Education
Tearful announcement as Dire Financial Straits to force Ashley’s Learning Center to shut
By Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#TurksandCaicos, July 15, 2022 – Ashley’s Learning Centre has revealed the school is facing closure following the Government denial of the school’s request for financing; a massive blow to the special needs community in the Turks and Caicos.
Magnetic Media was told the veto comes from the highest level of government removing any chance for an appeal. Faced with the incredible potential of the institution and the irrefutable proof of what they have already accomplished, the fact that the government, millions of dollars in surplus, would refuse to fund them is confusing at best. The pain of the gathered parents, teachers and founder Angela Williams was palpable.
“Ashley’s Learning Centre is in dire financial straits— I’m sorry to be informing the community in this manner but I felt my back was against the wall” Williams said simply.
The school currently has seven people on staff, seventeen students full time; seventeen in the afternoon; twelve on a waiting list and provides care which is very difficult for islanders to find elsewhere in country.
Ideally, said Williams, the school operating fully would need $432,000 per year to stay open and serve 40 students. At this time, the number of students who pay a school fee fluctuates between 60 and 40 percent of the registrants.
In a Thursday July 7, 2022 press conference, Angela Williams in a room populated by parents and members of the media, said it was revealed that the government did not disagree that there was a need nor did they disagree on the magnitude of that need so the reason for holding back finances remains up in the air.
The government had promised the centre $150,000 but that figure dropped to less than half the sum, and the reason?
“After all the back and forth, some of what was asked was not in the best interest of the children,” Williams said.
The government wanted Ashley’s Learning Center to take on all of the students she served in the days and evenings, full time within four weeks which she said, under advisement from specialists, it was explained that this would have
compromised the integrity of the program. Three successive Governments had been privy to the plight of Ashley’s Learning Centre which is a non-profit school and so far no change.
Additionally she said there had also been inexplicable, almost “personal”, pushback from unnamed government officials.
“Each time I’ve brought specialists into the country I always do a courtesy call to the ministries responsible and for seven years there are persons who have always sat in those meetings and objected to every proposal that international doctors and consultants put forward. It’s always at that level that we’ve heard ‘were not interested’, ’we won’t support this’ so I know it is personal.’”
There were repeated instances of this, once a doctor with forty-years’ experience in the field who was interested in piloting a program in all government schools and bringing a team with him was turned away, a missed opportunity for the children.
Even worse, finances have run out just as the school had signed a partnership with Harvard University which would have seen interns and doctors coming to the TCI in a 5-year program to make sure students were diagnosed and assessed properly as they grew. Without stable finances to actually keep the school open for five years that incredible deal will fall through.
“My final appeal not only to the government, to even the public, is for Ashley’s Learning Centre to continue even if just to pay teachers’ salaries that we need some sort of financial help,” Williams said.
A sorrowful plea was announced, for people not to see her when they thought of the school, instead to consider the students who need care and cultivation which was missing on the local scene.
The Ministry of Education claims statements made by Williams were misleading and said the door remains open to the current funding, the additional funding and a continued partnership. None of the sides have been in communication however on whether or not this relationship is salvageable.
“If we can’t continue I don’t know what’s next for any of the children. I’ve spent two weeks thinking about that,” Williams said as she held back tears.
“I hope I didn’t fail them. I hope I didn’t fail the parents, I hope I didn’t fail Turks and Caicos.”
Her press conference ended in a sense of bewilderment for those attending. A parent offering a bear hug to the crushed founder of ALC, emotions running high and tears eventually allowed to flow freely.
KINGSTON, May 1 (JIS):
Ground has been broken at the tuition-free Christel House at Twickenham Park, St. Catherine, for the construction of a high school.
Minister of Education and Youth, Hon. Faval Williams, who delivered the keynote address at the site, today (May 1), said Christel House’s dedication to breaking the cycle of poverty and empowering vulnerable children is “nothing short of inspiring”.
“Your decision to invest in Jamaica speaks volumes about your belief in our nation’s potential, and your dedication to making a meaningful difference in the lives of our youth is appreciated,” Minister Williams said.
