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标签： Dominica

多米尼克

  • UWI scholars among 2026 Yidan Prize laureates for early childhood education

    UWI scholars among 2026 Yidan Prize laureates for early childhood education

    As the world-renowned Yidan Prize marks its 10th year of elevating transformative education innovation, three pioneering researchers have been named the 2026 recipients of the prize’s Education Development honor, with two hailing from The University of the West Indies (The UWI).

    The 2026 laureate announcement was made public at an official press conference hosted in Hong Kong, capping a decade of the foundation’s work identifying and supporting global education changemakers. Chaired by Andreas Schleicher, OECD Director for Education and Skills, the prize’s independent Judging Committee selected Emeritus Professor Susan P. Walker, Senior Lecturer Dr Susan M. Chang-Lopez, both of The UWI’s Caribbean Institute for Health Research, and Emeritus Professor Sally Grantham-McGregor of University College London for the 2026 Education Development award.

    The trio was recognized for their groundbreaking work developing Reach Up, an evidence-based early childhood development intervention tailored to children from birth to age four, with a specific focus on vulnerable communities. Unlike costly, one-size-fits-all early childhood programs, Reach Up centers on low-cost, culturally flexible activities integrated into daily family routines. It equips caregivers with practical skills and confidence to interact with young children through responsive conversation, play, and engagement — interactions that directly boost children’s long-term cognitive growth.

    Today, the Reach Up model has been adopted across more than 21 countries spanning the Caribbean, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, integrated into national health, education, social protection, and humanitarian aid systems. A core feature of the program is its open-access design: all curricula and supporting materials are available to users for free, and the framework undergoes continuous evaluation and iterative adaptation to meet the unique needs of local communities around the globe.

    The 2026 Yidan Prize also awarded its Education Research Prize to Professor Paul W. Glewwe of the University of Minnesota. Glewwe was honored for his influential research unpacking how socioeconomic status, health, and nutrition intersect to shape educational outcomes. Through rigorous methodological work including large-scale randomized controlled trials, Glewwe’s findings have directly informed evidence-based education policy design in more than 15 developing nations.

    Reflecting on the 10th anniversary of the prize, Dr Charles Chen Yidan, founder of the Yidan Prize Foundation, emphasized the award’s enduring mission. “The work and collective impact of our laureates over the past decade have made the Yidan Prize a lighthouse to illuminate pathways forward in global education,” he said. “Every laureate strengthens this commitment, brings transformative ideas, and expands the ways in which we shape the future of education.”

    Each 2026 Yidan Prize laureate receives a total award of HK$30 million (approximately $3.83 million USD), split equally between a personal cash prize of HK$15 million and a HK$15 million project fund to support continued work in education innovation and research. The 2026 Yidan Prize Summit is scheduled to run in Hong Kong from December 3 to 5, with the official awards ceremony set to take place on the summit’s closing day.

  • World Bank appoints Judith Green to lead Barbados and Eastern Caribbean portfolio

    World Bank appoints Judith Green to lead Barbados and Eastern Caribbean portfolio

    The World Bank Group has announced a key leadership appointment for its Caribbean operations, confirming that Jamaican national Judith Green will take up the post of Country Manager for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean States starting September 1, 2026.

    Per an official press statement from the global development institution, Green will establish her headquarters in Bridgetown, Barbados, and will oversee representation for three distinct arms of the World Bank Group: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA).

    In her new leadership role, Green will collaborate closely with national governments and private sector stakeholders across the entire sub-region. Her core priorities will center on advancing targeted initiatives that drive inclusive job creation and advance long-term sustainable development goals tailored to the unique economic and social needs of Eastern Caribbean nations.

    Green brings decades of diverse, high-level experience across the public and private sectors to her new position, built over years of service within the World Bank Group and beyond. Immediately prior to this appointment, she held dual roles simultaneously: serving as World Bank Group Country Manager for Malaysia, and IFC Country Manager for Papua New Guinea, the Pacific Islands, Australia, and New Zealand. In those positions, she successfully partnered with both public and private sector partners to advance critical government regulatory reforms, mobilize billions in new private sector investment across emerging markets, and manage the delivery of large-scale strategic advisory programs that strengthened institutional capacity.

