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I Am King forum hones in on empowering young men

DAWN BEACH--Nearly 200 young men attended a motivational and interactive I Am King Men's Empowerment Conference on Thursday, where they were addressed by a number of speakers, shared issues affecting them in groups, and interacted with facilitators.

The day-long conference centred on topics affecting male youth focusing on personal development. Keynote speaker Shane “Rizon” Gibson, an international Caribbean/ Gospel musician and sportsman, was given a standing ovation for his words, which focused on advice to the young men in their development into driven and accomplished adults.

Advice included training in the right habits, visualising goals, having heart, not giving up, having a mentor and speaking mindfully Read more

Lake Stays In Parliament, No Seat For Buncamper-Molanus

St. Maarten – Rumors about the makeup of the new cabinet and its possible consequences for seats in parliament spread rapidly yesterday after the fall of the Gumbs cabinet. One such rumor was that Maurice Lake, now independent, would return as the Minister of Vromi; that move would have opened a slot in parliament for Maria Buncamper-Molanus Read more

Lake Urges Ministry To Get Rid Of Nipa-Board

St. Maarten – United people’s party MP Maurice Lake urged Education Minister Rita Bourne-Gumbs yesterday to get rid of the board at the National Institute of Professional Advancement (Nipa).

“When the school started in 2014 it had 288 students. In 2015 there are just 65,” Lake said. The board does not live up to any deadlines Read more

NIPA board refuses to sign agreement with ministry

~ MP tells minster to fire board ~

PHILIPSBURG--The Advanced Vocational Education (AVE) board of National Institute of Professional Advancement (NIPA) has refused to sign an agreement with the Education Ministry geared at improving the institute.

The board also has refused to adhere to a seven-point plan of action to improve things at the institute, Education Minister Rita Bourne-Gumbs told Members of Parliament (MPs) during the continuation of a parliamentary session on NIPA and other issues on Tuesday Read more

Education, Culture, Youth, Sports Ministry to develop 10 year plan

PHILIPSBURG--The Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports (ECYS) has started a strategic planning process to re-define its long term ambitions in order to remain responsive to the environment in which it operates, a press release said on Wednesday.

ECYS Minister Rita Bourne-Gumbs wants to develop a 10-year (2016-2026) Strategic Plan for the Ministry with operational procedures for the policy areas of education, culture, youth and sports.

The first step in the development of the document was a strategic kick-off session to align and synchronise the ideas of the 70 key stakeholders who were present.

The first strategic session, called "The future through your eyes," challenged the stakeholders to think outside of the box and in terms of collaboration both within and outside of the Ministry Read more

Minister Of Education And Youth Affairs Bourne-Gumbs Reports On Child Rights In Geneva

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten – On May 27, 2015, the Committee on the Rights of the Child considered the fourth periodic report of the Netherlands on its implementation of the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its initial report under the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict.

Due to the absence of Dutch State Secretary for Health, Welfare and Sport Hon. Martin van Rijn as delegation leader, Sint Maarten's Minister of Education, Culture, Youth & Sports Affairs Hon Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- On Saturday, February 28 at the University of St. Maarten, a certificate ceremony was held for those civil servants who successfully completed the USM course in English and Spanish.

Present at the ceremony were Minister of TEATT, The Honorable Claret Connor, Secretary General, a.i., Ministry Education, Sports and Culture, Jorien Wuite and General Affairs Director of Resources and Support Erno Labega.

The courses were organized by P&O (Personeel & Organisatie) and executed by USM Read more

Civil Servants Receive Certificates, Successfully Completing English And Spanish Course

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - On Saturday, February 28 at the University of St. Maarten, a certificate ceremony was held for those civil servants who successfully completed the USM course in English and Spanish.

Present at the ceremony were Minister of TEATT, The Honorable Claret Connor, Secretary General, a.i., Ministry Education, Spo Read more

NIPA subsidy ‘ceased’ in Aug 2014, is now being corrected

PHILIPSBURG--The subsidy for National Institute for Professional Advancement (NIPA) had “ceased” in August last year, and is currently being corrected by authorities, Secretary-General of the Education Ministry Jorien Wuite told Members of Parliament (MPs) Friday.

Wuite said it had been discovered that there had been a “discrepancy” in what NIPA had received as subsidy, “which placed them in a sensitive” situation Read more

USM honours faculty and staff at 25th anniversary celebration

~ Special award for Danny's parents, Smith ~

PHILIPSBURG--University of St. Martin (USM) honoured a long list of staffers and faculty for their efforts in moulding students over the years during its 25th anniversary celebrations on Friday evening.

A special award was presented to Vice President of USM Foundation and the institution's first Director Pastor Wycliffe Smith, as well as to the parents of Treasurer of USM Foundation Danny Ramchandani, for allowing their only son to come to St Read more