 Welcome everybody to the inaugural debate for the St. Lucia National Students Council. My name is Glossam Sylvester and I have the honor of being your moderator for tonight. So the candidates here have worked very hard preparing for this debate. So first I would like to give a brief overview of the actual body, the St. Lucia National Students Council, and it is an umbrella body for all students councils in St. Lucia, and the council was established as the student branch of the National Youth Council and exists to encourage and facilitate the holistic well-being of students in St. Lucia by promoting social inclusion, the arts, sports, mental health, and academics. At present, 16 student councils from public and private schools, secondary schools, and tertiary schools make up the NSC, and of recent, student councils at the primary school level are being established to prepare students for leadership as an early age. So here we have our two candidates and I'd just like to give them a brief introduction. So we have Jaquem George and he is 18 years of age and he's from Sir Arthur Lewis Community College, that's the school he attends, and he's a student leader who hails from the southeastern community of Deriso Miku, and he serves his community as the second vice president at the Deriso Interim Youth and Sports Council, where he, well while working with the St. Lucia chapter of the Commonwealth Youth Peace Ambassadors Network and the Caribbean Youth Conference Planning Committee. After graduating from the Viewport Comprehensive Secondary School, he moved to the SALCC Division of Technical Education and Management Studies, where he then became vice president of the National Students Council in the 2018 to 2019 executive. And next, right beside me, we have Zanaka Emilien, and she's 18 and also a member of the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College. And Zanaka is a student leader from Babano, who also serves in numerous capacities. She is considered as a young environmentalist and climate activist who volunteers with the Caribbean Youth Climate Change Activists and participates in several forums on the environment and sustainable development. She graduated from the Leon Hess Comprehensive Secondary School in 2018, and after which she joined the Students Council at the SALCC Division of Agriculture and Studies and served in the role of president. She is the outgoing general secretary of the National Students Council for the 2018 and 2019 executive. So what I'm going to do now is just go through an overview of today's events. So we'll first have the opening statements, and that will be three minutes per candidate. Then I will be asking some questions to these participants, so I hope they're prepared. And then afterwards we'll actually take it to the audience. So the audience will have a chance to ask the candidate some questions, and then we'll have some closing statements. So now I'm just going to go over some of the rules for today because we'd like a very clean debate. So no speaker may exceed the allotted amount of time, but may use less if he or she wishes. However, it is within my discretion. There shall be no communication between debaters and members of the audience. There will be no form of misconduct and a candidate can be disqualified by me, the moderator, in the event of this. And any ruling by me, the moderator, on timing and conduct of the speakers is final. So everybody got that? Great. So I suppose we can now move ahead with the opening statements from each candidate. So just to remind you, that is three minutes each. So who's ready to go first? How about I just choose, I choose Annika because that's the name that's last in my head. Okay, good afternoon everyone. I would start out by saying that although anyone can go back to change an action, but someone can definitely start from now and make a new ending. And at this critical time, anyone who is willing to dedicate their time to student governance and student advocacy must be willing to change the ambit of the student-led organization. Building on the foundation is very important, but at the stage that the council is, we need to increase its relevance and its ability to promote student discipline, development, and most importantly, excellence. This can be done by definitely putting a plan in action, which will definitely ensure student satisfaction. This is why I'm vying for the position of president, because I understand what needs to be done. As a year two student at the South Africa Community College and the immediate past president of my divisional council and outgoing general secretary of the National Students Council, I can tell you today that I possess the skills and experiences needed for this position. Being a student and a leader at that, I strongly believe in contributing to the student movement positively and to ensure that the voices of the students island-wide are heard. As a student advocate, I stand strongly for student empowerment and most definitely for student development. Thank you. Wonderful. So now we'll move on to Jacquem. Good evening everybody. My name is Jacquem George. I'm from Derry, so as she said, I should start off by asking myself, why do I want to become president? Because I think that's one of the most pressing, one of the most, how can I put that? One of the most, I think that's one of the most important, the most important questions that I could ask myself, because why should I be the one to be president? What makes me special? So, I've been involved in student matrimonial for the past two years, and with my experience in the community and national level, with the Dairy Students Sports Council, and with my, and my portfolio is education and resource mobilization, and on the national level, as an outgoing vice president, did you expect to it on the National Students Council? I believe that I am the only person to take the NAC forward right now, from my projects which tackles areas such as advocacy, capacity building, programming, PR and branding, partnerships, and fundraising. I strongly believe that the, and fundraising, sorry, I strongly believe that students have a right to quality education, and I believe that student involvement in issues that affect us is paramount. Too many times, the voice of those students are silenced, for no reason whatsoever. People make decisions for us, and they are working against us, so I believe that through my projects, I am the only person to lead the NAC forward. Thank you very much candidates. So, now we're going to start the question and answer parts of the debate, and I will start easy with a topic that you're very familiar with, which is education, seen as you'll both attend this school currently, and this is a National Students Council presidential debate. So, recently there's been a lot of talk about corporal punishments, and the upcoming abolition, well, it's been abolished, as we know. So, on Friday, March 1st, 2019, a press release from the Ministry of Education read, the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Gender Relations, and Sustainable Development has declared its intention to suspend and eventually abolish corporal punishment in schools. The move is in keeping with the many international conventions that St. Lucia is signatory to. Then the Chief Education Officer in the Ministry of Education, Rufina Charles, said that while the Education Act has no stated policy for abolition of corporal punishment, it didn't contain structures in the act that stipulated how corporal punishment should be administered. So, Charles added, however, that the department must ensure that the mandate stipulated in the conventions which include protection of child are achieved. So, here's the question. Corporal punishment will be abolished as of May 2020. What are your views on the policy regarding the abolishment? Abolishment? Oh, my. I'm sorry. The abolishment of corporal punishment in schools, and what should the NSC's role be given, be given this policy? So, let me read that again. Sorry. So, corporal punishment will be abolished as of May 2020. So, what are your views on the policy regarding the abolishment of corporal punishment in schools and what should the NSC's role be given this policy decision? So, who's ready to go first? So, remember candidates that you have minutes and 15 seconds per question. So, shall I choose? Zanaka, you look ready. Okay. Okay. So, as the NSC, as I mentioned in my opening