    Green also brings deep firsthand experience working with Caribbean economic governance. Between 2013 and 2016, she took approved external service leave from IFC to lead Jamaica’s Coordination and Implementation Unit. In that role, she oversaw the execution of Jamaica’s four-year Extended Fund Facility agreement with the International Monetary Fund, one of the Caribbean nation’s most ambitious and far-reaching economic reform programs of the past decade.

    Before launching her career with the World Bank Group, Green built her foundational expertise in international finance, holding senior roles at multiple global financial institutions where she specialized in corporate finance strategy and global loan capital markets.

  • WE United FC Leads U-15 League with unbeaten seven-game run

    WE United FC Leads U-15 League with unbeaten seven-game run

    As the 2026 Dominica Football Association Boys Under-15 League moves deeper into its regular season, defending title holders WE United FC have built an unbeatable lead at the top of the table, extending their perfect winning streak to seven consecutive matches. The dominant side has now collected a full 21 points from their opening seven fixtures, turning in a breathtaking attacking performance while holding firm on defense that has left competitors trailing far behind.

    Through seven matchdays, WE United’s forward line has found the back of the net 42 times, while the team’s defense has limited opponents to just four goals against – for an eye-watering goal difference of +38 heading into their seventh fixture. That match, scheduled against fourth-place Dublanc FC, ended in a walkover victory for WE United after Dublanc failed to field a team for the fixture. Per league rules, the default win awarded three points and three goals to WE United, pushing their final goal difference to an impressive +41 six matches into the season.

    Leading the charge for the undefeated side is captain Roqson Coipel, who has emerged as the league’s top goal scorer with a stunning 19 goals already to his name. Coipel most recently earned player of the match honors on the Geneva playing field following WE United’s victory over South City FC on August 29, cementing his status as one of the tournament’s most exciting young talents.

    Right now, Portsmouth Bombers FC and Point Michel FC are the closest contenders to the league leaders, both sitting on 15 points after six matches played. Portsmouth has notched five wins and one loss, scoring 40 goals and conceding six to hold a +34 goal difference. Point Michel shares the same five-win-one-loss record, having put 38 goals on the board and allowed just five, for a +33 goal difference. With only six points separating the table-topping WE United from their nearest challengers, and just three points between the top three sides overall, the race for the end-of-season crown remains wide open as the league progresses.

    In the current full league standings, Dublanc FC occupies fourth place with seven points from five matches, followed by Marigot United FC at six points. Goodwill Runnerz FC sits in seventh with three points, while South City FC and Harlem United FC each have one point from their opening fixtures. Tarish United FC remains rooted to the bottom of the table, still searching for their first point after three completed matches.

  • ‘Flavours of the World Festival’ returns to Dominica for creole season

    ‘Flavours of the World Festival’ returns to Dominica for creole season

    One of Dominica’s most anticipated cultural and culinary events is making a comeback this year, kicking off a highlight of the island’s 2026 Creole Season celebrations. The Flavours of the World Festival, a gathering that blends global cuisine, cultural exchange and live entertainment, will welcome attendees from across the island and around the world on Sunday, October 4, running from 2:00 PM to 9:00 PM at the open-air Windsor Park Stadium Forecourt in the capital city of Roseau.

