Carib Scope

标签： Barbados

巴巴多斯

  • Educators honoured for inspiring excellence as Teachers Week heads to climax

    Educators honoured for inspiring excellence as Teachers Week heads to climax

    This week, the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) is celebrating Teachers’ Week by honoring 11 remarkable educators with the esteemed Top TIER Awards. These awards recognize their unwavering dedication, impactful service, and profound influence on students’ lives. The culmination of the week-long celebration will be the President’s Reception, scheduled for Friday at 7 pm at the BUT Headquarters in Merryhill, Welches. Here, the awardees will receive both the President’s Choice and Top TIER Awards under the theme, “Teachers – The Heart of Educational Transformation.”

    The 2023 recipients include Jeffrey Odle (President’s Choice – St Leonard’s Boys’), Bradley Murray (Lester Vaughan School), Ulric Batson (Hilda Skeene Primary), Hugh Griffith (Ignatius Byer Primary), Shamel Edwards (Ministry of Educational Transformation), Sonia Wickham (St Luke’s Brighton Primary), Fabian Massiah (St Leonard’s Boys’), Erika Leacock (The Lodge School), Natasha Agard (St Lucy’s Primary), Brenda Chaplin-Edwards-Drakes (Gordon Greenidge Primary), and Joanne Derrick-Harris (Derrick Smith School and Vocational Centre).

    According to Cherise Rock, BUT Public Relations Officer, the Top TIER Award celebrates educators who “inspire, encourage, and respect” their students and colleagues. Rock also announced the first Top TIER teacher for 2025, emphasizing the award’s significance in recognizing excellence in education.

    Shamel Edwards, a peripatetic reading teacher at the Ministry of Educational Transformation, expressed her gratitude for the recognition. “I feel so honored and blessed. I do everything with my heart, and their win is a win for me,” she said. Meanwhile, Jeffrey Odle, the President’s Choice Awardee from St Leonard’s Boys’ School, shared his joy after over 40 years in education, stating, “It’s probably the first time I’ve been recognized for anything.”

    Fabian Massiah, a Physical Education teacher at St Leonard’s Boys’, also expressed his gratitude, saying, “Twenty-one years isn’t 21 days. I do it for the boys, and I believe my purpose is here.”

    Teachers’ Week will continue with a Professional Development Workshop on Thursday at the Sky Mall Seminar Room, focusing on the theme “AI is Here,” before concluding with Friday’s President’s Reception, where the Top TIER teachers will be formally honored.

  • Puppet show promotes inclusion, understanding of disabilities

    Puppet show promotes inclusion, understanding of disabilities

    In an innovative approach to fostering understanding and inclusion, Blackman and Gollop Primary School transformed its school hall into a vibrant classroom filled with curiosity and laughter. On Wednesday, a puppet show organized by the Kiwanis Club Pride of Barbados and the Barbados Council for the Disabled helped young students grasp the realities of living with cerebral palsy. Using colorful puppets and engaging storytelling, the event aimed to educate children about disabilities in a relatable and accessible way. Roseanna Tudor, Operations Manager of the Barbados Council for the Disabled, emphasized the importance of early awareness. ‘Our puppetry programme, part of Disability Awareness Day celebrations, has been instrumental in teaching primary school and nursery children how to interact with and understand their peers with disabilities,’ she explained. Tudor also highlighted the need for teacher training to support inclusive education, stressing the necessity of sensory rooms, calm spaces, and resources for children with ADHD or autism. The puppet show featured Carl, a character with cerebral palsy, whose story illustrated the challenges of movement and coordination. Puppeteers like Joy-Ann Grazette-Corbin addressed students’ questions, showcasing how children with disabilities can thrive with proper support. Sheldene Williams, a teacher at the school, shared her experience of having a student with cerebral palsy in her class, noting how inclusion has enriched the learning environment. ‘Through Isabelle, our students are learning that everyone, regardless of ability, has something valuable to contribute,’ she said. The Barbados Council for the Disabled plans to expand the puppetry programme to more schools, building on the overwhelmingly positive response from this event.

