergovernmental Agreement signed by the Caribbean Community member states. CARPHA is responsible for providing strategic direction and analysing, defining and responding to the public health priorities of the Caribbean in order to prevent diseases, promote and protect health and to respond to public health emergencies.

TEPHINET, formed in 1997, is a professional network of 83-member field epidemiology training programs (FETPs) working in more than 100 countries. With a mission to empower and mobilise a competent field epidemiology workforce to serve all people through standardised training, experiential learning, training program quality improvement, mentoring, and knowledge exchanges in order to connect epidemiologists better, faster, and with quality across the globe.

 

Photo Captions

Header: Dr Lisa Indar, CARPHA Ad Interim Executive Director signs the MOU between CARPHA and TEPHINET to strengthen public health and disease surveillance systems management in the Caribbean, while Dr Mark Sami, CARPHA Director Corporate Services looks on

Insert: Dr Carl Reddy, TEPHINET Programme Director, at his office in Atlanta, GA, after signing the MoU between TEPHINET and CARPHA

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Turks and Caicos Featured as Top Beach Destination on the Today Show

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6 days ago

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January 8, 2025

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Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands — Visit Turks and Caicos Islands (VisitTCI.com) played a pivotal role in showcasing the natural beauty of the Turks and Caicos Islands during a feature on NBC’s TODAY show on Monday morning (January 6th). The segment, which aired to millions of viewers across the United States, highlighted iconic destinations like Grace Bay Beach, Water Cay, and West Harbour Bluff, using exclusive content from VisitTCI.com.

During the segment, host Al Roker praised the islands as “one of [his] favorite spots beach-wise” and reaffirmed their inclusion in Travel + Leisure’s 50 Best Places to Travel in 2025.

This feature continues Visit Turks and Caicos Islands’ ongoing commitment to promoting the country globally. The website has recently undergone significant enhancements to deliver an even richer experience for travelers, including redesigned homepages, new interactive features such as video overviews of featured hotels and resorts, and an 8% expansion in original content. VisitTCI is the largest source of authoritative Turks and Caicos content, with more than 1,100 in-depth articles and 6,000 high-quality original photos.

“VisitTCI.com has always been about providing the most accurate and engaging travel information for the Turks and Caicos Islands,” said Daniel J. LeVin, Executive Editor of VisitTCI.com. “Our partnership with NBC TODAY and the recognition from Travel + Leisure reflects the hard work we’ve invested in elevating TCI to one of the world’s top vacation destinations.”

The platform’s dedication to excellence has also earned partnerships with top international publications, including National Geographic and Condé Nast Traveler. Visit Turks and Caicos Islands is TCI’s largest and most-visited website.

You can watch a recording of the segment at NBC.com: https://www.today.com/video/top-travel-destinations-hidden-gems-to-visit-in-2025-228564037644

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