    As an official anchor event on the 2026 Creole Season calendar, the festival is designed to do more than just satisfy hungry visitors. Curated to showcase the rich diversity of global food and drink traditions, the event gives attendees the unique chance to sample authentic, handcrafted dishes from regions across the world while immersing themselves in the cultural customs that shape each cuisine.
    Beyond the extensive culinary offerings, the 2026 iteration of the festival packs a full schedule of activities for guests of all ages. According to an official press statement from the organizing committee, the day’s lineup will feature continuous live musical performances from local and regional artists, vibrant traditional cultural showcases, dedicated interactive activities to keep younger attendees engaged, and an exclusive premium VIP experience for guests seeking enhanced access and amenities.
    A fan-favorite staple of the festival, the Archipelago Chef’s Competition, will also return this year. The live culinary contest pits talented emerging and established chefs against one another in a timed challenge, highlighting the creativity and skill of the region’s culinary community while giving attendees a front-row seat to the action.
    In a new twist for the 2026 event, organizers have added Flavours of Fashion, an inclusive cultural initiative that invites all attendees to join in by wearing clothing that reflects their own cultural heritage, personal ancestral roots, or a global culture they admire. Event leaders note that this new feature is intended to further the festival’s core mission of celebrating cultural diversity, encouraging creative self-expression, and fostering connection between guests from different backgrounds.
    “Flavours of the World Festival is much more than a food event. It is a celebration of diversity that brings people together through culture, cuisine, music, and community,” organizing leaders shared in their press statement. Positioned as a family-friendly gathering, the festival is marketed as a welcoming, inclusive space where both local Dominicans and international tourists can spend quality time with loved ones, exploring new tastes and traditions together.
    For guests planning to attend, tickets are already available for purchase in-person at two convenient locations: Bullseye Pharmacy and Depex. Digital tickets can also be purchased in advance through the official event ticketing portal, 767events.com.

  • CXC introduces enhanced SBA checks amid growing use of AI

    CXC introduces enhanced SBA checks amid growing use of AI

    The rapid proliferation of artificial intelligence tools in academic spaces has pushed the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) to roll out updated, stricter protocols for School-Based Assessments (SBAs) ahead of the June 2026 examination cycle. The new policy was announced by Magalie Celestine, CXC’s local registrar for Dominica, during a public presentation of 2025 examination results held Monday at the Dominica Public Service Union Building, where she addressed attending educators, parents, students, and members of the regional press.

    Under the revised framework, all students completing SBAs must develop their work in full alignment with CXC’s newly updated official Standards and Guidelines for artificial intelligence integration in academic assessments. A key new requirement mandates that every SBA submission undergo automated and manual originality screening to detect uncredited AI-generated content. Additionally, both participating students and their supervising teachers are required to sign formal honesty declarations confirming the work meets academic integrity standards, which are submitted alongside the completed SBA.

    Celestine openly acknowledged that these additional anti-plagiarism and AI oversight measures have created a heavier administrative and workload burden for both examination candidates and teaching staff. Compared to previous examination cycles, the revised SBA submission process is far more rigorous and time-intensive for all parties involved.

    Despite these growing growing pains, Celestine noted that the current SBA model for most core subjects is nearing its end. Starting from the June 2027 examination cycle, SBA submissions will no longer be required for 13 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) subjects and 17 Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) subjects. This phase-out is a core component of CXC’s long-term strategy to overhaul its assessment practices to address the shifting landscape of academic work, driven largely by the expanding influence of generative artificial intelligence.

  • United Nations launches regional campaign to advance disability-inclusive employment across the Caribbean

    United Nations launches regional campaign to advance disability-inclusive employment across the Caribbean

    Across the Caribbean, persons with disabilities have long faced systemic barriers that lock them out of formal, decent work and full economic participation. To address this long-standing gap, the United Nations has officially launched the HireAbility Campaign, a regional movement centered on the transformative mission: “Break Barriers. Embrace Inclusion. Champion Rights.”

    The cross-stakeholder initiative unites six UN Country Teams across English and Dutch-speaking Caribbean nations, bringing together national governments, private sector employers, disabled persons’ organizations, youth advocates, global development partners, and UN agencies around a shared goal of building disability-inclusive workforces and workplaces. The campaign’s backbone is the Disability Inclusive Employer’s Pledge, through which participating companies commit to adopting equitable hiring practices and cultivating accessible, inclusive workplace cultures, and it has already earned early buy-in from leading regional businesses.

