NEWS
CXC reports poor regional performance: 64% fail maths
About two out of every three pupils who wrote CSEC maths in May/June failed the exam, according to figures stated for the region by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) on August 20. The CXC held a ceremony in Dominica to launch the results for CSEC and CAPE which pupils began to access online immediately afterwards. CXC director of operations Dr Nicole Manning said the pass rate for CSEC Mathematics across the Caribbean was just 36 per cent of pupils. She indicated the pass rate had been 43 per cent last year, up from 37 per cent in 2022 and 34 per cent in 2021, the latter the likely fallout of the pandemic. Read more here
Children’s Ark gives migrant children a ray of hope
As 23 Venezuelan children of registered migrants prepare to attend school for the first time in years come September, 50-plus Venezuelan children have already started studying at a learning centre, A Ray of Hope, in Penal. A 40-foot container on the grounds of the Penal Catholic church was converted into a learning centre in May 2024 for just under $250,000 by the Children’s Ark for migrant/refugee Venezuelan children. Simone De la Bastide said after a meeting between Archbishop Charles Jason Gordon, the Living Water Community, the Migrant Ministry, and St Dominic’s RC Penal Parish, it was decided that two centres would be established, one in Penal and another in Santa Cruz. Read more here
POLITICS
Education Minister: Migrant children will be given books, lunches
Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly has said more Venezuelan migrant children who qualify to attend school in TT will be able to transition into schools in the course of the school year. She also said migrant students will be able to access school lunch and food programmes. The minister made the comments in response to questions from Newsday on Tuesday, the day after the announcement that 23 of 111 children who qualified to enter TT schools would do so in September. Read more here
BUSINESS
Gopee-Scoon to Ameen: Get your food-price facts straight
Minister of Trade and Industry Paula Gopee-Scoon knocked MP for St Augustine Khadijah Ameen over what she described as “erroneous statements” about food prices. At the UNC’s media briefing on August 18, Ameen said food prices were skyrocketing because of a lack of access to foreign exchange. She said, according to Central Statistical Office (CSO) reports, the average price of food and non-alcoholic beverages rose by 8.6 per cent between July 2022 and July 2023. Read more here
Massy CEO: SuperPharm deal to elevate customer experience
While Massy’s decision to sell its in-store pharmacy assets to SuperPharm Ltd will be a “good deal for both sides”, Massy’s chief executive officer, David Affonso, has said that more importantly, the sale will benefit customers by providing them with improved service while retaining their existing benefits. In an interview with Express Business last Friday, Affonso compared the deal to CVS Health’s management of in-store pharmacies at Target stores in the United States. “We started the pharmacies because we are always trying to innovate in the stores and be ahead of the rest, that is why we have the self-checkouts as well. Read more here
REGIONAL
$100M to support CDCs from carbon credit payment
The sum of $100 million in carbon credit revenues has been set aside this year to support Community Development Councils (CDCs), underscoring the government’s commitment to Amerindian and hinterland development.
Vice-President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo made the announcement when he addressed Amerindian leaders on Day Two of the National Toshaos Council (NTC) Conference, being held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC). These CDCs, which are under the purview of the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, are supported by the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, and were not part of the 242 villages that benefitted from the $4.7 billion carbon credit funds disbursed last year. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Barack and Michelle Obama electrify Democrats but warn of tight race
Michelle and Barack Obama gave resounding endorsements of Kamala Harris on Tuesday night at the Democratic National Convention, exhorting party supporters across the US to turn out and vote to defeat Donald Trump in November. "Hope is making a comeback," Mrs Obama told the crowd at the DNC in Chicago, echoing her husband's campaign promise of "hope and change". In their back-to-back speeches, the Democratic Party's most popular figures praised Ms Harris, while excoriating Trump - whose presidency was characterised by "bluster and chaos", in the words of Mr Obama. Read more here
21st August 2024