Carib Scope

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  • ‘Teacher training, staffing key to success’

    ‘Teacher training, staffing key to success’

    A plan to bring back the Continuous Assessment Component (CAC) to Trinidad and Tobago’s primary education system has earned cautious backing from the nation’s largest teachers’ union and the national parent-teacher body, both of which warn that policy missteps that doomed the first iteration of the framework must be avoided for the initiative to deliver on its promises.

    The Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers’ Association (TTUTA) first vice president Adesh Dwarika shared the union’s position in a recent phone interview with local outlet the Express, following the release of a memorandum from Education Ministry Chief Education Officer Peter Smith that launched virtual public consultations with primary school principals, teachers, and parents of Standards Two and Three students on the planned CAC relaunch.

    Dwarika noted that TTUTA leadership held a meeting with Education Ministry officials several weeks prior to the consultation announcement, where Education Minister Dr Michael Dowlath confirmed the CAC would be returning to the national education system. The union had previously pushed for educator and administrator inclusion in consultation talks, a demand that has since been reflected in the ministry’s current outreach process.

    “TTUTA has no objection to the policy if it genuinely strengthens the education system, enhances teaching and learning experiences for students, and reduces unnecessary pressure on young learners,” Dwarika explained. “But we cannot ignore the mistakes that led to its cancellation the first time around, and we must address those flaws up front.”

    When CAC was first rolled out as part of the national Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA), it required teachers to deliver instruction in creative arts and a range of skill-based modules that many primary educators were not trained to teach, Dwarika said. A second critical flaw was the lack of standardized grading: assessments were scored independently at each school, leading to inconsistent, highly subjective results that undermined the credibility of the framework. The policy also created unmanageable additional workload for already stretched teaching staff, he added.

    To fix these longstanding issues, TTUTA has proposed several key reforms ahead of the relaunch. Dwarika recommended rolling out a system of centralized grading moderation modeled after the School Based Assessment (SBA) process used for Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations, which would create consistent, fair grading standards across all schools. The union has also proposed reducing the weight of the final high-stakes SEA examination to offset the added workload of continuous assessment, framing the adjustment as a way to balance formative evaluation with systemwide accountability.

    Dwarika emphasized that TTUTA’s demands are rooted in a commitment to improving outcomes for students and supporting educators, not opposing policy change. “We are not obstructionists. We want what is best for our students, who are our nation’s future, but we also need to protect our teachers from unfair emotional and physical burnout. Unreasonable burdens are the last thing any successful policy needs,” he said.

    Walter Stewart, president of the National Parent Teacher Association (NPTA), echoed TTUTA’s cautious support in a statement shared via WhatsApp with the Express. Stewart noted that the current SEA framework relies entirely on a single high-stakes examination that only captures a student’s performance on one specific day, under high-pressure conditions. While the SEA provides useful data on a student’s academic readiness, it fails to capture the full range of a child’s creativity, talent and long-term potential, he argued.

    “CAC will give us a more holistic portrait of a student’s achievement, growth and development over time, and will better highlight the skills and competencies that act as building blocks for long-term success,” Stewart said. Like TTUTA, Stewart stressed that the policy’s success hinges on three core prerequisites: clear national assessment standards, consistent and adequate teacher training, and transparent mechanisms to guarantee equity and fairness across all schools. Stewart added that the NPTA supports the framework because it centers student well-being, reduces unnecessary testing stress, and prioritizes meaningful learning over high-stakes performance.

    As of press time, the Express reports that Education Minister Dr Michael Dowlath has not responded to requests for comment on the associations’ positions.

    The current push to bring back CAC comes seven years after the policy was scrapped by the then-government in 2016. In April of that year, then Education Minister Anthony Garcia announced that the cohort of students sitting SEA that May would be the last to complete the CAC component. The cabinet’s decision followed a five-week national public consultation on education reform held earlier that year, which collected feedback through in-person public forums and online surveys. Consultation respondents widely criticized the original CAC as a poorly planned framework that placed unfair, undue stress on teachers, students and families, leading to its swift disbandment.