    Speaking at the official launch ceremony, Simon Springett, United Nations Resident Coordinator for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, framed the campaign as a landmark milestone for disability inclusion across the region. He traced its origins to a grassroots idea put forward by Zinzee Noel, a youth disability advocate and Grenada’s representative to the UN Youth Advisory Group (YAG), which has grown into a region-wide movement for equal employment opportunity. “Although barriers differ across countries, the aspiration is universal: persons with disabilities must be able to participate fully in society, access decent work, contribute their talents and skills, and be recognized for those contributions,” Springett emphasized. He thanked early supporting businesses, including Massy Stores Saint Lucia, Grenada Broadcasting Network, Grenada’s Unique Productions Inc., and Barbados’ Bajanpro Inc., for their leadership, and urged all stakeholders to treat the campaign as a long-term commitment, not a one-off event, on the path to fully accessible workplaces and inclusive communities.

    Noel, who co-hosted the launch alongside Loik Charles, a fellow youth disability advocate and YAG representative for Dominica, delivered a powerful welcome address centered on the campaign’s core truth: persons with disabilities already bring the skills, qualifications, creativity, and drive needed to make meaningful contributions to regional workforces. Drawing from her own lived experience, where she faced persistent hiring discrimination despite being highly qualified and capable, she noted that the HireAbility Campaign creates space to reframe public conversation around disability and work. “The HireAbility Campaign gives us an opportunity to change the conversation. Its message is simple but powerful: Break barriers. Embrace inclusion. Champion rights,” she said, adding that inclusive hiring delivers widespread benefits: beyond improving individual lives, it strengthens organizational performance, community resilience, and regional economic growth.

    Thomas Kring, Deputy Director of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Caribbean Office, echoed this framing in his keynote address, stressing that access to decent work for persons with disabilities is not a charitable act, but a fundamental human right tied to dignity, equality, and full economic participation. He argued that regional labor markets must be reformed to offer fair opportunities for disabled people to build their skills, secure quality work, and contribute fully to society, and called the Inclusive Employer Pledge a critical public commitment to equitable hiring, dignity, respect, and equal opportunity.

    One of the launch’s most notable moments was the inaugural signing of the Disability Inclusive Employer Pledge by representatives of three regional entities: Carenage Bay Holding Ltd in Canouan, St. Vincent and the Grenadines; Runman Belize Corporation; and The Grenada Co-operative Bank Limited. Signatories also shared concrete, actionable plans to deliver on their commitments, including The Grenada Co-operative Bank Limited’s announcement of a new dedicated internship program for persons with disabilities.

    Closing out the launch ceremony, Charles called on employers and stakeholder partners across the Caribbean to follow the lead of the inaugural signatories, sign the pledge, remove structural workplace barriers, deepen cross-sector partnerships, and commit to the long-term systemic changes needed to advance disability inclusion across the region.

    Immediately following the official launch, participants joined a disability inclusion sensitization webinar, where experts from the ILO and UN Population Fund (UNFPA) shared practical, actionable guidance on key topics including inclusive hiring practices, physical and digital workplace accessibility, reasonable workplace accommodation, prevention of violence and harassment against disabled workers, and building supportive, welcoming workplace cultures.

    The HireAbility Campaign will run for four months, concluding on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December, giving additional employers across the region time to join the movement and sign the pledge. Its ultimate vision is to build a Caribbean where all talent is recognized regardless of ability, systemic barriers to employment are eliminated, and persons with disabilities can participate fully and equally in the world of work.

  • Dominica’s CSEC mathematics performance jumps by 10 percentage points

    Dominica’s CSEC mathematics performance jumps by 10 percentage points

    The Caribbean island nation of Dominica has achieved a landmark improvement in secondary-level mathematics proficiency, with top education officials hailing the latest results as a transformative step forward for the country’s education sector. At the official CSEC (Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate) results release ceremony, held August 31, 2026 at the Dominica Public Service Union Building in the capital city of Roseau, Chief Education Officer Dr. Jeffrey Blaize announced the unexpected and encouraging gain in national mathematics scores.

