The War On Plastic

THE STAR Businessweek MARCH 2, 2019

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in this edition of

SBW THE STAR Businessweek

Caribbean Braces for Seaweed Surge Move over hurricanes, seaweed is the Caribbean’s latest natural disaster. At the height of the 2018 tourist season the region’s previously pristine shorelines were buried under mounds of stinking, brown sargassum, leaving visitors horrified, and island governments scrambling to get their beaches in order Page 3

The War on Plastic Saint Lucia joins the movement to ban plastics and styrofoam, but just how effective is this approach?

By Catherine Morris, STAR Businessweek Correspondent

Saint Lucia did it in December last year, Barbados and Jamaica followed suit in January. In total, 14 Caribbean islands have now banned, or tabled plans to ban, single-use plastic and styrofoam. Saint Lucia’s war against this type of debris has been waging for a while. In March 2018 the Cabinet met to consider proposals for phasing out styrofoam food containers and removing the import duty on biodegradable versions, as well as completely banning single-use plastic shopping bags. The latter attracted buy-in from the private sector, with Massy Stores launching its own campaign in July last year to promote reusable shopping bags.

Continued on page 4

Is Saint Lucia’s Education System up to the Task?

Education is foundational to the development of citizens but in developing countries (which applies to the majority of the world’s nations), it is even more important Page 7

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MARCH 2, 2019

ENTERTAINMENT

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Making Music Festivals A Main Attraction In the Caribbean

By ED Kennedy, STAR Businessweek Correspondent

The STAR Businessweek

BY Christian Wayne – Editor at Large

Our lead story this week entitled “The War on Plastic”, beginning on the cover, hits at the heart of the Caribbean’s environmental conservation efforts; are we doing enough? Like other wellintentioned initiatives in the past — such as building computer labs in communities around the island, but not designing associated education programmes to deliver at those labs — we are compelled to go beyond the self-promotions of the Ministry of Sustainability to determine if the war on plastic is real or whether it’s just another WINO (war in name only), like the ‘one child, one laptop’ campaign before it. Banning or taxing the importation of single-use plastics and styrofoam, by itself, is not a solution to the island’s waste management problems. In fact, banning these items in the absence of a robust, integrated waste management strategy could foreseeably cause more negative effects on the manufacturing sector and gross employment than it would achieve in increased tax revenues to the government and ancillary benefits accrued to the environment. I’ll share an illustrative anecdote from a leading luxury hotel in the south: every day, this hotel and its guests separate their waste into plastics, aluminium, paper, glass, etc. Every day, the waste management authorities arrive with a single garbage truck to collect the waste and transport it to the beyond-capacity Deglos landfill, where there is little-to-no recycling infrastructure to speak of. The fact that the garbage truck — likely a contractor hired by the Saint Lucia Solid Waste Management Authority — dumps the painstakingly separated loads of waste into a single, mixed garbage truck is astonishing in its own right and, again, can understandably leave one a bit sceptical with regards to the impact and enduring success this battle on plastics is going to have in our local theatre of war.

Also in this week’s edition we look at the global boom in international music festivals and their ability to act as massive attractions for host cities, in “Making Music Festivals a Main Attraction in the Caribbean”, here on page 2.

It’s Nothing Personal. It’s Business.

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In 2016 Coachella Festival and its owner Anschutz Entertainment Group generated an estimated US$ 704 mn in economic activity in southern California where the event takes place every year

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usic festivals can make for magnificent attractions. Music is a great uniter of people from all nations, backgrounds and walks of life.

It can also be a lucrative avenue for any business in the entertainment sector.

Unlike a circus, theatre production or other event, a music festival can draw tens of thousands with relatively simple attractions: a stage, a singer and standing room!

Of course, hosting a successful festival goes beyond this. And, as recent years have shown, the Caribbean is a wonderful destination to entice crowds to a festival, but there is unquestionably greater potential yet untapped.

So can music festivals be the next big growth industry? And what does a Caribbean nation require to ensure that every festival hits the right notes? Let’s look now in-depth.

A New Tune in Tourism

The infamous failure of the 2017 Fyre festival in the Bahamas will forever be a sore spot in the story of local music. But the record US$ 114mn profit, in the same year, of the renowned Coachella music festival, following on from US$ 160mn

made by the Desert Trip Festival in 2016, affirm that one festival cannot be cited as reflective of all when it comes to profitability and success.