  • US and T&T security forces complete training at Teteron

    US and T&T security forces complete training at Teteron

    A four-day joint Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) training exchange between national security forces of the United States and Trinidad and Tobago has successfully concluded at Teteron Barracks in Chaguaramas, marking another milestone in the two countries’ deepening defense and security partnership. The exercise brought together service members from the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF) alongside representatives from multiple local interagency partners, who participated in rigorous, real-world simulated trauma exercises designed to build practical frontline skills. According to an official social media statement shared by the U.S. Embassy in Port of Spain, the drills centered on three core, life-saving competencies: rapid casualty assessment, on-site trauma treatment, and coordinated casualty evacuation under combat-like conditions. The training program was co-led by two instructors: a U.S. Special Operations combat medic and a TTDF Special Operations soldier who had previously completed the same TCCC training through bilateral cooperation. In its official comment on the exercise, the U.S. Embassy noted that the exchange exemplifies how the longstanding military partnership between the two nations is creating durable, self-sustaining training capacity within Trinidad and Tobago’s domestic security forces. The conclusion of the medical exchange comes as Trinidad and Tobago advances expanded security cooperation with the U.S. to address persistent transnational criminal threats, particularly drug trafficking along the country’s coastline. In remarks delivered earlier this week to local media outlet the Express, Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar outlined upcoming enhancements to the bilateral security partnership, noting that the U.S. will deliver additional patrol vessels to Trinidad and Tobago in the coming months to boost border protection capabilities. She also confirmed that U.S. military and intelligence personnel will increase their on-ground presence in the country to support local law enforcement and security agencies’ ongoing anti-crime operations. Persad-Bissessar disclosed that a contingent of U.S. Navy SEALs— the U.S. Navy’s elite special operations force, trained for high-stakes maritime and land-based missions—is already on the ground in Trinidad and Tobago handling advance logistics for a larger upcoming deployment of SEAL teams. These special operations personnel will provide specialized training and operational support to the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard and TTDF, focusing on three core priorities: strengthening border surveillance, disrupting illegal drug shipments, and shoring up the country’s internal security. The Prime Minister explained that expanded cooperation comes amid incremental progress in curbing drug flows into Trinidad and Tobago from South America, but persistent threats remain in vulnerable coastal regions. She identified the southern, southwestern, and central coastlines of Trinidad as persistent hotspots for illicit smuggling activity, with the stretch from Caroni to Marabella posing particular challenges. The dense mangrove ecosystems and informal squatter settlements that line this coastline make it easy for smuggling operations to go undetected, she noted, adding that these squatter communities are heavily infiltrated by transnational criminal networks and local gangs that facilitate the drug trade. This expanded security partnership reflects the U.S.’s ongoing commitment to supporting Caribbean nations in countering transnational organized crime, which has been identified as a core shared priority for regional stability.

  • Relative: He wasn’t much of a threat

    Relative: He wasn’t much of a threat

    A fatal police shooting of a 38-year-old mentally ill man in San Juan has sparked deep grief and serious questions from his family, who say they called law enforcement to get him life-saving medical help, not a death sentence. Abraham Hackette, a longtime outpatient at St Ann’s Psychiatric Hospital, was shot and killed by officers on the evening of June 22 following a chaotic confrontation that left one police officer injured. What has intensified the family’s pain is the gaping mismatch between their account of the call for help and the official narrative released by police, alongside unanswered queries about why less-lethal force options were not used to subdue Hackette.

    Hackette’s surviving sister, who requested anonymity to protect her family’s privacy, told local outlet the Express that the encounter began as a desperate plea for help. On Monday afternoon, Hackette became severely agitated during a mental health episode, armed himself with knives, and confronted a family member. Their mother, fearing for the safety of everyone in the home and neighborhood, placed an emergency call to police, asking officers to assist in transporting Hackette to the psychiatric hospital for care. The sister explained that their mother expected officers would sedate Hackette and move him to receive treatment, never anticipating the situation would end in her youngest brother’s death.

    This was not Hackette’s first acute mental health crisis, his sister confirmed. The youngest of five siblings, Hackette had a history of mental illness that required institutional care: a previous episode that led to an assault on a relative resulted in his arrest, a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation at St Ann’s, and eventual discharge with ongoing medication to manage his condition. The sister emphasized that the entire family only wanted to get Hackette help on the day of the shooting, and no one foresaw the violence that would unfold. “Because he was having an episode. No one expected this to escalate to what happened,” she told reporters.

