 Felo Senglushans, as we move into the final term of the 2022-2023 academic year, I take this opportunity to address our stakeholders, especially our parents, school administrators, students, teachers, and unsilvery staff, and to thank them for their support, guidance, engagement, and feedback during the last two terms. I wish to commend our principals and teachers for staring our schools through the high and low tides of the second term. Your commitment is valued and appreciated. The second term was a particularly challenging one for the Ministry of Education. However, we enter into this final term of the year with a commitment to build on the gains of last term, despite the many challenges we currently face. High among our challenges is a troubling issue of school security and safety. This is as huge a concern for us as it is for parents, students, principals, teachers, and other staff within the school system. Rest assured, the Ministry of Education is taking steps to address this issue. While this is a concern for schools in all districts, it has become particularly worrying for the schools in the Vufod area. Parents, students, teachers, and unsilvery staff continually express their concerns about the safety of their loved ones. I have previously informed of the engagement of Mr. Osbert Regis, former police commissioner as security consultant to the Ministry of Education. We recognize, however, that there is need for immediate action to create a safe space within our schools in the south. To this end, we will be utilizing various approaches for a short term intervention during the third term. Once we expect to see a greater presence of security personnel on the ground, police and private security, in and around school premises until such time that the situation improves as I expected to, given the interventions being made by central government. We will also strengthen security measures at the schools through the implementation of new protocols and operations. These interventions will address the physical environment. However, the psychosocial well-being of students and staff is as critically important. The Ministry of Education intends to provide the necessary support to parents, students, and teachers through the counselors at the various schools. I wish to inform parents that the Ministry of Education, after consultation with teachers and administrators, has decided to delay the reopening of certain schools in the south. These schools are the Benfield Comprehensive Secondary School, the Viewfort Primary School, the Viewfort Infant School, the Viewfort Special Education School, the Peru Combined School, the Plainview Combined School, and the Viewfort Comprehensive Secondary School. At the mentioned schools, teachers will report on Monday, the 24th of April, while students return a day later on Tuesday, April 25. This decision was taken to allow for psychosocial support interventions for principals, teachers, and ancillary staff. Our teachers in the south are hurting and they are also grieving. Some have lost family members and neighbors. We recognize that they are human and are affected by what has happened in recent weeks. This is why the Ministry of Education has recognized the need to provide such support. The interventions will help them cope and be in a position to better address the needs of their students. As students return on Tuesday, the 25th of April, we encourage parents to take responsibility for their children and wards outside of school hours, make the necessary arrangements to ensure their safety. And to the students I see, no loitering before and after school. Please make your way to your home or bus when school is dismissed. This is a stressful time for all of us. Do not put yourselves in harm's way and do not engage in activities that have the potential to disrupt the school environment and put you and your peers in danger. Everyone has to play their part in creating a safe and secure environment for our students. Therefore, I implore all to exert greater effort in supporting our students through their educational journey. On a brighter note, I am excited about the return of two major activities to our school calendar. The first is the Inter-Schools Sports Rename Inter-Island Champs and the second the National Science and Technology Fair. Congratulation to the UFOT Comprehensive Secondary School and the St. Joseph's Convent for their outstanding performances at the Inter-Schools Champs. Congratulations also to all the other schools that participated in the event. Congratulations to the Deriso Primary School for copying the top prize at the National Science and Technology Fair. The third term is usually one loaded with emotion and high anxiety levels and this is mainly because our teachers and parents are preparing our students for key stage examinations including the MST, CPEA, CXCCSEC, CXCKIP and other end-of-year examinations. Let me take this opportunity to wish all our students success in their respective exams during this, the third term. Let me reassure all of our stakeholders that the Ministry of Education is committed to pursuing our transformative education agenda. The positions of Chief Education Officer and Deputy Chief Education Officer will be filled shortly once the commission completes its process of recruitment. Ladies and gentlemen, as we move into this new term, let me encourage everyone to be resolute and give up your best on every occasion and at every opportunity. Let us love, support and uplift each other. I look forward to the continued collaboration with the National Principles Association and the Sandusia Teachers Union as together we will continue to work in the best interest of the education sector and for the children of our country.