More music festivals locally must also acknowledge the future of tourism. Undoubtedly, many countries in the region — like Saint Lucia, that in recent years has achieved record tourism growth — have strengths that they can continue building on.

Yet, like anything with the passage of time, new vulnerabilities can arise as foundations are secured. For all the good work done in enhancing tourism around the Caribbean, emerging factors — like the impact of climate change on fishing and water tourism — are putting new hurdles in place for a business that seeks to be profitable from one year to the next.

Already many plans have been made by both small sole providers and big businesses to make a success of such transitions. But the expansion of the Caribbean tourism brand, as it aims to be recognised as the epicentre for new attractions in the region and around the world, will always represent good business — for new business and for existing ones that can benefit from the increase in tourists.

This is especially so when the music

festivals are targeted at younger crowds, specifically the 18-35 age demographic. To marketers, this is a key demographic, and commonly represents the age bracket with the greatest disposal income, and thus readiness to spend when enticed. So, beyond the lure of festivals alone, there is opportunity here for all local business to identify with.

Infrastructure and Equipment

Observers from afar can often overlook the importance of infrastructure to music festivals. While the main attraction may be simple — as aforementioned, at times being as simple as a singer, a stage and a place for the crowd to stand — for larger events, expensive and heavy equipment has to be transported.

This is why a US tour can easily have in excess of 100 dates given the (relatively) close proximity of one major city to the next, as well as the ability to easily transport via road or even rail, alongside plane. For Caribbean nations, quality airport infrastructure is essential for this reason.

Continued on page 5

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Environment

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MARCH 2, 2019

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Caribbean braces for seaweed surge

Experts are predicting another influx of sargassum this year, but the region is rising to the challenge

By Catherine Morris, STAR Businessweek Correspondent

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ove over hurricanes, seaweed is the Caribbean’s latest natural disaster.

At the height of the 2018 tourist season the region’s previously pristine shorelines were buried under mounds of stinking, brown sargassum, leaving visitors horrified, and island governments scrambling to get their beaches in order.

Experts are warning Caribbean countries to prepare for another sargassum surge this year and stakeholders are on edge, recognising that a good year for the micro-algae could mean a bad year for tourism and fisheries.

An unwelcome invader

Sargassum is a brown macroalgae that occurs in temperate oceans and congregates in shallow waters and coral reefs. Thought to take its name from the Sargasso Sea, the seaweed is not a new phenomenon for the Caribbean, with high levels seen in 2011, 2014 and 2015. Last year’s unprecedented bloom, however, saw the highest volume so far, with record-breaking amounts washing up on Caribbean shores and staying there for longer periods.

The clean-up cost of the 2018 surge is estimated at around US$ 120mn, with the tourism and fisheries industries feeling the brunt of the negative effects.

Layers of brown, rotting seaweed are not just off-putting to locals, they are also an unwelcome sight for tourists who dream of the perfect Caribbean vacation, complete with unspoilt white sands and clear seas.

Sargassum doesn’t fit with the region’s picture-perfect brand and it’s not just aesthetically unpleasant, the seaweed makes all those tourist-tailored beach and sea activities virtually impossible. Forget sunbathing, beach walks, swimming, snorkelling and boating. During the 2018

antioxidant, anti-microbial and antiviral properties, making it an area of high interest for disease prevention and treatment.

Clean-up and collection

Advantageous ocean conditions can lead to sargassum ‘islands’ which can be up to 5ft deep

bloom, tourists were reluctant to venture beyond their hotel grounds and took to social media in droves, complaining about the foul smell and dirty-looking sludge. Saint Lucia had its own brush with sargassum in March when the seaweed flooded beaches in the north, affecting tourist hotspots such as Reduit Beach.

Another big industry, fishing, was also negatively impacted by 2018’s sargassum surplus. The mass of seaweed can damage fishing gear and entangle nets, reducing yields and disrupting the availability and distribution of species. The Caribbean’s marine environment is a delicate balance and an influx of algae can tip that balance to alter sensitive ecosystems. Last month the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) launched a fact-finding study on sargassum’s economic impact, funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency. The study will quantify the effects of sargassum blooms with the aim of drawing up sustainable solutions.