    Official police reports lay out a different sequence of events. Just before 7 p.m. on June 22, two officers — WPC Nakhid and PC David Noel — responded to the disturbance call at Farroe Terrace, where the Hackette family lives. Upon arrival, the officers found Hackette, armed with two knives, being chased by a group of local men. He ran onto Saddle Road near Concord Road, where PC Noel exited his marked patrol vehicle and ordered Hackette to drop his weapons. When Hackette ignored the command and lunged at Noel, slashing the officer’s left hand and right arm.

    Hackette then fled east along Concord Road, with both officers in pursuit, shouting repeated orders for him to surrender. During the chase, he attempted to attack PC Noel a second time, prompting the officer to fire one warning shot in Hackette’s direction. Hackette evaded officers by jumping a wall and hiding in dense brush near the San Juan River. While the injured PC Noel was transported to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC) in Mt Hope for treatment, additional units from the San Juan CID and North Eastern Division Task Force launched a large-scale manhunt for Hackette.

    Around 7:30 p.m., search teams spotted Hackette holding a 12-inch knife in a bushy trail near the river. Police say Hackette ignored multiple demands to drop his weapon, shouted “Ah go kill allyuh” (I will kill all of you), and continued advancing toward officers. Officers opened fire, striking Hackette multiple times. He was rushed to EWMSC in a police vehicle but was pronounced dead on arrival. PC Noel, the injured officer, was treated at the same hospital and remained in stable condition as of the family’s interview. Crime scene investigators later processed multiple locations connected to the incident and collected evidence for the ongoing investigation.

    In the days after the shooting, the Hackette family says they have received almost no information from police about the details of the encounter, leaving them to grapple with grief and suspicion. Hackette’s sister questioned the use of deadly force against her brother, noting that he was a small man who did not pose an unavoidable lethal threat, even armed. Most pointedly, she asked why officers did not deploy less-lethal tools such as Tasers or pepper spray that could have disabled Hackette without killing him, even if officers felt threatened. “Why didn’t they try to shoot him in his foot or something to disable him and disarm him? The whole thing just doesn’t sit right with me,” she said, adding that she has little confidence that an internal investigation will yield accountability or answers for her family. The shooting has left the entire family traumatized, she added, and they are still struggling to process how a request for medical help ended in a young man’s death.

    As a public service, the story included a resource note for community members facing mental health crisis: anyone experiencing a mental health emergency can contact the Ministry of Health’s free 24-hour National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 800-COPE (2673).

  • T&T home to 186 gangs

    T&T home to 186 gangs

    A 2026 report compiled by the United Kingdom Home Office has laid bare the full scope of gang-related organized crime across Trinidad and Tobago, offering granular data on gang activity, violence trends, and systemic challenges facing the Caribbean nation’s law enforcement institutions.

    Prepared as a reference for UK immigration and asylum decision-makers and published earlier in June 2026, the Country Policy and Information Note (CPIN) documents that at least 186 distinct gangs, with an approximate total membership of 1,750, currently operate across the twin-island nation. Data analyzed in the report links these criminal networks to 43.7 percent of all homicides recorded in 2024, with gang-related killings accounting for roughly one-third of all murders nationwide in 2025.

    The report draws on conflict mapping data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) to show that a staggering 57 percent of Trinidad and Tobago’s total population lived within close proximity of gang-related violent incidents between January and September 2024. While gang activity is most heavily concentrated in the capital Port of Spain and the densely populated East-West Corridor, the assessment confirms criminal groups have established a presence in communities across both islands. High-risk areas explicitly named in the report include Laventille, Morvant, Sea Lots, Beetham, Tunapuna, Arima, Diego Martin, Chaguanas, and San Fernando, with the vast majority of gang-related homicides occurring in populated population centers in northwestern Trinidad.