statement, we definitely stand for disciplinary students. And at the schools, we need to ensure that, yes, our students respect authority. But if we are going to abolish corporal punishment, as you said, we need to discuss the ways in which the teachers and, well, the teachers would go about using different ways, not like, okay, for instance, if you cannot hit a child, what is the next thing you can do in turn to show that student that what he or she is doing is incorrect? So, as the NSC, I think we should sit down with key stakeholders and persons who have a say in the abolishment of corporal punishment and discuss the actual alternative paths that we would take instead of corporal punishment. So, that's my belief on the statement. Okay. Okay. So, I totally agree with what Zanaka said with, as it relates to finding positive ways of, find positive ways of disciplining children. However, I strongly disagree. No, I strongly, I'm sorry. My take on it is, yes, I believe that corporal punishment should have been abolished, but why wasn't the NSC concerted on that matter? Why didn't we have a seat at the table when it comes to making policies like this? We should have been part of the decision making. The students are the only person that have been affected. So, that's my take on that question. Okay. So, are there any rebuttals? I don't have. No follow-ups? Okay. Well, I suppose we can move on. So, now in the advocacy segment, Jackie, I noticed that you mentioned that that is one of the things that you, one of your platform, one of the things that you stand on in your platform for the presidential debate, wanting to have more advocacy. So, over the years, there have been several cases of bullying among students on and off of the school compound, most recent being viral videos of altercations with alleged bullies. So, as NSC president, what is your plan to tackle the growing issue of bullying in our school system? First of all, I would like to say that bullying is unacceptable. It shouldn't, there shouldn't be any form of bullying whatsoever. But the only way I believe that we can tackle this problem is by tackling the root, which is actually the bullies. If we can find out what is causing the bullies to bully other children, why are they doing it? Is it problems at home? Is it mental issues? Who knows? I believe that we should tackle the root of the problem and we will totally abolish bullying. Well, personally, I definitely do not stand or condone the act of bullying. And I honestly think that it's an act that is very disgraceful. As an organization such as the NSC, I believe that we should ensure the safety of students and we need to begin to discuss ways in which we would speak on the current situation at hand. Let us begin to rally the students to match against bullying. Let us begin to discuss the ways forward as in ways we would sensitize students as to the effects that bullying has on others and themselves. And let us create forums where we not only engage the students, but also teachers and persons at the school, authoritative staff at the school. And let us begin to address this situation. If we don't speak on bullying and as the NSC, we don't begin to engage the students and engage the public, how do we expect to solve bullying in our schools? So I believe we should begin the process of these discussions, the roots we should take to address bullying. Yes, so as the NSC, I believe that's a great way to start. Okay. Do you have anything to add, Jackie? Anything else? Okay. So Jackie, you also mentioned the socioeconomic effect and that could be a cause of bullying. However, it also speaks to how students perform at school. So my next question to the both of you and as Anika can take this first is socioeconomic deprivation seems to be a major factor in students performing at their fullest potential. So how can the NSC assist in curbing the issue and what advice do you have for the government to tackle this situation? Well, I brought along some plans that I have for the NSC and I should believe that they would distribute them on our audience. One of my key activities within these plans is to use our sustainable development goals. We have goals such as SDG 3 and SDG 4, which speaks to health and well-being and quality education. So if we can center activities around these SDGs, then we'll be able to help these students and we'll be able to finally curb the act of whatever is affecting these students at school in terms of them bullying or being bullied. Okay, Jackie. Can you repeat the question? No problem. So, socioeconomic deprivation seems to be a major factor in students performing at their fullest potential. So how can the NSC assist in curbing the issue and what advice do you have for the government to tackle the situation? Okay, so I think, well, it's very sad to be honest that students sometimes they probably don't have enough money to go to school or they probably don't have enough money for actual lessons to say. Another program that I will implement in my manifesto, which I brought along with me, right there, is a tutor-to-youth program. The way we will go about implementing this program is through, we could reach out to teachers, former students like myself, who would like to refresh their memory and, you know, any other educated people that would like to volunteer about three hours of their time per week to help students that don't have the means of getting actual lessons and to sit down, you know, help them, educate them and if they have any problems at home, we'll also have counselors at the end so that we could probably help improve the issue that they're going with so that you could perform better at school. Okay, Zanaka, do you have any rebuttals or anything to add? Well, I believe that if we are going to look at tutors for these students, I believe that they should be well-trained. So my question to Mr. Jakim is, do you have a set of persons who are well-trained to equip these students with the necessary guidance that they need or will it just be random persons because we cannot just say, okay, I would really just choose this person because I believe that they should tutor a student. So we really need to look at how and who are we going to use to be able to guide these students and get them the necessary help that they need. Okay, well, we would have a criteria for choosing the tutors, of course, but it would be most likely be teachers, so probably government workers, students like us, you, that would like to refresh their memories so that we could keep what we learned in secondary school fresh for teacher education. So yeah, that's how I'll answer your question. We would have a criteria where we would look at certain people. Yes, you can, you have 15 seconds. Again, I would say that we need to actually look at persons who are fit for the job. We cannot just say, you, we just left secondary school, okay, we think that we are student leaders, hey, we could help any student. It is not really that easy of a situation. So yes, your criteria, I believe, should be amended a bit. 15 seconds, you have anything to add? Of course you do. Well, I said that we would have a criteria, of course, which means that we would have a sitting level for education. Like, let's say you also have this amount of CXCs, you would be able to choose the subject that you would rather teach, for example, okay, I live in school, I got the one in math, I like to give back to the community because I have a lot of tape on my hands. Yeah, I would give off three hours of my time per week to help students better themselves just like me. Okay, I got a little heated there. I'd like to encourage the rebuttals. Okay, let's really delve into what your candidate knows. So we're hearing more and more about schools being shut down or suspended due to infrastructural damage. More recently, Andrew Poe's secondary vocation secondary and Cyrus Simmons secondary school. So my question is, what role will the St. Lucia National Students Council play in advocating for holistic and conducive environments for students in light of suspension of schools, such as the schools I just mentioned, because of infrastructural damage? Either one of you can begin. Well, being a student advocate, I would like to believe that you would stand for the empowerment of students, not only when something is affecting a student, but also when a positive contribution is being given. So we speak out on matters such as this, hence the reason