 Fellow Senators, as we enter a new academic year, the Ministry of Education, Sustainable Development, Innovation, Science, Technology and Vocational Training presents an approach of renewed vigor, enthusiasm, confidence and transformation. The upcoming academic year promises to be a fulfilling one, as the Ministry has led the groundwork for a productive and successful period commencing Monday, September 5, 2022. The promise of the new school year is steeped in the experiences and lessons learned from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our education system. In some measure, it can be said that the COVID-19 pandemic provided a silver lining for education, as it was the catalyst needed for pivoting our approach to instruction and learning. Navigating the rough tides associated with the harrowing experience and impact of the pandemic, highlighted and demonstrated our resilience and adaptability as a system, as administrators, as teachers, as parents and as students. As we transition to the normalcy of our pre-COVID existence, we will be including in our instruction and learning repertoire the knowledge and skills acquired over the past two years. Teachers, teachers, parents and students, the integration of information and communication technology in education is here to stay. Therefore, as the Minister with Responsibility for Education, I give my firm commitment to ensuring that our schools, teachers and students are provided with the training and are equipped with the resources needed for graduating digital citizens. The intent is to ensure that our students become competent and creative in the digital environment while practicing responsible use of technology. As a government, we remain resolute in our commitment towards pursuing a transformative education agenda and support the mantra that no student, no child, will be left behind. Therefore, as promised, we continue the distribution of devices to our firm ones, firm twos and in select cases, from free students. By mid-September, every secondary school child should be in possession of a learning device that will support the new approach of technology integration as outlined in our ICT in Education policy. Primary schools will also benefit from over 2,000 devices and smart classrooms in the coming months as the Ministry has invested heavily in transforming some of our traditional benches and desks and chalkboard classrooms into smart interactive spaces. During this school year, we will see greater prominence being placed on technical and vocational education and training TVET as we explore alternative pathways for our students. The year 2022-2023 set the foundation for the transformation of four of our secondary schools, namely the PI secondary, the Aja secondary school, the Grand Revere secondary school, and the John Odlam secondary school into technical institutes. Investing in skills development is an investment in our students and in our country. We all know students learn differently and it is our intention to meet them at their respective levels. The one-size-fits-all approach to educating our young people must not be allowed to continue for much longer. We must recognize their passions and talents and create spaces, centers of vocational excellence where they can have the opportunity to chase and fulfill their dreams. Ladies and gentlemen fellow citizens, this academic year is one of transformation. We are poised to roll out a higher education agenda that sits well with our promise of one university graduate per household. As such, the government has secured approximately 150 university scholarships for students wishing to pursue higher education. We have also made available approximately 150 bursaries to students wishing to pursue studies at the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College. There are quite a few other initiatives that will make the school year stand out and give our students added reasons to remain in school and excel. These include the introduction of the Mandarin pilot program in two of our secondary schools, alongside continued efforts towards the eventual inclusion of the Creole language and Black history teachings in the education system. Secondly, despite the many challenges encountered, the provision of welfare support systems and psychosocial services for our students signal an earnest effort on the part of the Ministry of Education to continue assisting parents. We recognize that our children require more than just academic assistance and of equal importance emphasis must be placed on holistic wellness support. Testimony to the government's commitment to our students, parents and system is the continued payment of facilities fees for every single child in the public and primary schools of our country, reliving parents of this financial burden. Our Form 1 students have a lot to look forward to. There has never been a better time to be a Form 1 student in St. Lucia. This cohort of Form 1 students have received a $500 bursary. These fees have been paid for them. Transportation organized to safely take them to and from their homes and to crown it off. Every single child in Form 1 receives a brand new laptop computer, compliments the government. No other group of first-formers have had it better. Incoming Form 1 students have never had it better. Our Form 1s are well set to succeed as they enter the hallowed walls of their new schools. Our school feeding program continues, and to remedy yet another difficulty faced by parents, the Ministry has increased the number of students on the transportation subsidy. All these interventions augur well for student success. On this, the eve of the new