    Two large criminal networks – the Muslims gang and Rasta City gang – are identified as the dominant gang groupings in the country. Other notable active groups include Sixx, Seven, Resistance, Anybody Gets It (ABG), Tyson, and the Boombay Gang. The report notes that while most smaller gangs operate as affiliates of these larger, established organizations, security agencies have recorded a steady rise in independent splinter gangs and autonomous criminal networks across the region in recent years. Gangs in Trinidad and Tobago engage in a wide range of illicit activities, the report confirms, including drug trafficking, illegal firearms smuggling, contract killings, kidnappings for ransom, extortion, human trafficking, armed robbery, unregulated illegal quarrying, and financial fraud. The assessment also highlights that transnational Venezuelan criminal organizations, including the well-documented Tren de Aragua and Evander groups, operate in partnership with local gang networks across the nation.

    On the topic of gang recruitment, the report outlines that criminal groups systematically target vulnerable young people between the ages of 12 and 16, with recruitment activity documented inside primary and secondary schools as well as within the country’s prison system. Contrary to common assumptions about gang demographics, the report notes that women hold full membership in many local gangs, and in some cases occupy senior leadership positions. In many marginalized communities, gangs maintain social control and public loyalty by providing informal financial support, mediating local disputes, and connecting residents to informal employment opportunities – a dynamic that has helped them embed themselves in community life. The assessment also echoes longstanding public concerns over allegations that state-funded public contracts have been awarded to individuals with proven ties to organized criminal groups.

    The CPIN assessment was published months after the government of Trinidad and Tobago declared a national state of emergency to address rising gang violence on December 30, 2024. Early outcomes from the emergency crackdown have shown measurable reductions in violence: the report records that more than 4,000 people were arrested and roughly 1,600 people were charged with criminal offenses during the emergency period. Clashes between rival gangs and targeted attacks on civilians dropped by 44 percent during the first eight months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, and the national overall homicide rate also declined sharply, falling from 45.7 homicides per 100,000 residents in 2024 to 27 per 100,000 in 2025. Even with this progress, however, gangs still remained responsible for approximately one out of every three murders recorded in 2025.

    The report also documents rapid gang expansion on the smaller island of Tobago, where the total number of active gangs has grown from just 3 in 2009 to 28 as of 2022. Many Trinidad and Tobago-based gangs have also established cross-border connections with other criminal organizations across the Caribbean, enabling broader transnational criminal activity, the assessment adds.

    In its concluding findings, the UK Home Office report acknowledges that state institutions in Trinidad and Tobago remain fully operational and are able to provide protection to citizens in most circumstances. However, it highlights persistent systemic challenges that continue to undermine efforts to curb gang activity: widespread witness intimidation, public sector corruption, chronic resource constraints for law enforcement, and eroded public confidence in policing and judicial institutions. The report identifies police officers, prison staff, prosecutors, judges, and private business owners as among the most common targets for gang intimidation and retaliatory violence.

  • Labour Party announces July 10th, 2026 deadline for submission of Letters of Intent

    Labour Party announces July 10th, 2026 deadline for submission of Letters of Intent

    BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – June 24, 2026 – The St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) has officially announced a 5:00 PM deadline on Friday, July 10, 2026, for individuals interested in being considered as the party’s prospective electoral candidates to submit their Letters of Intent.

    In an official public notice issued by the party, SKNLP reminded all party members (referred to as Comrades) that the timeline for this candidate nomination step adheres to the regulations laid out in the party’s founding constitution. The announcement outlines clear submission protocols for aspiring candidates: all Letters of Intent must be placed in a sealed envelope and delivered either to the chairperson of the applicant’s respective Constituency Branch, or sent directly to the SKNLP National Secretariat Office located on Fort Street in Basseterre.

    Once the submission window closes, every received Letter of Intent will enter a structured multi-stage evaluation process that includes comprehensive review, background vetting, and formal assessment. All stages of this process will follow the guidelines established in the SKNLP constitution and the party’s long-standing internal procedures.

    Party representatives emphasized that SKNLP remains dedicated to upholding a candidate selection process that is fair, fully transparent, and rigorous in its standards. The overarching goal of this process is to identify candidates who embody the core qualities the party prioritizes: strong leadership ability, unwavering personal integrity, proven professional competence, a clear forward-facing vision for the nation, and the commitment required to effectively represent local constituents and serve all people of St. Kitts and Nevis.

    This open call for Letters of Intent is not only a fulfillment of the party’s formal constitutional obligations, it also reflects SKNLP’s decades-long commitment to ensuring that every individual seeking to stand for public office through the Labour movement undergoes a thorough evaluation rooted in merit-based assessment.