  • Christ Church hails everyday heroes as Pride of Barbados

    Christ Church hails everyday heroes as Pride of Barbados

    On Wednesday, approximately 40 residents of Christ Church, Barbados, were celebrated for their unwavering dedication to shaping their communities over several decades. The event, held at State House, also recognized three individuals from the diaspora who once resided in the parish. These honorees were part of the We Gatherin’ 2025 Honours List and received their awards from Barbados’ President Dame Sandra Mason during two distinct ceremonies. The Pride of Barbados Awards, attended by Members of Parliament for Christ Church, acknowledged the remarkable contributions of these men and women in areas such as education, mentorship, youth development, sports, and humanitarian service. Among the honorees was Patricia St Elmo Auntie Pat Linton, a community leader in Wotton Terrace for over 30 years, who has served as a Salvation Army officer, community organizer, and humanitarian. Her initiatives, ranging from supporting sanitation workers to providing free breakfasts for early commuters, have significantly enhanced her community’s social and spiritual well-being. Shelton Perkins, a distinguished educator and artistic director, was recognized for his leadership in education and mentoring youth through the arts. Eardley Selwyn Yarde was honored for his advocacy and dedication to youth and community development in Parish Land and Fairy Valley. Senior Minister Dr. William Duguid, MP for Christ Church West, commended the awardees for their compassion and consistency, emphasizing their extraordinary impact. Home Affairs Minister Wilfred Abrahams and Finance Minister Ryan Straughn also praised the honorees, highlighting the enduring influence of their selfless service and their role as inspirations for future generations.

  • Prison Service plans major farm, fleet expansion

    Prison Service plans major farm, fleet expansion

    The Barbados Prison Service has launched a transformative five-year modernization plan, set to revolutionize its agricultural operations and transition its vehicle fleet to electric models by 2030. Superintendent of Prisons DeCarlo Payne announced the initiative during the prison’s 168th anniversary celebrations at Dodds, St Philip. The plan includes a significant expansion of the prison’s farm, which is now mandated to increase chicken production from 2,500 to 21,000 birds per batch, alongside scaling up cattle, pig, and ground provision farming. Payne emphasized that the agricultural output surge is unprecedented in his 15-year tenure. Additionally, the prison is phasing out fossil fuel vehicles in alignment with national decarbonization goals, with negotiations underway for three custom-built electric transport vehicles for inmates. The modernization also includes plans to increase prison officer posts from 372 to 400, pending approval from the Ministry of the Public Service. Payne urged staff to remain dedicated as the institution embarks on this ambitious upgrade.

  • Surge in firearm crime, rising high-risk remands, prison chief warns

    Surge in firearm crime, rising high-risk remands, prison chief warns

    Superintendent of Prisons DeCarlo Payne has issued a grave warning regarding the surge in firearm-related crimes in Barbados and its cascading impact on the nation’s correctional facilities. Speaking at the Barbados Prison Service’s 168th anniversary medals presentation ceremony at the St Philip facility, Payne highlighted how the escalating gun violence in society is now mirrored within the prison system.

  • Visitor arrivals, cruise traffic boost foreign exchange earnings

    Visitor arrivals, cruise traffic boost foreign exchange earnings

    The Barbados economy demonstrated robust growth in the first nine months of 2025, expanding by 2.7%, as reported by the Central Bank on Wednesday. This growth was fueled by significant contributions from tourism, agriculture, construction, and business services, while unemployment reached a historic low of 6.1%. Central Bank Governor Dr. Kevin Greenidge highlighted these achievements during a press conference at the Courtney Blackman Grande Salle, emphasizing the resilience of the economy despite global trade tensions and slowing growth in advanced economies. Key sectors such as tourism and agriculture drove real GDP growth, while construction and business services bolstered the non-traded sector. Inflation remained subdued, with a 12-month moving average of 0.5% by August, as import costs declined. The external position of the country remained strong, supported by robust tourism receipts and increased long-term financing. International reserves stood at $3.3 billion at the end of September, offsetting a wider merchandise deficit. Fiscal performance also improved, with a primary surplus of $574.1 million (3.8% of GDP) and a fiscal surplus of $227.1 million (1.5% of GDP). The debt-to-GDP ratio decreased by 2.9 percentage points to 100.1%. Tourism played a pivotal role, with long-stay arrivals rising by 5.5% to 537,897, driven by increased airlift and marketing campaigns. The United States led visitor growth, contributing 36% of arrivals, while Europe and CARICOM markets also saw significant increases. Cruise arrivals surged by 31.5%, reflecting higher vessel occupancy rates. The labor market saw continued improvement, with unemployment hitting a record low of 6.1% in June, marking the fifth consecutive quarterly decline. Sectors such as agriculture, utilities, tourism, and construction drove job creation, while jobless claims remained below historical averages. The Central Bank’s report underscores the broad-based economic recovery and the pivotal role of tourism in sustaining growth and employment.

