 Good day everyone and permit me to begin by wishing you all the best in this new year 2022. We appreciate as a department of education that it comes with its challenges but we also look at it as opportunities for growth, opportunities for success within our educational system. And so we encourage everyone as we wish you happy new year to really think of the positives and in particular we think of our school communities, our staff, our students and all the benefactors and well-wishers within the system. We are pleased to speak to the reopening and I would say the continuation of our academic year as last term the pronouncements made we are continuing with the school year as we have spoken with and a recommendation came from the Department of Health through the office of Chief Medical Officer also through the COVID Management Centre which was then presented to the Cabinet of Ministers and then confirmed that we are able to continue with this academic year with our face-to-face education for our children. Parents would be aware that we have had whole school for some of our schools that been 66 in total and alternate days for 34 schools. This is really based on the size of the schools as well as the physical infrastructure present. We continue to ask everyone to be vigilant as we note that our students, student population would be around the 10 to 11 percent of the COVID numbers regardless of them being in or out of school. In our family situations, we have a special responsibility as adults to really protect our children. We very strongly speak to children who have been part of a household that has been impacted that they should remain at home. And so our parents you have a special responsibility to continue to support us in that manner. Similarly as educators, as administrators, we are following the protocols at the schools and we are speaking to the entire school community to strengthen those health protocols as we speak to the health and safety of everyone. We must speak to personal responsibility. We all have our part to play. Our children have been most impacted. Our school communities, our teachers, administrators, our ancillary staff have been most impacted with the closure of school. The last two years have been really difficult, but as we continue to forge ahead, knowing that within the school communities, we have a controlled environment where we can ensure the safety of our children. We also speak to safety outside of school. And so I must point to our secondary school students after school. Our primary school students on their way to their homes after school. We must continue to follow the protocols because children are people too. And so when we speak of mask wearing in the city of castries or in other parts of the nation, our children have a responsibility to continue to do so. We at the Department of Education are keenly aware that our children, our parents, our wider community are reliant on the education of their children. We pledge our continued support, but we also ask for responsible behavior that will ensure the health and well-being of all of our children. In closure, let me wish you all the best for the new year. Let me continue to wish prosperity, to wish success, to wish health for our nation, St. Lucia, as we work collaboratively to ensure that our education system is really the area within our nation's economy to help propel us forward as a one people. I thank you.