    According to Dr. Blaize’s official announcement, the share of students passing or meeting performance benchmarks in CSEC Mathematics rose by 10 full percentage points compared to 2025’s results. What makes this gain even more notable is that Dominica’s current national average now sits seven percentage points above the overall average across the entire Caribbean region, a gap that reflects targeted, effective investment in mathematics education on the island.

    Dr. Blaize noted that this result marks one of the strongest performances Dominica has recorded in CSEC Mathematics in over a decade, crediting coordinated efforts across the education ecosystem for the measurable improvement. In his remarks, he reserved special recognition for Meloticia Mills, the national Mathematics Curriculum Officer, whose strategic leadership has been central to rolling out new initiatives designed to strengthen mathematics instruction across all secondary institutions. Dr. Blaize emphasized that Mills has played an indispensable role in advancing the Ministry of Education’s core goals, from aligning curricula to modern instructional standards to creating expanded, high-quality professional development pathways for secondary mathematics educators.

    Another key driver of the improvement identified by Dr. Blaize was a specialized teacher training program completed in June 2026, which provided advanced instructional training to 29 secondary school mathematics teachers from across the island. The intensive program was developed and delivered through a collaborative partnership between three regional and international education bodies: the Commonwealth of Learning, the Virtual University for Small Island States, and The University of the West Indies. Designed to update educators’ instructional techniques and modernize their pedagogical approaches, the program’s overarching mission was to lift overall mathematics education quality and translate better teacher training into stronger student learning outcomes. With the latest CSEC results now published, education leaders say the investment in teacher development has already delivered measurable, positive returns for the island’s student population.

  • Zaiden Cornelius secures Jamaica scholarship to advance athletics career

    Zaiden Cornelius secures Jamaica scholarship to advance athletics career

    A rising young track and field talent from Dominica is set to embark on a transformative new phase of his dual academic and athletic career, after securing a prestigious athletics scholarship to Edwin Allen High School, one of Jamaica’s most renowned track and development powerhouses.

    Zaiden Cornelius, a Portsmouth-based javelin thrower who currently competes with Dominica’s Aspirers Athletics Club, will now have the chance to refine his craft and compete at an institution long recognized as one of the Caribbean’s leading hubs for nurturing elite track and field athletes. The opportunity comes on the heels of a string of standout performances that have cemented Cornelius’ reputation as one of the most promising young field athletes emerging from Dominica in recent years.

    Over the past year, the young thrower has stacked an impressive list of accolades that caught the eye of Jamaican recruiters. He has claimed national junior championship titles, as well as top honors at the Sports Division Secondary Schools championships in both the under-16 and under-17 javelin divisions. Most recently, he earned silver medals in the under-17 javelin event at two major regional competitions: the 2026 Trupial Classic hosted in Curaçao, and the 2026 Windward Island School Games held in Saint Lucia. He also secured a qualifying spot to represent his home country of Dominica at the 2026 CARIFTA Games, which will take place in Grenada.

    Cornelius’ journey from local competition at Portsmouth’s Benjamin’s Park to a full scholarship at one of the Caribbean’s top athletic high schools is a testament to the young athlete’s years of consistent training, relentless determination, and unwavering commitment to his goals.

    The Dominica Athletics Association Inc. has publicly extended its congratulations to Cornelius on the milestone achievement. The association has encouraged the young athlete to maximize the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, urging him to continue pursuing excellence both in the classroom and on the throwing field. Beyond his own success, Cornelius’ breakthrough is already being celebrated across Dominica’s athletic community as a powerful, encouraging example for other young local athletes who dream of competing at the elite international level.

  • CAB UWI Scholarship awarded to three oustanding scholars

    CAB UWI Scholarship awarded to three oustanding scholars

    The Caribbean Association of Banks (CAB) has announced the successful completion of higher education studies by three standout regional finance professionals through its joint scholarship initiative with The University of the West Indies (UWI). The CAB–UWI Scholarship Programme, a flagship professional development benefit extended to staff of CAB member institutions, represents the organization’s long-term investment in nurturing current and future leadership for the Caribbean’s evolving financial services sector.