    Aspiring candidates with questions or seeking additional information about the submission process are encouraged to reach out directly to the SKNLP National Secretariat via telephone at +1 (869) 669-2089 or through email at sknlpnatsec@gmail.com.

  • West Indies and Sri Lanka Set to Battle for The Sobers-Tissera Trophy in Antigua

    West Indies and Sri Lanka Set to Battle for The Sobers-Tissera Trophy in Antigua

    As the countdown to the first ball of the Sobers-Tissera Trophy Test series winds down, cricket fans across the Caribbean and around the world are building excitement for the upcoming showdown between West Indies and Sri Lanka, kicking off Thursday morning local time at Antigua’s iconic Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. This two-match series is the first of two home Test campaigns on West Indies’ summer 2026 calendar, followed by a series against Pakistan in Trinidad, with both fixtures counting toward the ongoing ICC World Test Championship cycle. The regional side will wrap up their current cycle with an away tour to Bangladesh this November, making every point on home soil critical to their final standing.

    For the home side, the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium has long been a fortress. Across 13 previous Test matches hosted at the ground, West Indies have walked away defeated just twice, a stat that gives them a clear psychological edge heading into the series. That advantage extends beyond the venue: West Indies have never lost a home Test series to Sri Lanka, an unbeaten streak stretching back to Sri Lanka’s first tour of the Caribbean in 1997. Across five home series between the two sides in that time, West Indies have claimed two series wins, while the remaining three ended in draws, including the teams’ most recent encounter in 2021. Keeping that decades-long unbeaten streak intact is a top motivational priority for the West Indies camp, according to head coach Daren Sammy.

    Sammy shared that the team’s preparation has been specifically tailored to Antigua’s pitch conditions and to counter Sri Lanka’s playing strengths. “We’ve looked at the surface, and we have a fair idea of how it’s going to play. All our preparation has been tailored towards that,” he explained, noting that the coaching staff and players have accounted for every possible scenario the hosts could face over the two matches.

    A major boost to West Indies’ confidence ahead of the series is the return of star fast bowlers Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph, who both missed the 2025 away tours to India and New Zealand. The West Indies pace attack has emerged as one of the team’s greatest home strengths since the start of 2024, posting a collective bowling average of 23.13 on home soil – the best record of any ICC full member nation in that period. The Sir Vivian Richards Stadium has also historically played to the pace unit’s strengths: veteran seamer Kemar Roach has taken 54 wickets at the ground at an exceptional average of just 17.07, while Alzarri Joseph has notched 24 wickets at 24.95 at his home venue.

    This series also brings two historic milestone opportunities for West Indian fast bowlers. Roach enters the contest with 294 career Test wickets, needing just six more to become only the fifth West Indian bowler in history to reach the coveted 300-wicket mark in Test cricket. Rising star Jayden Seales, meanwhile, is five wickets short of his own 100-career Test wickets. The 23-year-old has already claimed 95 wickets in just 26 Tests, and if he reaches the 100-wicket mark within his next 212 deliveries, he will surpass Mohammad Asif to become one of the fastest bowlers to reach the milestone in terms of total balls bowled. Currently, only fellow West Indian Ian Bishop ranks in the top 10 fastest 100-wicket hauls for pace bowlers, meaning Seales is on the cusp of joining elite company if he hits the mark this series.

    Joshua Da Silva, Seales’ franchise captain and the recalled wicketkeeper for the series, says the entire squad is eager to see both bowlers hit their milestones. “We know what Kemar has done, what he’s capable of doing and what he continues to do,” Da Silva said. “I’ll be really excited for him to see him cross that milestone. The energy and the grit and determination, the banter that he has on the field, it’s relentless and it just shows why he is the cricketer that he is.”

    Beyond the bowling unit, the West Indies batting group has shown marked improvement in the current WTC cycle. Batters have notched five centuries across eight matches in this cycle, compared to only two centuries in the previous 13 matches of the 2023-2025 cycle. Batting coach Floyd Reifer attributed the progress to intentional, targeted work with the squad over the last 12 months. “Over the last year we have put in a lot of work with the batters on their individual plans, and as a group and coaching staff we have pinpointed areas which needed to be improved,” Reifer explained. “Areas of strength we have sought to enhance, and we continue to see a better attitude towards batting and batting for long periods.”