why in this unfortunate circumstance that is going on at most of our schools, I believe that the St. Lucia National Students Council should really be the first ones to be making a statement. But before we do this, we need to think of a logical process as to how we would go about making a statement. We need to first visit these schools and see the conditions of these schools and what's actually going on. We need to meet with administrative staff to see what the plan is and what the way forward is as to how would we provide a conducive learning environment for our students. And we would see if these plans are put into act. And if not, then the NS is in a great position to make a statement. And we should really start again looking at SDGs free and for quality education and well-being. We can't have students in a learning environment that is not good for their health and that will only not allow them to be productive. So by having the students council make a remarkable statement, I believe that this can help in not only influencing the government to start working, but influencing students to speak out when something is really affecting them. Okay, Jackie. Okay, so what I would like to say about that is that it's first of all, it's really sad that CXC children especially are being left out of school because of poor infrastructure in schools. I believe that it is very disappointing that most that schools have to be shut down. That's the first time I'm ever hearing of schools being shut down because of infrastructure issues. Okay, so how I would tackle this problem? The way I would tackle it is that, okay, second news, I think that most of the second news schools that are affected the most are those that probably don't have a student council that probably the student council is there but is not active. Another program that I hope to implement is a 12-in-12 program where I hope to establish 12 new student councils in 12 months. Okay, so to expand on the 12-in-12 program, I'd like, okay, so we would go to the different schools in most need of student councils who would meet with the administration to see how we would help former student council and as soon as the student council is set, we would host training workshops for them so that they could be able to advocate on issues like infrastructure, other issues that may affect them and also within that 12-in-12 program, we would also provide training to all the established student councils around the island so that they could receive the same training that the other student councils do. Yes, you may. Okay, I agree with Mr. George when he speaks on schools lacking students councils not being the ones to speak out on issues such as this but one thing I disagree with is a 12-in-12 program. We have 24 secondary schools on island so how can you only say that you're going to look at 12 when we have 24 and I believe that all schools should have a functional students council hence the reason why I would embark on revamping the national students governance program which speaks to establishing students councils throughout the island on the same day so each school would have their elections on the same day and follow the same proceedings so at the end of the day the NSC gets to work in a timely manner with all 24 schools on island and even now with the primary schools having their councils we can even bring them on to that program too. Okay, so I disagree with you completely just to say that 12-in-12 program it doesn't only say 12 schools it would be encompass all the schools if a school comes to us and says okay hey we would like your assistance on how to create the student council we would assist them but we've been realistic I don't believe that it is possible to have to go to 24 schools 24 different elections on the same day how would you how would you work that out? Well that is the reason why there are many persons on the council it's we could divide the task and we also have our parent branch the national youth council which can facilitate with this activity and I believe that the national students governance day program is one that will really enable the NSC to be able to host the events and engage all our councils so yes the NSDG program is one which will enable us to create the link between our schools and have the needed relationship that we need. So I think we can establish that both of you are for increased students councils it's just whether we can do 12 or whether we can do 24 and the time we have to do it but what I want to ask as a follow-up question to you both is yes we can have the the students councils but in your experience because I'm not sure how long it's been since you've been on the the head body the national students council but do you how do you find the effectiveness of being there and if so what do you what changes do you think you can make if y'all do establish these these subsidiary subsidiary councils within the schools how would you empower them how would you ensure that they are effective in implementing the different things that you would like. Yes so being at the heart of the NSC as the outgoing general secretary we really worked on these capacity building workshops which would engage all our councils and I would like to commend the entire council for this because it really showed the students that they mean more and that their voice needs to be heard so by hosting these capacity building workshops I mean if the plan is not one that does not seem as if it would engage the students why not use it again so I plan to continue the capacity building workshops but more frequently on a quarterly basis not only once a year as we have one year ten year but on a quarterly basis so that our students are continuously engaged and that we could build that momentum throughout all our schools. Okay Jackie. In my talk into a program I do hope to well I plan on hosting workshops continuously throughout the year so that the students are working for a task pattern and what was the other question you asked after. Okay so my first question was it was a two-part so how do you find the effectiveness first of all of being a member of the the National Students Council and how would you increase effectiveness within your within the council and within the subsidiary bodies that you plan to help implement so that is the the students councils within the different schools that you know the 12 or the 24. Okay so so another program that I another program that I have that would fit perfectly the question you have is to partner with our parent body the National Youth Council to have a segment especially only for the students so that they could have their voice they could advocate on issues affecting them and with the training that I would provide in my talk into a program it would totally fit in brilliantly into that program so that they would get the training to advocate and then they would advocate on NYC TV. Okay I think we have 15 seconds now if either of you would like to say anything further no okay so we can move on okay so moving on to the education system and as it relates to developing the child so our current education system is it outdated so what are your views on the current education system and are there any gaps and does the school curriculum sufficiently prepare our students for the world of work so how can so this is a three-parter so listen carefully how can our education system be altered to cater to the existing demands of the world of work? I like to answer your question first. Okay so I believe that the curriculum that the curriculum is extremely outdated doesn't cater to all students so I believe that NSC should have a study when it comes to making decisions like this we should advocate on a curriculum reform and sit down with a mixture of education so that we could you know make decisions that will directly affect us instead of waiting for something to happen and then talking about it. I definitely agree with Mr George as it relates to having a seat at the table and discussing the way forward as to reforming the curriculum because we do have a lot of new innovative minds coming about and I don't think that the current education system really caters to what these students really want to do and it does not really cater to building a holistic student so I really believe that it is high time that we start the discussions as to the reform of the curriculum. Okay do you have anything specifically either of you that