The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis has mounted a comprehensive response to assist students who are in need of support during the coronavirus pandemic.
Speaking on Leadership Matters Tuesday night, Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris and Deputy Prime Minister the Honourable Shawn Richards, who also serves as Education Minister, said that cheques totaling $83,000.00 ECD ($1,000.00 ECD per student) would be signed this week for the benefit of 83 overseas students who have demonstrated need.
The 83 overseas students who have so far been identified as being in need of financial support will receive $1,000.00 ECD per month for the duration of three months, totaling $249,000.00 ECD.
In addition to that initiative, “To ensure that the children of the working poor are not left behind to suffer at this point in time, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education has proposed and Cabinet has agreed that we shall provide a meal to those students who are now unable to attend school – they will, if there is a need, be able to get a hot meal,” the Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis also said Tuesday night.
The school meals programme will resume this coming Tuesday, May 5th, 2020. “Students who are in need of a hot lunch will be provided with lunch,” the Education Minister said last Tuesday night, adding: “We are also able to map out where in various communities we need to distribute these lunches to our students.”
The Deputy Prime Minister said that a hot lunch would be given to both primary and secondary school students who are in need of assistance. Parents of students attending primary and secondary schools are asked to get in touch with the principal, the class teacher or form teacher, or the secretary at the child’s school in order to give the necessary information.
“Again, the Government is ensuring that we continue to secure the future of all of our students here in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis,” the Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister said.
Yesterday, Thursday, April 30th, the Government repatriated over 50 of the Federation’s students studying in Jamaica who have had difficulty getting home to St. Kitts and Nevis due to border closings as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis paid the full share of the cost of the charter flight from Jamaica, which amounted to $75,000.00 USD (approx. $203,000.00 ECD).
“This is part of the comprehensive response that my Government has brought to a crisis,” Prime Minister Harris said Tuesday night on Leadership Matters, the wildly popular virtual forum series that the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis hosts weekly.