    Off the field, the opening match will prioritize engaging the next generation of Caribbean cricket fans. In partnership with Cricket West Indies and Antigua’s Ministry of Education and Creative Industries, the first two days of the Test have been designated student engagement days: primary school students from across the island will attend day one, while secondary school students will be guests of honor on day two, giving young local fans the chance to experience top-tier international cricket live.

    With home advantage, historic momentum, and major milestones on the line, all eyes will turn to Antigua Thursday morning as two of international cricket’s oldest Test nations battle for the Sobers-Tissera Trophy and vital WCT points.

  • Baarden, tatoeages en professionaliteit binnen politiekorps: tijd voor een moderne benadering

    Baarden, tatoeages en professionaliteit binnen politiekorps: tijd voor een moderne benadering

    Social norms and cultural values are in constant flux, shifting alongside broader societal evolution. Practices that were deemed unprofessional, inappropriate or unacceptable just a few decades ago are increasingly accepted by mainstream communities today. This shifting landscape has now reached the Korps Politie Suriname (Suriname Police Corps), sparking a debate over long-standing grooming bans on full beards and visible tattoos among serving officers.

    For generations, the Suriname Police Corps has adhered to a strict policy that prohibited officers from wearing full beards, with the restriction rooted in outdated perceptions that linked facial hair to poor grooming, a lack of discipline and diminished authority. Similarly, tattoos were historically stigmatized as markers of criminal activity and negative public image, barring officers from displaying visible ink.

    But as societal attitudes have transformed dramatically across the globe, the Suriname Police Union (SPU) is now questioning whether these decades-old restrictions still reflect 21st century social reality. Today, well-groomed full beards are a common personal choice for men across all professional sectors, including public service. For many officers, wearing a beard is also a core expression of their religious identity, required by their personal faith. Tattoos, meanwhile, are widely recognized globally as a legitimate form of body art and personal expression, worn by professionals across every walk of life – from doctors and lawyers to teachers, military personnel and police officers.

    As the representative body for Surinamese police officers, the SPU argues that true professional competence is defined by an officer’s conduct, integrity, discipline, expertise, and commitment to carrying out their duties – not by superficial appearance. A neatly maintained beard or a visible tattoo says nothing inherently about an officer’s character, authority, trustworthiness, or ability to serve the public. “Police work is carried out by the officer, not their facial hair or body art,” the union emphasizes.

    Beyond shifting social norms, the SPU frames the debate as a matter of fundamental constitutional and human rights. Suriname is a democratic constitutional state, and Article 8 of its constitution enshrines the principle of equality, banning discrimination on the grounds of religion or personal status. Article 9 further guarantees every citizen the right to physical, psychological and moral integrity. When personal appearance such as a beard is directly tied to an officer’s religious belief or core personal identity, the union questions whether any restriction on that choice can be considered necessary, reasonable, or proportionate under the law.

    These protections are also reinforced by international human rights treaties that Suriname has ratified. Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) protects freedom of thought, conscience and religion, while Article 26 of the same treaty guarantees the right to equal treatment and freedom from discrimination. International human rights norms also explicitly protect personal dignity and personal privacy, rights that are implicated by overly broad grooming restrictions.

    The union is careful to note that this argument does not mean police forces should abandon all grooming and conduct rules. It acknowledges that any police corps has both the right and the responsibility to set reasonable expectations for public representation, discipline and professional standards. But any such rules must be objective, reasonable, proportionate, and applied consistently across all ranks, the SPU says.

    The debate has been sparked by a recent internal incident, in which an officer was reassigned over claims that his beard violated standards of public representativeness. The case has raised urgent, unresolved questions: Is a neatly groomed full beard truly a threat to public representation? Are there objective, evidence-based criteria to back up such a claim? Have fundamental rights and personal religious convictions been adequately considered in disciplinary decisions? And does this outdated approach align with modern societal expectations?

    The SPU points to a growing global trend of police forces updating their policies to reflect changing social norms. A growing number of countries around the world now allow well-groomed beards and visible tattoos for officers, as long as they do not conflict with safety requirements or interfere with an officer’s ability to perform their duties.