you think could be valid in adding to our curriculum in terms of thinking of the the modern child the Gen Z child that's going into the world of work where there are so many more career options available what do you think that our system is lacking that limits them? Well a lot of students and yes they do have a mind of their own right now so I really think that we should introduce entrepreneurship programs at the secondary school level so that students can really be faced well not faced but they can have a chance to see what entrepreneurship is really about because we have a lot of them coming about with stuff of their own now they would actually want the world to see so I believe that's one of the key places we need to add to our curriculum. Okay well being an automotive engineering a second year automotive engineering student myself I believe that the that the curriculum doesn't really cater to students of the technical field per se every that it is more it is more towards the science aspect and the business aspect of a child so an engineers are pretty much the most important people that are that that work right now they build the houses they'll build the cars you drive they build nearly everything that you have they design it they build it so I believe that that we should that the curriculum should cater to more to the technical children more. Okay is there anything you'd like to add? Okay moving on it has been said that the current now we're moving on to behavior in school back to there so it has been said that the current school suspension policy is more detrimental than beneficial to our students by encouraging deviant behavior from students who are off the school compound do you agree with this opinion and if yes how can authorities implement more effective disciplinary measures? No problem it has been said that the current school suspension policy is more detrimental than beneficial to students by encouraging deviant behavior from students who are off the school compound so do you agree with this opinion and if yes how can authorities implement more effective disciplinary measures than suspending a child? Well being on the NSE for last year 2018 to 2019 we met with the youth empowerment program yep we had a meeting with them and it really focused on suspension at schools and behavioral problems and I think that working with these persons and actually seeing what they have to say because they really do have good points when it comes to what the statements you just made so I think that the NSE well the new NSE should really engage them more and we should sit down and discuss more ways together with them to address the situation. I believe that students that wish that okay I believe that that the Ministry of Education and the School Administration should probably find better ways of you know teaching a child that okay they do something but you don't just send them home you probably take them to a counselor take them somewhere that they would that they would be engaged in positive acts and not say okay you do something bad well you don't have to go to school for a sitting on top of these all weeks so yeah that's what I take on that. Okay so do you any of you have because you said you all mentioned discussing a lot but I'm wondering if what would be your input do either of you have anything specifically that you have I mean because there are so many more ideas being introduced when it comes to child behavioral policies so is there anything that you think can be implemented as an alternative to these measures such as suspension suspension or as we mentioned before corporal punishment in schools. Well back to the point that I made I really think that we should look at persons who are trained in the field of psychology we should at least have one person at each school to really encourage and guide these students to see what the problem actually is because although yes these students do have discipline they do lack discipline I would say we need to really think about how we would go about dealing with the problems that they are given at the school is suspension really the way or do these students really need more than just being suspended and sent home without actually knowing what's causing them to behave like this so I believe that we should really look into having trained and professional persons at each school to be able to handle situations like this. Well I was really not a couple days ago and I think that you need to say is the right way going forward in tackling suspension like punishment on the whole. I think that you need to say for some great statements on positive ways of punishment in the child so when they think of doing something bad again they will think of something positive of doing instead of the negative vehicles that they actually do. Okay is there any inside all of this I really believe that yes we would say that yes we would like I was saying place the persons at the school but we need to also develop programs such as after school programs for these students and when school is closed still have programs for them so that they are always engaged and they always have positivity around them so that could probably curb the behavioral patterns that they are portraying at the schools. Anything you'd like to add? I just like to say I agree for. That's wonderful. Some of your ideas seem quite grand definitely useful but a lot of them seem to be requiring financial backing so do you have any ideas on how you would put that together put source the funds or raise the funds for to implement some of your ideas? Again being part of the NSE from 2008 to 2019 one of our major issues was fundraising and acquiring money for activities that we had so one of my main plans is to begin fundraising from the start start thinking of ways we could generate money for so that we seem as an independent organization and that we don't only have to go and ask our parent organizations such as NYC or the Ministry of Youth for monetary funds to sort of go with our programs because a lot of these times we see that we would need to wait for a response and the affairs of the students we cannot wait to discuss them and we cannot wait to engage our students so we need to really think of ways that we would raise funds, cake sales or the usual stuff that groups usually do I mean they work all the time so by starting from now I mean when we're ready to do a big activity or even a small activity we'd have enough funds to go ahead with what we have planned. Okay so yeah me both me and my opponent next to me do have fancy plans but we cannot allow them without money so another program another program now like to implement which is technically free but it's not free at the same time is a fundraising drive to raise awareness for something for example we could you know have a barbecue a big sale a car wash three is awareness for let's see console console press console awareness would probably have pink cakes and you know do need a percentage of the funds that we make at the car wash or big sale towards the breast cancer awareness society. Okay okay so on June 3rd 2019 an article published by the Barbados Today stated sweeping changes are on the horizon for Barbados's education system which will likely include the abolition and the controversial the abolition of the controversial common entrance examination the introduction of middle schools and the more diverse pool of academic opportunities for the country's children so at a public meeting Prime Minister Mia Mortley exclaimed we have to create an education system that makes every school a top school every child has a talent and we are discarding too many and we are paying the price with the dislocation at the community level as a potential president of St. Lucia's primary student-led organization what are your views on the current format of the common entrance examination which grades and places students at schools according to their level of academic prowess or performance well as we have seen seen sorry most of our students are not on the same level academically and I would really like to commend the persons who really see to it that they established a sports academy because most of our students they like I said they're not at the same level when it comes to academics so I believe that we should yes we should give the students a chance a wide range as to what they would want to do such as yes the sports academy if a student we are seeing the trends