    Designed to remove barriers to advanced learning for eligible employees across member organizations, the program empowers working professionals to pursue academic advancement while retaining their industry roles, equipping them with cutting-edge knowledge and specialized skills to navigate the fast-changing global financial landscape. This cohort of graduates, which includes practitioners spanning credit administration, tax operations, and credit risk management, embodies the program’s core mission of fostering continuous improvement across the regional finance workforce.

    Patricia C. Farrell, Credit Administration Manager at ACB Caribbean, graduated from the program in 2025. Balancing her academic commitments with ongoing senior leadership responsibilities in credit administration, Farrell’s milestone reflects a consistent dedication to professional excellence, lifelong learning, and personal career growth.

    Also graduating in 2025 was Rochelle Alphonse, Senior Manager of Tax & Operations at Grant Thornton East Caribbean. Alphonse successfully managed the competing demands of a senior leadership role and rigorous academic study, with her achievement highlighting the discipline and determination required to advance professional expertise for the benefit of both her organization and the wider Caribbean financial community.

    The most recent graduate of the cohort is Ashley Pickwoad, Senior Supervisor in the Credit Risk Unit at Heritage Bank Limited, who completed her program requirements in 2026. Pickwoad’s accomplishment in the specialized field of credit risk management reinforces the program’s focus on supporting targeted upskilling that directly strengthens industry capacity across key financial sub-sectors.

    Wendy Delmar, Chief Executive Officer of CAB, emphasized the transformative impact of the scholarship initiative in a statement following the graduates’ milestone. “The CAB–UWI Scholarship Programme is one of the many benefits available to employees of our member institutions, and we are delighted to celebrate the success of Ms. Farrell, Ms. Alphonse, and Ms. Pickwoad,” Delmar said. “Their achievements demonstrate the transformative power of education and the importance of investing in people. CAB remains committed to creating opportunities that strengthen the capabilities of professionals across the Caribbean and contribute to the long-term success of our member institutions and the financial sector as a whole.”

    The success of these three scholars underscores the tangible, lasting impact of CAB’s targeted investments in professional development across the region. Through ongoing initiatives like the CAB-UWI partnership, the association continues to help member organizations build a skilled, adaptive workforce capable of driving innovation, strengthening systemic resilience, and advancing sustainable economic growth across the Caribbean. CAB has formally congratulated the three graduates on this major career and academic milestone, recognizing their unwavering dedication to upholding the highest standards of professional and academic excellence.

  • Southeast banana and plantain farmers gain new skills through practical training

    Southeast banana and plantain farmers gain new skills through practical training

    In Dominica’s southeastern agricultural corridor, more than two dozen small-scale banana and plantain producers have walked away with actionable, hands-on skills to upgrade their operations after completing a targeted training initiative focused on elevating farm safety and standardized working practices.

    Hosted at the La Plaine Agricultural Training Centre, the program centered on two high-priority areas for local producers: safer management of agricultural agrochemicals and the correct, efficient operation of mist-blower machinery. Rather than relying solely on classroom-style lectures, organizers structured the session to blend expert technical guidance with live, on-site demonstrations. This hybrid approach let participating farmers practice new techniques directly, ask questions in real time, and cement their understanding of critical safety protocols that many had not received formal training on prior to the event.

    Organizers say the initiative responds to a ongoing shift in Dominica’s agricultural sector, where producers are increasingly looking to update legacy working methods to boost output, reduce workplace risks, and keep their operations competitive. The high level of engaged participation throughout the session underscores the local farming community’s strong eagerness to upskill, boost long-term productivity, and secure their place in the island’s key banana and plantain industry.

    To complement the training and extend its impact beyond the workshop, every participating farmer received a set of new tools and essential farm supplies to support their day-to-day cultivation work. This combined package of training and material support forms part of a sustained outreach effort led by two government agricultural bodies: the Banana and Plantain Unit and the extension staff of Dominica’s Division of Agriculture. For months, these teams have worked directly with producers across the island, delivering ongoing technical guidance, skills-building opportunities, and critical resources all with the core goal of helping local growers maintain consistent output and raise the overall quality of their banana and plantain crops.