    At its core, the debate is not about appearance – it is about what the public actually expects from its police force, the union argues. Modern Surinamese society does not demand superficial uniformity of appearance at the expense of individual rights. Instead, it expects police officers to demonstrate consistent professionalism, integrity, fairness, and high-quality service to the community.

    To drive home this core message, the union concludes: A beard does not do police work. A tattoo does not do police work. That is the work of the police officer.

    This opinion piece was written by Revelino R.M. Eijk, LLB, Chair of the Suriname Police Union, published on June 24.

  • ABCAS Pathways Summit Equips Graduands For Success

    ABCAS Pathways Summit Equips Graduands For Success

    Against a backdrop of growing focus on bridging the gap between academic learning and real-world professional success, the Antigua and Barbuda Accreditation Advisory Society (ABCAS) has brought together a diverse cross-section of education and industry leaders for its inaugural Pathways Summit, a targeted initiative designed to equip graduating students with the tools they need to thrive in their next life stages. The opening ceremony of the gathering kicked off with keynote opening addresses from two of ABCAS’ top leaders: Dr. E. Jonah Greene, the organization’s president, and Dr. Vernon Solomon, chair of the ABCAS Board of Trustees. A wide range of senior stakeholders and distinguished guests from across the nation’s education and private sectors joined the ceremony, including Dr. Na-Ajele Williams-Buffonge, ABCAS vice president, Dalso Henry, permanent secretary of Antigua and Barbuda’s Ministry of Education, the full body of ABCAS Board members, and official delegations from leading local educational institutions including The University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus, the national Board of Education, and the Antigua and Barbuda Accreditation Board. Unlike traditional graduation events that focus solely on celebrating academic achievement, the Pathways Summit centered on practical, actionable skill-building for graduands navigating the transition out of higher education. Attendees gained actionable insights across four critical areas that directly impact post-graduation success: workplace readiness, personal financial management, mental and physical wellness, and launching new entrepreneurial ventures. To ground discussions in real industry experience, Carlene Spencer, learning and development manager at the major local resort Sandals Grande Antigua, shared on-the-ground perspectives on the core competencies and soft skills that modern employers prioritize when evaluating new hires. For his part, Kurt Jno Baptiste led an interactive, engaging workshop focused on building long-term financial empowerment, a skill rarely covered in standard academic curricula. Beyond structured presentations and workshops, the summit created dedicated space for graduands to network one-on-one with representatives from local universities, top regional employers, established entrepreneurs, and public and private support organizations. This direct engagement gave attendees unparalleled access to curated information, tailored resources, and clear pathways to advanced education, employment, and self-employment that they can leverage immediately after graduation. For ABCAS, the Pathways Summit is far more than a one-off event: it is a core manifestation of the organization’s long-standing institutional commitment to student success. Rather than only supporting students through their graduation requirements, ABCAS aims to prepare learners for sustainable, fulfilling careers, successful entrepreneurial ventures, and ongoing lifelong learning as they enter the next chapter of their personal and professional lives.

  • Forced Leave, Vacation Blackouts Dominate ABWU Aviation Sector Meeting

    Forced Leave, Vacation Blackouts Dominate ABWU Aviation Sector Meeting

    A recent gathering of the Airlines and Aviation Section of the Antigua and Barbuda Workers’ Union (ABWU) has shone a spotlight on two pressing workplace issues: unfair forced leave policies and underrepresentation of aviation workers, prompting union leadership to commit to targeted action for employee protections.

    The meeting, which brought together top union officials and frontline shop stewards, served as a collaborative space for delegates to surface on-the-job grievances, review shifting dynamics across the country’s aviation sector, and map out collective strategies to advance worker rights. The most heated grievances centered on two vacation-related violations by one unidentified aviation employer: unjustified vacation blackouts and coercive forced leave.

    Workers reported that the company blocks employees from taking leave during their preferred time blocks, even when staff submit formal requests with ample advance notice. In addition, multiple delegates shared accounts of workers being forcibly removed from company premises and ordered to take unscheduled leave against their will.

    Responding to these allegations, ABWU General Secretary David Massiah made a public commitment to push back against what he calls the company’s unlawful, one-sided policy. He emphasized that the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Code explicitly requires mutual consent from both employers and employees when finalizing vacation scheduling, meaning the company’s current practices violate national labor legislation.