that a student is actually great in sports but at the same time the academics is wavering a bit yes we could send them to this institution where they would get the proper training that they need because at the institution we have seen that they also have classes they're not solely focused on this the sports but they're also focused on academics so I think we should really look at these things and I really commend the process that has begun as in relocating students when necessary okay I think it's supposed I'd like to say kudos to um Barbados for you know actually taking the the it's a it's it's a risk but it's a risk worth taking so I believe that coin coins it's it's it's tricky because yes you are yes you have to learn and whatnot but some others some there are different students that are different minds there are different ways of people that people think yes I I can I can go to a dog I can be a doctor I will I can do sciences and whatnot but there are other people out that are into you know hands-on stuff like automotive like vehicles and whatnot so I believe that that there should be other avenues for these students students like students in the technical field to you know enhance their their their self okay so y'all are both saying that you believe in other bodies or being established other infrastructure or another school to specifically help those students but for the schools that are already um established how would you um what would you be your idea to bring them up to the level so that we're all they're all the top school because that would be the ideal so what ideas do you have in place for something like that well first of all um when we look at our schools that we all teach the same um syllabus and curriculum yes we follow the same but at the same time we go at different speeds so at one school you would find what is being taught at another is taught in form three whereas in the next school it's taught in form one or a situation similar to this so I believe to make each school a top because when we look at it students who go to the lower schools as we may there is discrimination there you feel like you're not good enough to be at a high school or school that's considered to be one of the good schools or the top schools on island so to do this I really believe that we should remove the this is a top school kind of vibe in the education system and really say that okay you're at this school because what is being taught in form one you would be able to grasp it at the form one level but you are at this school because what is being able to what is being taught in form three you won't be able to grasp it at the form one level so then we give the students the idea that you know they're just taking their time to grasp concepts at schools and we're not saying that okay you're too slow to grasp a concept in form one so therefore we send you to a low school so we should really try to discard these um kind of ideas and really situate that all schools are the same level in terms of how they are seen to the public okay okay so my ideal education system would be schools catered to a certain to a certain aspect of something for example okay I want to go to a doctor I want to be a doctor I'll go to the same school I would I would want to be a mechanic I'll go to an automotive school I'll not go to St. Mary's College then to one do auto to go into vehicles so well um so it would totally um remove that top school business yeah okay okay so now onto the St. Lucia National Students Council which you already a member of what can be done in reflection on your time spent there what can be done to improve the structure of the St. Lucia National Students Council again I would like to commend our parent body for being the NOIC that is for being very practical with us as they tried to um establish a retreat where we knew what we were supposed we were capable of well what we should be capable of and the structure of the NSC I believe is one that should be taken seriously and that the persons who vie for the positions or who are part of the NSC should really know what they're about and yes the students I don't believe that someone should just stand up today and say okay I'm going to be on the NSC you need to show that the characteristics you have will reflect the organization and that the organization does not seem as if we don't know what we're about so on I think believe that the new NSC should be a group of young people which would lead the student body in the right direction okay so first of all I also like to commend the National Youth Council for assisting us in our many struggles that we face as the National Students Council for the past of our past tenure I think structurally I don't think we'll have enough time I believe that the now the NSC should be moved to probably I don't think two years two years would be too much but probably about 18 months so that we could make sure that we implement all the projects that we hope to implement again I would like to add if you're going into an organization like this you shouldn't be discussing what you will do when you get into the organizations there are supposed to be set plans as to what the organization will be about so the extension is not really necessary but we just need we just need strong minds to know how to lead this student organization do you have anything to as a reversal to that thank you um I think yeah we need to have plans but we need to have the time for the plans we cannot just have we cannot have dispensary edges and then when when it comes to that we think oh this needs to be planned more this is going to be executed that way so we have to give it a bit more time sometimes things get pushed back trying to get pushed back to a sense that we don't even have time to even complete them so every that the 18 18 18 month should be right in the sweet spot when it comes to when it comes to executing all the plans that I said earlier 10 years okay so in keeping with your tenure your projected tenure what do you think is your biggest weakness as a leader and how you maneuver your presidency with this in mind okay so I would see that my biggest weakness of course is not like he said we do not have enough time to plan therefore my biggest weakness is that I do not plan enough so I believe that going forward and learning that that's one of the flows that I need to improve as a president with the Charles are we totally honest with you my biggest witness is what I'm doing right now and I hope that over the next tenure that I improve my public speaking abilities my ability to speak out on issues affecting me because I believe that I have the ideas I have the plan moving forward is put it into words is the biggest problem that I have okay so this one's a little bit left field but to lighten the mood what is one positive trait in your opposing candidate which you admire and and how can it be engaged to lend to your presidency should you be elected as the next president of the National Students Council I think Zeneca is a really strong willful soon somebody would how can I put that she's she when when something has to get done Zeneca will be the one to say okay it has to be done so she'll give us you know a little merge we say yes that has to be done we have to do is she's the person that cannot person to give reminders saying okay this has to be done what's there and what and so on what not so yeah that's your most positive trait well Joachim has the well yeah he has the tendencies to make you smile when you're most upset that's something that I am I admire about him because like he said a lot of the times I really go at them when I need to see that something is done and I need to see that the Senegal National Students Council is at the level that it's supposed to be so when he comes in and is able to make me smile then I feel like as to going forward okay and I think on the flip side I'd like to ask what do you think is your personal strength and how it applies to your leadership well yeah as Mr. George said um someone who does not sit around and does not sit with that nothing is done I will be on the box of persons I will say that hey this has to be done and it will be done not only that it has to be done and okay we're sitting around to see if it will be done but I see to it that it is done at the moment so that's something that I really think that a president a real president should have as a characteristic treat okay can I