BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, June 26, 2018 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – Hundreds of grade six students from 24 primary schools on St. Kitts and three on the island of Nevis, on Monday, June 25, graduated from the “Moving on Up Grade Six Transition Programme” – a social intervention programme introduced by Crime Reduction Specialist, Dr. Neals Chitan, with support from the Ministry of National Security.
The programme, which ran throughout the entire school year, sought to reduce the risk of high school frustration, failure and drop-out by equipping grade six students with the strategies, concepts, inspiration and focus needed to develop a career goal and to work to achieve it.
Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris expressed his fullest support for the programme, noting that having students identify a career path at an early age gives them a goal that they can steadily work towards achieving.
“It is really good because at this tender age they have mapped out their chosen career paths and it is always interesting when we start at the end and work back, because if these young people very early have determined what they want to be, then they will work each day to achieve their particular target,” Prime Minister Harris stated.
The participating students, who will be making the transition to secondary school at the start of the new school term in September, attended today’s ceremony at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort decked in the uniforms reflecting their chosen career paths including doctors, law enforcement officers, lawyers and nurses.
“I am happy to learn that they want to be bankers and they want to engage in business for certainly all of these career paths require that the young people prepare themselves, and if they have the idea early they are going to work on it,” added Dr. Harris, who lightheartedly pointed out the lack of interest among the students in being politicians.
Furthermore, Prime Minister Harris commended Dr. Chitan and Mrs. Ann Chitan, as well as officials within the Ministry of National Security who were involved in the success of the “Moving on Up Grade Six Transition Programme,” and called for its continuation in the next school year.