  • The Fourth Estate and the Caribbean Sea

    The Fourth Estate and the Caribbean Sea

    The notion of press freedom does not absolve journalism of its responsibilities. Recent narratives suggesting that the United States has ‘finally come to save the Caribbean’ are not merely misguided but dangerously misleading. Such rhetoric romanticizes external militarization in regional waters, conveniently overlooking how historical ‘assistance’ has often morphed into control. This narrative subtly shapes public consent, normalizing foreign military presence as benevolent intervention, thereby encouraging the Caribbean populace to relinquish control over their own peace and security. This is particularly alarming given the U.S.’s renewed ‘war on drugs’ doctrine, which has led to lethal-force interdictions in Caribbean maritime space. These actions starkly contrast with CARICOM’s commitment to maintaining the region as a ‘Zone of Peace,’ highlighting a troubling disparity between rhetoric and reality. History offers stark reminders of the consequences of foreign intervention: from the Dominican Republic in 1965 to Haiti in the 1990s, external forces have consistently prioritized strategic advantage over Caribbean sovereignty. The current militarization, framed as protection, is a continuation of this pattern. Fragmentation among CARICOM members exacerbates vulnerability, weakening the region’s collective bargaining power and making sovereignty negotiable. Legal arrangements like Shiprider Agreements further intensify this exposure, granting foreign authorities extensive powers, including drone surveillance and lethal targeting. These realities demand informed regional leadership, both political and journalistic. The media must document foreign military activities, scrutinize enabling agreements, contextualize current actions within historical patterns, ensure transparency, and reinforce that sovereignty is a daily practice, not a mere slogan. If regional media and leadership fail to confront these patterns with clarity and courage, the ‘Zone of Peace’ may only be recognized in hindsight as the first casualty of a silence mistaken for diplomacy.

  • Digicel backs digital transformation in hospitality industry

    Digicel backs digital transformation in hospitality industry

    Digicel Barbados has reiterated its dedication to bolstering the island’s tourism and hospitality sector by deploying cutting-edge digital solutions aimed at enhancing guest experiences. During a recent Digicel Business event at Sandals Royal Barbados, CEO Natalie Abrahams emphasized the company’s mission to empower hotels with technology that aligns with evolving traveler demands and fortifies business resilience. ‘Every reservation and every social media post serves as a digital ambassador for Barbados, showcasing the unforgettable experiences it offers,’ Abrahams remarked. She highlighted the growing importance of seamless, personalized, and immediate services in today’s hospitality landscape, which is increasingly driven by digital innovation and robust connectivity. However, Abrahams also cautioned about the escalating risks of cyber threats, noting a 76% surge in cyber exposures across the Caribbean since 2023. To address these vulnerabilities, Digicel is offering complimentary Dark Web Scans to its hospitality partners, ensuring enhanced data security. Abrahams underscored Digicel’s reliability, citing its swift response during Hurricane Beryl, where 87% of customers were reconnected within 48 hours. Marco Piazzi, Digicel’s regional hospitality business development manager, further elaborated on the company’s role as a leading technology partner for Caribbean hotels. He highlighted the integration of artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and cybersecurity through products like the 360View surveillance system and 360Comms communication platform, designed to optimize safety, efficiency, and connectivity. ‘By merging connectivity, ICT, cloud, and cybersecurity, Digicel enables hotels to operate smarter and safer,’ Abrahams concluded. ‘Together, we can build a hospitality industry that is not only warm and welcoming but also smart, secure, and future-ready.’

  • Taxi operators push back against Uber with own ride-hailing app

    Taxi operators push back against Uber with own ride-hailing app

    In a strategic move to counter Uber’s recent entry into Barbados, the Bridgetown Port Taxi Co-op Society Ltd unveiled its own ride-hailing app, Zail Barbados, on Wednesday. The launch, held at Copacabana Beach Club, marked a significant milestone for the local taxi industry, which has been preparing for this moment for months. Adrian Smiley Bailey, President of the co-op, emphasized that the initiative was not a reactionary measure but a well-planned effort to safeguard the interests of local drivers.

  • Public debt unit to allow citizen access – Straughn

    Public debt unit to allow citizen access – Straughn

    Barbados is set to transform its public debt unit into an investor relations agency as part of a broader initiative to enhance debt management and make government securities accessible to ordinary citizens. Finance Minister Ryan Straughn announced the plan during the 20th Annual Meeting of the LAC Debt Group 2025, held at the Hilton Barbados. The restructuring aims to emphasize citizen participation in debt management, with the revamped unit handling front, middle, and back-office functions. Currently, the Central Bank acts as the fiscal agent, but the new unit will proactively manage the debt portfolio, treating it as a productive sector of the economy. Additionally, the government has approved a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) framework under its procurement law to share risks with the private sector while maximizing value for citizens. The investor relations unit will focus on extracting value from PPPs, shifting risks to the private sector, and fostering economic growth. Digital platforms like BIMPay will facilitate broader participation in the domestic capital market, enabling real-time payments and reducing costs for financial institutions and merchants. The government also plans to introduce smaller investment lots, allowing individuals to invest as little as $50 in treasury bills, with digital notifications streamlining the process. The ultimate goal is to democratize access to government debt returns, ensuring that average citizens can earn returns comparable to larger investors. Minister Straughn emphasized that this initiative will reduce reliance on banks as brokers, enabling direct citizen participation in the debt market.