give two by all means yes um like Zainika said I have the ability to make people smile I think that's a really good I think that's a really good thing about me I'm very positive I'm very tenacious and I think that with my with the mind that I have to think outside of the box I mean that I can you know think make different think some think of something differently think of something that can you know change some somebody in that kind of way so yeah I mean that my best two treats um my ability to make people smile and the way that I think so I think I'll ask one final question I think we might have time for one last one because this one's quite interesting to me so Saint Lucia has been heavily reliant on tourism as you both know and we spoke a bit about alternative career paths and establishing programs within schools that can help students who do seek these alternative paths so with that in mind what is your view um what is your opinion on on us being so heavily reliant on the tourism industry for economic activity um and if you are of of you opposing that what would be um what would be your your answer to that in terms of um seeking another direction well as a small developing island state and seeing that we solely the um depend on tourism I believe that that is a risky move and as someone who has gone into agriculture I do see a lot of bright plans and a bright future for Saint Lucia in different aspects not only agriculture or tourism but such as Mr. Joachim Georgie studying mechanics and we could really enhance the abilities of students like these I mean when you so your island solely depends on tourism what happens to persons like me or him who is studying something totally different where is the place in that for us so I really think that we should begin looking at alternative ways to build our economy not only for tourism but for the many industries and aspects that are there to create a better future for Saint Lucia okay Jackie okay so my view on on that question is that I think tourism is very up and down it's not a stable source of income for the country and I think that avenues such as such as agriculture having such as sports especially sports because there are so many bright young talents here and they don't have an avenue for them to to showcase their talent they usually have to go overseas or they just die out because they are no other means of portraying their immense talent so I believe that sports agriculture technology these other ways moving forward when you come to building revenue and just adding a little bit to what Mr. George said if we really continue to depend on tourism then we would encourage brain drain and really run out young people who decide to study something different or really looks into doing something different apart from tourism so I really think that we should rethink the position that we are taking in Saint Lucia and look at ways to incorporate and engage everyone okay anything to add to that yeah I agree with what she added okay so now we're going to take it to our audience I hope you've been listening to this spirited debate if you have any questions on any of the segments you can now ask good afternoon everybody I am Alex Plant and I'm the outgoing public relations officer for the Saint Lucia National Students Council um I have a question to NEM and to both of you two questions um my first question to NEM in your introduction you said that your portfolio part being on the DERISO if one sports council is that um of remote resource mobilization so if elected president how can you put the skills from this council into play on the NSC and to both of you you both said that you have been on your um divisional councils at South Alois Community College so one what has been your contributions to the your divisional council and if elected president do you think that those contributions would be effective on the council to the benefits of students nationally thank you okay so that was a two-part so the first one was directed to NEM and uh yeah okay so I'd like to add to answer your first question by saying that I've been working with the youth worker for the DERISO different sports council to mobilize all the clubs so that they could you know build have structure in the organization so that so that moving forward that they have that they are more able to plan for different activities that they may have so I hope that through my learning from that experience I'll put that into my for example my 12-interview program with mobilizing the councils and my other the other question I wasn't actually on my divisional students council okay well I will answer the question that I'm sorry when I first entered the South Alois Community College at my division I realized that the council was sort of dormant and I came from a council at the Leon House so I was still in that spirit to join another council and to be the voice of the students and when I realized that this was happening to my division I took it upon myself to see that my divisional council was engaged in activities was engaged with other councils at the school and I really saw to it that the dagger divisional council was on the map at South Alois Community College and I can proudly say that I achieved that and that the new council that is in store will have a bright future. Any more questions from the audience? What kind of it said that they would change the perception of of top schools in the island and my question is that how do you ground doing that? So we would like to take that. Okay I think that it is a very difficult task for us to do as a council for this year so I hope that I could build a platform so that probably in the next five years I would say five just to give a bit extra time to go after me. I totally agree. So that they could implement that so that they could build on the foundation that I built when I was there so that they could you know establish that it's not only you don't always have to go to convent or college for you to be a top person in society. I totally agree with what Mr George had to say on this. Okay yes we have another question from the audience. Thank you. I want to first commend the two candidates for taking up the opportunity to serve the organization the National Students Council. My question is basically I think you have a long year ahead what are three of your core activities that you think will define your next year in office? Well when I started I mentioned that the main thing for me was the National Students Governance Day program and and that has been one of my key aims for the National Students Council because without our branches which are the students councils at the different schools we wouldn't be able to be the National Students Council in our full capacity because we'd be lacking the engagement of our students throughout the island. So that is one and I would really love to encourage school visits so that we build the interaction between the National Students Council not only the student body but also the teachers at the school which would really build a relationship so that they that could build trust also with the school so that they can rely on the National Students Council when needed. Also my third point is the Sustainable Development Goals program. If we look at these SDGs we could see that a lot of them could be incorporated into the student movement and students could really come out and speak on all 17 of these goals and we could really generate activities and generate discussions from the 17 Sustainable Development Goals so these are the three main goals for me as a candidate for president for the NSE. I would see the program that I'm most excited to implement was a program that was not even my idea it was it's the Lucian Leaders Summit which is a five-day trading workshop which brings student leaders from across the island to one setting to discuss matters affecting us and to find solutions to these problems weeks and months after the compass ended. Another program that I would like to implement is as on the National, on the Caribbean Youth Conference planning committee and the student outreach coordinator. So one of the programs I would like to implement is a student leaders webinar series which would encompass students from across the Caribbean to meet up in forums such as WebEx or what's the other one? You can't ask her for that. Yeah, Zoom. The name completely suits me. WebEx or Zoom and we would, you know, since Caribbean, since