Innovative thinking

Advantageous ocean conditions can lead to sargassum ‘islands’ which can be up to 5ft deep and capable of surviving a range of temperatures. The ideal conditions for sargassum reproduction are warm oceans, calm seas undisturbed by tropical storms or hurricanes and nutrient-rich water. These factors may align again in 2019 to create another crisis on a par with last year’s event, according to the University of South Florida which has noted a recent bloom in the Central

West Atlantic.

Not everyone is dismayed at the thought of more seaweed washing up on Saint Lucia’s shoreline, however. Local entrepreneur Johanan Dujon first noticed the algae in 2011 on the east coast and recognised its potential as a valuable agricultural product.

In 2014 Dujon launched Algas Organics and, after a year of trial and error, came up with the formula for its flagship product, the Algas Total Plant Tonic. The seaweedbased fertiliser, which made it to market in August 2015, encourages nutrient uptake by strengthening a plant’s root development.

As demand for the tonic soared, Dujon looked to scale up operations and joined forces with the Saint Lucia Fisher Folk Cooperative Society. With support from the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture and the Government of Saint Lucia, Algas Organics was able to dramatically increase production.

Last year, the company sold around 5,000 bottles of its sargassum-based fertiliser.

Dujon may be one of the first in the Caribbean to be commercially using sargassum in this way, and on a large scale, but its use as a fertiliser is widely known.

The algae can also be used as mulch and compost. Aside from its agricultural potential, sargassum also shows promise in pharmaceutical and therapeutic applications due to its high nutrient content. Although not suitable for human consumption, medical researchers have discovered that some sargassum species display anti-inflammatory,

Sargassum may have its uses but budding entrepreneurs will first have to turn eyesore into opportunity. Cleaning up the beaches after a sargassum bloom is an unappealing task, and must be carried out very carefully to minimise any damage to the environment.

The Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute (GCFI) says disposal efforts should seek to do the minimum, advising manual raking if the seaweed isn’t too widespread. When dealing with a huge bloom, the GCFI recommends removing the upper layer with machinery but clearing up manually what’s left, to keep diggers off the sand as much as possible. Turtle and bird nesting areas should be avoided at all cost. Cleaning in daylight and enlisting ‘wildlife patrollers’ to check the algae for stranded marine life are also advised.

During last year’s bloom, island communities stepped up to save their beaches. Clean-up campaigns were organised which involved volunteers from all walks of life, aided by government and overseen by environmental agencies.

With another bloom on the horizon, sargassum has become an unavoidable fact of life for the Caribbean. Forced to adapt, the region is rising to the challenge — canny entrepreneurs are seeking out opportunities, researchers are using increasingly sophisticated technology to track and monitor sargassum-favourable conditions, and governments are rallying to produce detailed management plans for clean-up operations. When completed, the CRFM study will add to the growing body of knowledge about this seaweed invader, and help to shift the regional approach from a reactive scramble SBW to proactive crisis management.

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MARCH 2, 2019

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The War on Plastic Continued from page 1

Caribbean would admit that the region has a plastic and polystyrene problem, but not everyone is onboard with a legislative solution.

While the war on plastic has caught the public imagination, few headlines are devoted to the cost to manufacturers and consumers, and fewer still consider whether such bans actually achieve their goal.

There’s a reason food service companies have been using plastic and styrofoam for years — it’s generally cheaper and less resource-intensive than the supposedly environmentally friendly alternatives.

Concerned about the potential costs of reforming production processes, which would obviously negatively impact small businesses more than large-scale corporations, representatives from the Saint Lucia Chamber of Commerce met with the Department of Sustainable Development in December. Chamber Executive Director Brian Louisy wants to see government incentivise the move towards more biodegradable packaging alternatives and said revising import duties and other charges on environmentally friendly products would help. He also called for clarity on the phaseout period, and continuing collaboration with industry as the importation ban comes into effect.

Bio alternatives For major Caribbean cities, the amount of solid waste collected can be as low as 50% of the total amount generated (source: UN-Caribbean Environment Programme)

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aint Lucia’s phased roll-out of styrofoam food service containers and plastics began in December 2018 with a total ban on their importation set to be implemented by the end of 2019. The move was welcomed by public and private sector bodies including the Saint Lucia Hotel & Tourism Association, the Saint Lucia Chamber of Commerce and the Saint Lucia National Trust.

