 Minister with responsibility for education, Hon. Sean Edward, says there must be equal measure of emphasis on technical and vocational subjects in schools, as there is on core academic subjects. The minister says the education ministry has looked into many avenues of information to formulate its TVET plan, including the country's needs assessment. While it's on a visit to schools in the island's north, the minister hinted to an agenda for education that boosts TVET to a point never seen before. He says the country presently is lacking in quite a few areas where TVET is concerned. Just imagine we have to be importing capenters and other skilled workers into this country. I know we have the aptitude. We also have individuals who can impart the knowledge both in a formal and informal setting. And what we want is to ensure that we recruit a cadre of young people in the society who will be trained and eventually will fill the gaps. The minister says his visit to schools will continue throughout the school year. He says interfacing with students and the faculty provides encouragement and the motivation where necessary. In order for the successes in education to be realized, he says there must be a good working relationship with stakeholders. The tour included several schools in District 1, including the St. Lucia Sponsor Academy and the international school located in Rodney Bay. You need teachers to be firing on all cylinders, so to speak. You need principals to be in sync with the different policies that have been enunciated by the Ministry of Education. And there's no better way to reinforce those than to have a presence at the schools themselves where you can eyeball teachers, eyeball principals, have an interaction with the students and to remind them of what we require as a ministry. As I've said before, it's a very important mandate. We have been tasked with the responsibility of preparing the next generation of citizens who will take their professional places in society to make St. Lucia a better place. The minister says emphasis will also be placed on early childhood education, special education and the thrust in the ICT education with the distribution of laptops to students island-wide. And that is not enough to just give the devices. We've thought the government of St. Lucia has entered into an arrangement where 5,000 households will receive communication bundles where students who are coming from homes where internet access is not readily available, they will benefit and they will be in a position where they can actually access the internet to their research, to their homework and that they will be on the same plane with students who come from families where those services are readily available. Minister Edward says it is his intention when the ministry embarks on visits to schools to include the parliamentary representatives for the districts being taught as well as the important community figures. From the communications unit of the Ministry of Education, Sustainable Development, Innovation, Science, Technology and Vocational Training, I am Chris Satney reporting.