Caribbean, the Caribbean mirror the same, they have the same problem that we have. We would discuss solutions to each of our problems, we'll get a second opinion on them so that we could help each other as a Caribbean. Another program that I'm excited about is the Toevin Toe program which I mentioned so much today. Yes, I believe it is inclusion of the NSC in schools is very important to me because I believe that one of the downfalls of our past executive was that we weren't out there enough. So I believe that going out there, reaching out to the schools would be really exciting for me. So do we have a yes or no question? Good afternoon, everyone. You are both going up as a student advocate. What do you think is the most pressing issue that our students face? And as president, how do you plan to engage your newly elected executive in curbing that issue? For me, I have a soft spot for persons with disabilities. So I believe that as a student advocate, I should and will advocate for persons with disabilities partner with the council for persons of and for the council of and for persons of disabilities to advocate for issues, find solutions that we could bring things, bring ways to help student persons with disabilities at second new schools right now because they attend the same school that we do but they, I don't know. We could probably, you know, have realms for persons who are disabled, persons who can or are unable to walk, persons who are, persons who have wheelchairs, so that they could, you know, move or get around the school easily. You should have grills so that persons who cannot read can, you know, go to a library and read a book. Also audio books at libraries so that persons who are visually impaired can go to a book, who can go to a library, sit down and read a book. Well, for me, I have seen two trending issues that students are being faced with, which is what we spoke about, infrastructural damage and what Mr. Jakim touched on, which is discrimination and I will add bullying that has been two of the pressing issues that we are seeing now. So with infrastructural damage, without students being in a classroom, we wouldn't, they wouldn't be able to learn or wouldn't be able to function properly. So I believe that we should, well, under my presidency for the National Students Council, we should really have a sit at the table with education stakeholders and really discuss how we would ensure that all our schools are functional and that the buildings that the students are sitting in and learning in are conducive for them. And secondly, I would totally agree with all what Mr. Jakim said about discrimination against disabled people and speaking on partnering with the group which is headed by Mr. Mufilash James at the moment. So, yes. Okay. Okay. Thank you very much, Benet Charles retired student. Just two quick comments. I love the fact that Zennika mentioned about financing. However, I think as moving forward, you need to think we beyond that. I think too often you rely on kick sales and those things. As an organization as the National Students Council, you need to explore what are the current fundings that exist at the very schools. You know, do the students pay a student council fee and where does that money go to? I recall way back, actually, the south always actually bought a jeep on the students council money. That was way back then. So there is potential within the very schools to fund. I don't know where the central executive gets the money from. Is it, do you get collect from the pool of all the schools that have operating students councils? You know, what is that like? And also, I definitely think that as an NSC you need to add, you need to ensure that your lobby NYC to ensure that the subvention is increased. That part of that subvention goes to the National Students Council. So that is because they're lobbying for their part. The next comment I had was, I noted to speak a lot about the various schools and the way they were. Castro's Comprehensive, Viford Comprehensive, Leon's Comprehensive, or Reflected One would Comprehensive. They were the ideal schools collectively, both for technical and academic students. However, what has happened, sadly, we were not able to maintain those structures. And I'm worried about, I know that you supported the sports academy. I'm worried about the continuation in the maintenance of those structures. That is always the issue. So I think we already had the model, but we chose not to follow that model of comprehensive schools, which provided technical, right now TVET is actually looking at how do you streamline education within the Caribbean system. But I certainly think that at the end of the day, you need to move away from the kick sale vibes. You need to seriously look at financing. The NSC should not be operating. Your financing should not be looking at what is locally. Partner with larger organizations, both regional, international, and locally, to fund your programs, I think would go a long way in helping you. But if I was a student, I would certainly look forward to the day of elections, but I wish the two of you all the best. Thank you. Good evening. As both of you have been on the outgoing executive of the NSC, what would you say was the biggest mistake or Achilles heel of the tenure? And what would you do differently to avoid or solve this issue? A part two to this question is what would you see was your greatest contribution to that said tenure of the NSC or student development on a whole? I agree that our biggest Achilles heel as a student council as being on the outgoing executive is we had the ideas, is putting it into reality was our biggest problem. So I believe that there's no proper timeline for things to happen. And you know, reprimands for if these deadlines pass and whatnot. I think that would somehow curve the issue that we had before. And what was the second part? What was your greatest contribution? My greatest contribution was I was having a big say in, I won't say a big say, but because all was contributed. But the idea of the workshops, I think me and Zenica, we, I think we work well in, you know, planning that and yeah. So for me, one of our biggest flaws was that we procrastinated a lot with our activities. And I would really think that the new NSC would get with the program and get with what we actually have to do and not really stay and say whether or not we should push this event back or we should just get with it and do it. Like Mr. George said, we did the capacity building workshops. And I think that was a collaborative effort by all members. And I wouldn't say that I, one of my biggest contributions because indeed, I worked with all my members and we saw to it that whatever we planned that it was done effectively. So I would say that all of the events that were done by the NSC, I would say that not only me, but the entire council had a path to play in it. Good afternoon, everybody. I listened to one of your questions on structure. And what I realized is that both persons who are seated here at the South Lewis Community College, and when you look at the roster for all the candidates, most of these people or candidates are also from the South Lewis Community College. And I reflect to early in the debate when you guys spoke about the inclusion of primary school students, yet the primary school students will not be voting at the NSC General Assembly. So if we're trying to build more councils within the primary schools, where exactly does the primary school students or the primary school councils fit into the model of the NSC? Okay, so I think that primary school student councils, they're going to be there when we leave. So I believe that it is really important that we introduce more council-ness, I should say, into the primary schools. And you know, probably have one as a flora rep on one of the committees. Because this is the same issue that we face too. If they don't get the practice to advocate now, when they get where we are, that's not when they get the chance to have the proper training and have the experience. So that's my take on primary schools in student councils. Well, Mr. Alfred stated that the primary schools wouldn't be able to vote at the upcoming general elections, and that's because of the way that our constitution is set up. So I believe that the upcoming NSC or the new NSC should really sit and reform the constitution that we currently have, so that all our bodies, all our