Published 27 August 2022
Basseterre
Buckie Got It, St.Kitts and Nevis News Source
EDUCATION IS KEY TO CURBING MANY SOCIAL ILLS, SAYS PRIME MINISTER DR. DREW
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, August 28, 2022 (SKNIS) – The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis, under the leadership of Prime Minister the Honourable Dr. Terrance Drew, will place greater emphasis on the education of the nation’s youth as a means of curbing many of today’s social ills, including crime and gang-related violence.
Prime Minister Dr. Drew, while speaking on the radio programme ‘Groundings’ on Freedom FM on Friday, August 26, stated that it is well within the financial powers of the Government to ensure that students in St. Kitts and Nevis receive the highest levels of education.
“[The] economic costs for all the students in UWI [University of the West Indies] per year is about $2 million. That is what I am told from the numbers, and there are programmes in the Government that costs $2 million a month. You know how much it costs for us to educate all of our people at college, $1.5 million per year, and there are programmes that cost $2 million per month. So it’s cheaper to educate all of our people than to pay for any other programme, and so education will be our way to deal with crime and to deal with the social issues,” Prime Minister Dr. Drew said.
To ensure that no child is left behind, the honourable Prime Minister stated that his Government is committed to making sure that every child in St. Kitts and Nevis has access to the internet.
“We are going to make sure that the children [whose parents] can’t afford internet at home, that they are going to get free internet—they are going to get their computers and free internet, so no child because of their socio-economic status will be left behind,” he said.
Shortly after assuming office, the Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Terrance Drew led-administration initiated a policy that provides free tuition for students attending Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College (CFBC), starting with the 2022-23 academic year.