Pollution fears

Plastic and expanded polystyrene

(styrofoam) are now widely recognised as one of the most pervasive, and damaging, types of marine debris. Whether it’s sea turtles choking on straws, foraging gulls chewing on plastic strips or fish being caught in plastic bags, life below the waves is definitely taking the brunt of human wastefulness.

And plastic has contaminated all of the world’s waterways, with fragments found in the Arctic sea and the bottom of the Mariana Trench. According to US conservation group, Plastic Oceans, almost 300 million tons of plastic are produced each year, half of which

is single use, and more than 8 million tons are dumped into the oceans. In addition, around 500 billion plastic bags are used around the world with more than a million in use every minute. These bags are used for approximately 15 minutes before being discarded — by roadsides, on beaches and in the water. The sheer scale of plastic and styrofoam use, combined with Saint Lucia’s growing litter epidemic, paints a grim picture.

Push-back

Virtually everyone in Saint Lucia and the

Of course, many commentators argue that the cost involved in switching out styrofoam and plastics is worth it for the environmental benefits, but is this actually the case? According to Utah State University researchers William Shughart and Camille Harmer, manufacturing a disposable paper cup uses at least 20 per cent more fossil fuels and almost 50 per cent more electricity than a styrofoam cup. In addition, paper cups and bags create more waste, water and air pollution than expanded polystyrene.

But there are more alternatives than paper. In response to the move away from plastics and styrofoam, many firms are now developing compostable packaging. Most of the materials with this label are made from Polylactic Acid (PLA), a type of plastic derived from plant material rather than oil.

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While this might sound eco-friendly to the average consumer, PLA items don’t just sit in landfills and quickly and quietly return to the soil. Certified compostable products are generally broken down under intense heat at a specialised industrial facility, none of which exists in Saint Lucia.

For Saint Lucian social entrepreneur Wayne Neale, founder of recycling firm Greening the Caribbean, the biggest issue is not plastics or their alternatives but overall waste reduction. Caribbean landfills are already stretched to capacity; simply switching out one material for another does nothing to reduce the volume of waste generated in the region. “What replaces plastic and styrofoam?” he asks. “That material still goes to landfill and a ban does not impact litter reduction. If the disposal practices are the same, the litter is still going to be there.”

A better waste strategy

Neale believes that combatting the Caribbean’s waste woes will take more than just a single piece of legislation. “I’m not enthusiastic about the idea of banning plastics and styrofoam because it is not being done in a holistic fashion across the Caribbean,” he says. “It is attacking just one item of a broader environmental waste

mismanagement crisis. Every time you see a ban, it seems like an isolated action that is not linked to sustainable practices.

The ban by itself is not enough; it needs to fit into a climate-smart, sustainable waste management system.”

Rather than directing their focus and resources to banning undesirable materials, Neale would like to see Caribbean governments support leaders in the private sector who are developing innovative ways to repurpose waste. He says: “We need more financing and resources available for entrepreneurs who are creatively addressing the issue of waste. To affect the change we would all like to see, you need change-makers who are willing to do the hard work to address the environmental crisis.”

With environmental experts calling for a more nuanced approach to waste management, it’s clear that a ban on plastics and polystyrene is just one piece of a very complicated puzzle. Developing a better waste strategy requires plans supported by in-depth analysis and hard data, with recognition of the role that both the public and private sectors can play.

Ultimately it’s a lesson in getting back to the basics: reduce, reuse and recycle.

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Making Music Festivals A Main Attraction In the Caribbean Continued from page 2

Rihanna, international musical sensation from Barbados and part of a growing roster of Caribbean artists who’ve achieved worldwide stardom

For Saint Lucia, with the upgrade of Hewanorra International Airport, there will soon be the opportunity for the nation to attract more tourists than ever before, and get them from airplane seat and out of the terminal efficiently and smoothly.

While some may hold the planned sporting upgrades as separate from music festivals, in reality most sports stadiums around the world will (at least occasionally) double as concert venues for major acts. Any ambition to host concerts in excess of a few hundred or thousand people will quickly turn towards a conversation surrounding what stadiums are available.