students are allowed to have a voice and sit at the table when it comes to electing the new students, National Students Council body. I think we have time for a couple more questions. Good afternoon or evening. My question is, being, before I was involved with the National Students Council, I always felt like what you guys were saying that there are not really a lot of opportunities for students. But after being involved, I found out that there are opportunities. I mean, there's always more. You can always be more. But how do you plan as the new NSC to go about disseminating that information to the students to ensure that it's not always the same set of people being involved in activities and that all students have a fair chance, a fair opportunity to be engaged? Well, with all the Students Councils that would be established on Island, we could really use this channel to get the information out and that it's not always kept within the same circle. Because one of the key responsibilities of the NSC branches, which are the Students Councils at the School, sorry, is to really relay the information that the NSC has to the entire student body. So if we really engage our Councils and help them to understand their true responsibility, then all these opportunities would be able to filter out throughout all the Schools on Island and that everyone would be engaged and everyone would be able to have an opportunity. I am glad you brought that up, please, for your use. I have a program trickling to that issue itself, which is an IM NSC campaign. It was said a couple years ago by the NYC, by the last NYC, and I think it worked really well with, you know, building awareness for the National Youth Council, building the importance and, you know, just praying, you will say what they are, what they are about, what do they do in any way that the normal youth can get into this, can tap into these resources. I think this will be our final question. Before you all said that you have a lot of workshops, workshops, workshops. But I'm just saying like, how would you improve the experience of a person going to a workshop to actually implement that into their schools and other areas of their areas, yeah. I don't think that I necessarily said only workshop, workshop, workshop. But yeah, I think one thing you would look forward to is the Lucian University of it, because I went to it last year and it was an amazing experience for me. I had so much fun, I made, I built so many bonds with students from around the island, I should say. And I believe that that's something you should look forward to if I get elected. Well, I would totally agree with Mr. George on the LLS movement. It's truly a good one. Kudos to Mr. Le Bon for being with this movement. But as you speak to the workshops, we need to look at how these students can relate to whatever is being said at these workshops and how they would be able to transfer that into their school lives. So I think going forward, we shouldn't be having workshops where students would be sitting clueless as to what they would do after the workshops, but really ensure that their engagement is there and that they understand what's really going on. Okay. So I think that brings our question and portion to a close. So we'll just one more. Okay. Well, we can squeeze in one more, but quickly. Good evening. This question is projected to the both of you. And I do understand your push for the implementation of an American model education system, which would be the technical and education subjects. However, we are under a British model system, and we do know that this system is adequately prepared students to sustain themselves, which is the system that we are under this economy. So I'm wondering, why is this the push and how are you guys able to implement this knowing that this is the British system that we're under? And that is a very difficult move to execute. Thank you. Well, I don't recall saying that I'm willing to push for the American system as it relates to education, but we really need to see to it that all students are catered for. And that's what I think both me and Mr. George were trying to say that the academics is not what all students are really into. Well, I shouldn't say into, but all students are not at the same level when it comes to academics. So what we're trying to say is that we should incorporate other areas whereby all students are catered to, not moving away from being able to allow students after they go in for their education, that they could sustain their sales, but that they would be able to do whatever they want to do. Okay. Yeah, I totally agree for what you can say. I think we as a NSE are for the students and we look for the betterment of the students. So I think that the students should be able to choose something that, okay, I want to go to this, but not get discriminated for it. That's what I was really trying to push, and not change the whole education system. I was trying to say that the curriculum should be inclusive of all students and not just education, because the education system right now is, it's all about regretations, studying for an exam. That's what I was trying to say. It should only be an exam format. Okay, say for an exam, then the next day we completely forget everything you wrote. So that's what I was trying to push for. Okay, quickly. Now we'll have our closing statements from each candidate. So you can breathe a sigh of relief now. No more questions will be re-asked your way. Who would like to begin? I think you'll like to go for Zeneca. Well, in closing, first of all, I would like to commend the Electoral Committee for putting together this event. This really allowed the public and most importantly our students island-wide to hear the plans which are in store for them. I must add that leadership is not just a position, but it comes with continuous action. And I can assure you that under my presidency of the Sinusha National Students Council, this organization will never be seen as an inactive organization and that the students will be engaged continuously. And with the plans that I have set, I can assure you that all students would have a seat at the table. And I can guarantee everyone here today that this organization will definitely be in good hands if it's handed over to me, that is. And I will encourage all students to make the right decision when voting on the 18th of November, which is Monday. And that right decision is to vote for me, Zanica Emelie, the president of the Sinusha National Students Council. So thank you for everyone for tuning out. It was really a pleasure to sit here and let you know my plans for the upcoming NSE. First of all, I'd like to thank the Electoral Committee for hosting this wonderful debate. I'd like to thank the guests which turned out the lovely questions, difficult questions that were given to me. I appreciate it. Thank you. And I'd like to thank the moderators for ensuring that the debate went smoothly. I would close by mentioning some of my projects that I hope to implement. One of them would, I think I didn't really explain upon the the 230 Youth Program. I think that is a very pressing problem that we have in society right now. I'd like to, you know, sorry, I really know what's going on. I'd like to, you know, I'd just like to, you know, I might not be the best talker. I'll say that. But I believe that my plans would be the, my plans and, you know, my way of thinking, my, the partnership that I built over the past years would really push the NSE forward to where it should have been and where it was before. And I believe that you should vote for me on the 18th of November, 2018. Come out all student councils, 2019. Come out all student councils, send your names in to the, to the, to the director of committee, to us. And just come out and vote for me. Vote jacking for progress. Okay. I'd like to thank everybody again. I think everybody's been sufficiently thanked, though. But I would like to thank again for coming out. Those watching from home, thank you very much for tuning in. And to our candidates, we, I think we all wish you the best of luck. You all brought up some very pertinent points. We can see that you guys are very invested in the future of the council. And I'm sure that either of you would be a good, a good choice. But I'd like to wish you guys the best of luck in the upcoming elections. Thank you. So, yes. I think, I think that's it. Thank you very much, everybody.