She added that the partnership between the Government and the organisation, forged through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in 2019, is a “prime example” of what can be achieved when public and private entities come together with a shared vision and purpose.
Further, the Minister said a foundation is being laid for a brighter future, one where every child has the opportunity to thrive and fulfil their potential, regardless of their circumstances.
She said that Christel House Jamaica, which now operates a kindergarten school at the location, will in time be more than just a school.
“It will be a symbol of optimism, a sanctuary of learning, and a catalyst for positive change in our community,” the Minister said.
“By providing comprehensive support, including education, nutrition, healthcare, and mentorship, Christel House will empower students to break free from the chains of poverty and chart a course towards a better tomorrow,” she added.
Mrs. Willliams said the shared goal between the Administration and Christel House extends beyond the construction of a building, as it is about nurturing the next generation of leaders, innovators, and change-makers who will shape the destiny of the nation.
“Together, we are sowing the seeds of prosperity, equity, and social justice, ensuring that no child is left behind,” she said.
The school provides breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack, as well as transportation for children living far distances from the school. It also provides uniforms and textbooks, and counselling services for its students who have to contend with psychological and other emotional issues.
Founder of Christel House International, Christel Dehaan, emigrated from Germany to the United States (US) in 1962, and was an accomplished businesswoman.
In 1996, she sold her global enterprise, Resort Condominiums International (RCI), which had offices in 38 countries, and devoted her resources to philanthropic work from her headquarters in North Meridian Street, Indianapolis.
With support from dedicated donors, schools are run in India, Jamaica, Mexico, South Africa, and the US.
CONTACT: GARFIELD L. ANGUS
Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
Rachel Taylor, Minister of Education, Youth, and Sport
#TurksandCaicos, May 2, 2024 – Sandals Corporate University is now an official partner of the Turks and Caicos Islands Community College (TCICC) and the two will be working together to create hospitality specific courses to equip students.
During the MOU signing on April 29, Rachel Taylor, Minister of Education, Youth, and Sport, explained the process, describing it as a visionary initiative,
“Through this collaboration TCICC and SCU will jointly develop and implement training content tailored specifically to the needs of the hospitality industry covering crucial areas such as rooms, food and beverage service, field management, watersports and technical and mechanical training.”
The Minister explained that the custom-made curriculum would also be enriched further by experts from Sandals and Beaches Resorts via guest lectures.
In addition to that up to 100 TCICC interns will be placed at Sandals Resorts for experience annually; lecturers at the TCICC will also be given resort experience periodically to make sure that they’re using the most modern teaching methods.
“This is not just a formal agreement but a shared commitment to the future of our people both young and seasoned; and the robust growth of our hospitality and tourism industry,” Taylor said.
She was backed up by Adam Stewart, Chairman of Sandals Group International
“You will have 100% support from my office,” he promised
Adam Stewart, Chairman of Sandals Group International
Stewart who flew in for the event explained that the idea for a joint teaching space had come about over a lunch of conch chowder with TCI officials, including the Governor, only months earlier.
”The best thing you can do for the people of the Caribbean has got to be education. We have seen time and time again, division by division and island by island across the Caribbean, where we invest in people, we see [returns],” Stewart said.
He highlighted that SCU is the first hotel-led Corporate University in the Western Hemisphere and now connected to the Turks and Caicos Islands Community College (TCICC). Beaches Turks and Caicos is the largest hospitality employer in the country and is currently understaffed and in need of hundreds more workers.
“I’ve never seen an MOU come together faster, I’ve never seen the private in public it to work together in [such] a way which to me signals how serious this is,” Stewart said.
The MOU was signed by Dr Luz Longsworth (on behalf of Sandals) witnessed by Stewart and Washington Misick, TCI Premier.
Attending the event was a host of dignitaries including Dileeni Daniel Selvaratnam, TCI Governor, Jamell Robinson, Deputy Premier and Minister of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development, Josephine Connollly, Minister of Tourism, other ministers, TCICC executives and Sandals officials.
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