    Beyond addressing immediate labor violations, the meeting also prioritized a long-term goal: growing union density across the entire local aviation sector. Section Chair Steveroy Phillip outlined that expanding membership is critical to ensuring more aviation workers can access the robust protections and benefits locked in through collective bargaining agreements.

    “Our core priority right now is unionizing the ground handling staff at the airport, so they can secure the same fair terms and protections that the rest of us already enjoy,” Phillip said in remarks during the meeting. “We are calling on every current member to reach out to an unorganized colleague, talk to them about the value of our union, and help us build a stronger collective voice for all aviation workers.”

    Phillip also addressed a third ongoing grievance: some employers have refused to grant workers scheduled time off to participate in official union activities, a practice he confirmed constitutes a clear violation of existing collective bargaining agreements between the union and sector employers.

    Despite the range of challenges laid out during the meeting, Phillip struck an optimistic tone about the section’s growth trajectory. He noted that participation in union activities has been steadily increasing as the organization prepares for its 59th Annual General Conference, set to take place this coming September, and expects this upward trend to continue in the coming months.

  • Antigua and Barbuda Welcomes Adoption of OAS Declaration on Improving Mental Health in the Americas

    Antigua and Barbuda Welcomes Adoption of OAS Declaration on Improving Mental Health in the Americas

    A historic milestone for public health across the Western Hemisphere was reached this week at the 56th Regular Session of the Organization of American States (OAS) General Assembly, where member states formally adopted the groundbreaking Declaration on Improving Mental Health in the Americas. The initiative, which traces its origins to a regional conversation first launched by Antigua and Barbuda during the previous General Assembly that the Caribbean nation hosted, has been widely celebrated as a long-overdue step forward for a long-neglected global health priority.

    In an official statement delivered to the assembly by Sir Ronald Sanders, head of Antigua and Barbuda’s delegation, the small island nation extended full praise to the OAS General Assembly for the historic adoption of the text. Sir Ronald emphasized that mental health is far more than a narrow medical concern: it forms a foundational pillar of individual well-being, social cohesion, and long-term sustainable development across all societies in the region.

    Outlining the origins of the push for regional action, Sir Ronald confirmed that the conversation was launched at the request of Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister, the Honourable Gaston Browne, during the previous gathering of OAS members. From its inception, the initiative was rooted in the core belief that strong mental health systems are non-negotiable for building resilient, progressing societies across the hemisphere.

    The statement made clear that growing regional pressures have made urgent collective action impossible to ignore. Recurring climate-driven disasters, persistent economic vulnerability, widespread social disruption, and the lingering aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic have all compounded existing strain on mental health and exposed gaps in care systems across the Americas. These shared challenges, Antigua and Barbuda stressed, demand coordinated, cross-border cooperation rather than isolated national responses.

    A key framing advanced by the delegation is the recognition that mental health intersects with multiple critical policy areas, not just public health. It is equally a development issue, an education priority, a labour market concern, and a fundamental human right. Against this backdrop, the new declaration stands as a landmark collective commitment from OAS member states to deepen cross-border collaboration, exchange evidence-based best practices, expand equitable access to high-quality mental health services, and advance people-centred policy frameworks centered on prevention, ongoing care, and full recovery.

    Antigua and Barbuda also specifically highlighted the declaration’s inclusive language, which prioritizes the unique needs of vulnerable persons and marginalized groups and enshrines inclusive, accessible approaches to national mental health policy.

    Speaking to the significance of the moment, Sir Ronald framed the adoption as a critical turning point after decades of inaction. For far too long, he noted, mental health has ranked among the most neglected public health challenges across the hemisphere. Today, the declaration sends a unified, clear message: that mental health is integral to human dignity, collective well-being, and sustainable development, and investing in mental health systems is an investment in healthier, more resilient communities across every corner of the Americas.

    As the nation that first initiated the regional conversation that led to this milestone, Antigua and Barbuda expressed deep pride in the outcome. The delegation reaffirmed the country’s ongoing commitment to working alongside all OAS member states to turn the political commitment made at the Panama session into tangible, on-the-ground action that improves lives across the region — particularly for those who have long been unseen, misunderstood, and left behind by existing mental health systems.