 Approximately 37 students from the Center for Adolescent Renewal and Education Limited or CARE will benefit from financial support from the St. Lucia Social Development Fund or SSDF, which has once again partnered with the Department of Education, Innovation and Vocational Training to fund its students' intervention program known as the Post-Primary Alternative Pathway or PAP. SSDF will continue its sponsorship of the first cohort of 12 students and sponsor an additional 12 students in the second cohort for the 2023-2024 academic year. The Education Quality Improvement Project or ECRIP will expand its support to include 13 new students. Speaking at a handing over ceremony held recently in the conference room of the Education Ministry, Executive Director of the St Lucia Social Development Fund, John Victor said he is excited that the program aimed at providing support to students with SIFIA achievement difficulties will provide an alternative avenue for them to access a specialized training option designed to fit their unique educational challenges. Because the program falls in line with the mandate of the SSDF, which is to provide opportunity to the most vulnerable people in our society to improve the quality of life, to provide them with access to such opportunity. I encourage you, my final words, I encourage you to take this program seriously. It's not just an opportunity for us to spend money on the students, pay their tuition fees and give them a laptop, but it's an opportunity for you to improve the quality of your life. New participants in the program were presented with laptop computers to ensure they have the tools necessary to take advantage of the program's emphasis on unique instruction that is tailored to each student's individual requirements. Senator Honorable Dr Paulina Antoine Prosper, Parliamentary Secretary in the Department of Education, Innovation and Vocational Training, reaffirmed the Ministry's commitment to closing the gaps in education, ensuring that all students, regardless of background or aptitude, have access to high quality education. We have some late bloomers, we have some children early in their lives they play, but later on you realize these are brilliant people you have among you and they need the opportunity to continue school. We cannot decide their fate at CPE level. We cannot decide their fate at CXE level. These are human beings who have to make a livelihood for themselves and we must support them at whatever level that they need our assistance. Executive Director of Care Dr Kaleen Mason said the program is well suited for the students which were carefully selected. The success is that of the 1312 successfully completed the year one and of the 12 successfully completing year one, two were actually promoted into the Skills program and that isn't the normal progression, it is that we would have at least two years. Dr Mason said the one student from cohort one who did not make it through actually dropped out of the program citing insufficient parental support as the main factor behind the disappointing result. She emphasized the need for adequate parental support in order for students to sufficiently benefit from the program which will in the end, she says, put them on the right path for success. From the Communications Unit of the Department of Education, Innovation and Vocational Training, I am Chris Satney reporting.