Author: SKNISEditor

Basseterre, St. Kitts, December 18, 2020 (SKNIS): A Reading Intervention Programme is being implemented in schools across the Federation, says Minister of Education, the Honourable Jonel Powell, during his contribution to the Budget Debate on December 18. The programme is designed to boost the development of reading and literacy skills in low achieving students for whom regular classroom instruction is insufficient so that their level of progress and achievement improves thus increasing their ability to access the curriculum and work independently, he said.  The Reading Intervention Programme is being implemented in a total of 18 schools, that is, 17 public primary schools, as…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, December 18, 2020 (SKNIS): Through a collaborative effort between the Ministries of Education and Health, 2021 will see the construction of a brand new building in Fortlands to house the St. Kitts Spectrum Services Centre. Minister of Education, the Honourable Jonel Powell, announced this during a Sitting of Parliament to debate The Appropriation Bill (2021), 2020, on December 18.The centre, which is currently housed at the Industrial Site Preschool, has been doing tremendous work in St. Kitts and Nevis and has not attracted sufficient recognition as it provides resources and instruction for students who are part of the…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, December 18, 2020 (PIPUD): A brief but meaningful ceremony on Thursday, 17th December, brought staff from across the various departments in the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Post and Urban Development to the Ministry’s parking lot in Needsmust for the Ministry’s first ever Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony.All eyes were on the tree as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Infrastructure, Post and Urban Development, Hon. Shawn K. Richards and Permanent Secretary Daryll Lloyd flipped the switch to light the tree. Beyond the novelty of the event to the Ministry, the lights on the 8-foot spruce are solar-powered.“It was only…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, December 17, 2020 (SKNIS): During her support of The Appropriation (2021) Bill, 2020, on Thursday, December 17, Minister of International Trade, Industry, Commerce, Consumer Affairs and Labour, the Honourable Wendy Phipps, highlighted some of the upcoming projects her ministry has in store for 2021.For 2021, the recurrent expenditure projected for the ministry is $4,673,747 with a capital expenditure projected at $670,000. The budgetary allocation in total, both recurrent and capital expenditure, is $5,343,747. Minister Phipps stated that throughout the year the ministry will be using its funding for the continuing expansion of services being provided by the…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, December 17, 2020 (SKNIS): The Ministry of Health is accelerating its efforts to build out and fully execute its Health Information System at all hospitals and community-based institutions to address the gaps in communication for an enhanced client information and referral system within the health sector, says Minister of Health, the Honourable Akilah Byron-Nisbett. The Minister was at the time speaking during the Budget Debate on` The Appropriation (2021) Bill, 2020, on December 16. She stated that the process has already commenced with additional employment and retraining of staff in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology. “The Ministry…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, December 17, 2020 (SKNIS): A number of capital projects will be undertaken by the Ministry of Health in 2021, says Minister of Health, the Honourable Akilah Byron-Nisbett, during her Budget presentation on The Appropriation (2021) Bill, 2020, on Wednesday, December 16. Minister Byron-Nisbett stated that these projects are intended to support aspects of the Ministry’s ongoing work to provide quality health care to the population of St. Kitts and Nevis. One of the projects highlighted by the Minister was the construction of the new health centre in St. Peter’s. “The expectation is that this health centre and this facility will be…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, December 17, 2020 (SKNIS): The Ministry of Health, having engaged in robust outreach activities to reduce the incidence and impact of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), has realised significant returns, says Minister of Health, the Honourable Akilah Byron-Nisbett. Minister Byron-Nisbett announced this during the Budget presentation on The Appropriation (2021) Bill, 2020, on December 16. “Our epidemiological statistics have revealed that over the period 2015 to 2020, the incidence of new cases of diabetes and hypertension has decreased by 46.9 percent for diabetes and 44.7 percent for hypertension,” she said. “Mr. Speaker, yes this is indeed incredible data.” The Minister added that the…

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, December 17, 2020 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – Leader of the Opposition, the Right Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas, was again chided for his poor representation of the people, when he delivered what has been described as an ‘empty response’ to the $867.9 million 2021 Budget presented by Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris on Tuesday, December 15. Onthe second day of the Budget debate, the opposition leader spent most of his allotted time to respond to the Budget by launching attacks at the hugely successful Peace Initiative -…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, December 17, 2020 (SKNIS): Vehicular traffic flow in downtown Basseterre will be streamlined further in the coming weeks as the government moves forward with Phase 2 of the Traffic Control System. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Infrastructure, the Honourable Shawn Richards, noted that technicians from Jamaica are currently on the island to assist with the project.Seven additional areas have been identified for the second phase. Honourable Richards highlighted the intersections where the additional traffic lights will be installed on Wednesday (December 16) while contributing to the Budget Debate in the National Assembly.These are the junction by Wellington…

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, December 17, 2020 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – With the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic expected to spill over into the year, the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis has taken the proactive decision to extend nine of the 17 measures outlined in its comprehensive $120-million stimulus package introduced in March of this year. This was one of the major initiatives outlined by Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, when he presented the tax-free 2021 Budget on Tuesday, December 15. Thenine stimulus interventions that were extended are: Theremoval of…