school year, I take the opportunity to thank our valued stakeholders. These include the St. Lucia Teachers Union, the National Principles Association, the National Youth Council, the National Council for Persons with Disabilities, the National Student Council, the Ministry of Health, the police, school boards, teachers, principals, and notably our ancillary staff who have all played a pivotal role in our school reopening preparations. The Ministry of Education sincerely appreciates your efforts as you work towards ensuring a smooth and safe return to the classroom. It is through consultations with you that we are able to overcome some of the usual challenges which play out every school year. This year, global supply chain issues affected the timeliness of our furniture delivery. However, I am pleased to announce that with the exception of one school on Island, our students will be back in the classroom five days a week. The changes to the COVID-19 protocols mean that we will witness a number of our large group activities making a return to the academic calendar. This will include inter-secondary school sports and the National Schools Science and Technology Fair. Hence we can all look forward to a school year with a familiar feel but with a bold and transformative agenda. At this juncture, the Ministry of Education, Sustainable Development, Innovation, Science, Technology and Vocational Training expresses gratitude to school leaders and teachers for the unwavering commitment to all our students at all levels of the education system. The teaching profession has become increasingly challenging in an ever-evolving technological environment yet our teachers continue to play an invaluable role in nation-building. I applaud our teachers for first accepting the training offered to enhance delivery through the use of technology and secondly for the passion exhibited towards elevating and empowering our students to unlock their full potential. Thank you for once again being flexible and supportive as we continue to embrace new approaches to meet the needs of our students while providing them with the best educational experience. In a show of support for the teachers of our country, the Ministry of Education is planning to roll out, in the first term, a Teacher Appreciation Initiative dubbed present P-R-E-S-E-N-T, the acronym for proudly representing its school to exalt the nation's teachers. The intention is that for two days in the month of October, all public and private sector employees as well as the wider public will be encouraged to wear the uniform of their alma mater at the workplace in an expression of gratitude to the nation's teachers for the commitment and dedication displayed during the COVID era and before. To our parents, I wish to remind you that though the Ministry may provide the necessary resources to ensure that the school environment is conducive for learning, the onus is on you to ensure that our students have a safe, stable and supportive home environment. We must all play our part in ensuring student success. Students, the Ministry of Education is committed to your holistic development. You are the future, hence we remain committed to your social, emotional and academic needs. At the Ministry of Education, we will spend no effort in ensuring that your needs are met. However, you have a responsibility to yourself as your success is heavily dependent on your efforts. I implore you to give of your best at all times. Be kind to your peers, respectful to your teachers and obedient to your parents. Help and care for each other. Make new friends and do not be afraid to learn new but positive things. Be bold in pursuit of a better education as we have been bold in pursuit of a better education system. Let us all work towards making 2022-2023 the best school year ever. Thank you to the union teacher, thank you to the association METB METWEST LECOLN, thank you to the Ministry of Health, Police, National Youth Council and the whole world and the organization that I work for and the Ministry of Education. For these parents, the best gift they can give to their parents is education. Because we are trying to show that the best investment we can make in today's land is a better education. A better education for the children and for the future generations is more valuable for the children's education, for the children's education, for the children's education and for the children's education. For this reason, the government has made all the steps we have taken to make our parents better education for our children in our country. And it is only possible for us to prepare our parents for school to take care of the school for the children here. But as we have said in English, our parents are global citizens. We have no confidence in METB METWEST LECOLN, we have no confidence in METB METWEST LECOLN, we have no confidence in METB METWEST LECOLN, because they have served their parents, they have been working with the government in Japan to keep their place in the country and to make a success in school and in the next years, they will start to learn the 6th September of 2020. Thank you everyone and I want to wish the entire education fraternity success as we commence a brand new school year, 2022-2023. On behalf of the senior management personnel in the Ministry of Education, in particular the Parliamentary Secretary, Dr Pauline Antoine Prospe, the Permanent Secretary, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Education Officers and ultimately on behalf of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet of Ministers, I wish everybody a successful and productive academic year. Thank you very much.