 The school supervision retreat focused mainly on the collective aspirations of those charged with the supervision of the education sector, fostered through dialogue, collaboration and a shared vision in order to shape the future of education within St. Lucia and the wider region. Continuous leadership development is being seen as the best approach in ensuring the achievement of a more dynamic and forward-thinking education system that would be down to a better administration of schools. Held under the theme, empowering our leaders, transforming our education system, the retreat-engaged education officers, heads and support personnel in engaging sessions, hot-provoking discussions and collaborative activities. Chief Education Officer Beverly Deodone says the theme reflects a profound dedication to fostering leadership through innovation and positive change within the education sector. Empowering our leaders is not just a slogan. It is a commitment to nurturing the potential within each of you. It is about recognizing the leadership that exists at every level of our education system and providing the support and the resources needed to catalyze positive change. School supervision is considered as the backbone of the educational structure working with principals and teachers to achieve excellence in education. Education Minister Hon. Sean Edward is on the record stating the important role that all who work in school administration play in creating an education system that helps grow the human resource base of the country and deal with the many social ills in the country such as crime. I firmly believe that real societal transformation can come forth or come about if we program properly in our education system and the education that we put forward must be one that is relevant and one that reflects the realities of the time in which we now live. Parliamentary Secretary Senator Hon. Pauline Antoine Prosper who is a former principal and district education officer says the mission of school supervision goes beyond the routine administrative tasks. She called on officers in attendance to continue to foster an environment of continuous improvement and to stay ahead of evolving needs of the sector. Here our influence extends beyond the walls of the schools, beyond the district offices. We serve the public. Our collective efforts will help the principals, the teachers, the students and the leaders that we lead to shape this nation, to shape our society. The school supervision section of the ministry is headed by the chief education officer and deputy chief education officer who are responsible for education officers in each of the eight school districts who in turn are directly responsible for schools under their districts. The structure also includes education officers for special education, Kamdu, Thivet, Nelju, Early Childhood and school feeding program as well as heads of the school counseling and school safety sections. From the communications unit of the Department of Education, Innovation and Vocational Training, I am Chris Satney, reporting.