The Low Notes

Certified compostable products are generally broken down under intense heat at a specialised industrial facility, none of which exists in Saint Lucia

MARCH 2, 2019

While attracting hordes of visitors can be terrific news for tourism operators, there is also the need to consider the broader impact of such a rapid boost in tourism, especially when it comes to attractions like music festivals that can draw up to 100,000

people (and beyond) to one location. This is a challenge for all locales that host a major event, but can be an even greater challenge in a Caribbean nation that may have a relatively small geographical footprint.

Beyond this, it’s no secret that certain music festivals hold close (unofficial) links to the party drugs scene. This is not a unique consideration for Caribbean nations, but instead a challenge for event organisers and authorities around the world. In some respects this isn’t all that different from the problems that can arise with hosting any major event, but it is one that needs to be borne in mind.

While there’s rightfully much room for optimism and excitement about what growing the calendar of local music festivals could mean, it does need to be balanced by reality.

The specific problems that arise can depend on what type of festival is being held, and its duration. Nonetheless, there are common factors that can be seen across all festivals, and addressed

accordingly. For example, many festivals around the world now proactively support sustainability, with some events even adding a ‘green levy’ to the ticket price, which then goes towards green causes such as reforestation to offset the carbon produced due to the festival.

Playing in Harmony

Many of the globe’s greatest festivals have built up a reputation not in a single event, but over many years. For Caribbean nations seeking to grow their music offerings, such a calendar can be built gradually.

Given the plain and clear saturation of the music festivals market in giant population centres like the US, there is extensive opportunity to mix homegrown initiatives with the addition of local tour dates to existing major festivals abroad.

Given the rich history that the Caribbean has in global music, a new era of music festivals would mean not only greater profits in tourism, but also help define a fresh identity for the region, and even help spur new artists to go along with contemporary Caribbean sensations like the Marley brothers, Wyclef Jean, Rihanna and so many others who’ve delivered local songs to the world.

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MARCH 2, 2019

FOREIGN POLICY

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PetroCaribe, Sanctions And Collateral Damage

By David Jessop

An aerial view shows PDVSA’s Puerto La Cruz refinery complex in the state of Anzoategui, Venezuela

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s this is being written, an uneasy calm prevails in Haiti following nearly two weeks of widespread demonstrations against the Government of President

Jovenal Moïse.

Protesters had been demanding his resignation, blocking roads, burning

vehicles and attacking government buildings and businesses in many parts of the country including the capital Port-au-Prince.

More protests are planned in the coming days following what many Haitians see as the continuing failure to address their concerns about the disappearance of US$ 1.7bn in PetroCaribe funds between

2008 and 2016 intended for social programmes in Haiti. Among those implicated by a Senate report were former ministers, officials and senior political figures.

Government’s response to Haitians’ concerns was slow. After days of silence and escalating violence, a combative President Moïse said that he heard the voice of the people. However, he provided little detail about how he intended to respond while indicating that he would see out his full term in office.

The tension only eased as drinking water and food became scarce. Then, the Prime Minister, Jean-Henry Ceant, announced a series of measures. Government, he said, will reduce its expenses by 30 per cent, “encourage” the presidency and parliament do the same, and abolish “all unnecessary privileges” of senior state officials.

He also promised to give the judiciary additional resources to complete PetroCaribe-related prosecutions, have all autonomous state enterprises audited to identify diverted funds, abolish national monopolies affecting food prices, and try to improve the minimum wage and reduce cronyism.

How much of this happens, whether Haiti’s impoverished citizens can be appeased, or if those alleged to have benefitted from PetroCaribe funds will ever be sanctioned, remains to be seen.

What is happening in Haiti illustrates just one aspect of the collateral damage arising out of Venezuela’s geo-politically-led largesse.

More important, it points to economic consequences, albeit much less severe, that will likely emerge in the coming months as Caribbean nations come to unravel the complex economic and political web that PetroCaribe and United States sanctions have created.

This will not be easy.

Caribbean governments and companies are already having to find and finance alternative sources of hydrocarbons on commercial terms, while addressing the now legally complicated issue of their indebtedness to Petroleos de Venezuela SA, PDVSA, if they have not already done so or been granted debt forgiveness by Caracas.

As a matter of urgency, others are having to unwind complex commercial arrangements, as is the case with the PDVSA’s 49 per cent stake in Jamaica’s Petrojam refinery.

Elsewhere, some OECS nations, such as St Vincent’s government, may have to recognise that budgeted social development programmes may become undeliverable as PetroCaribe-linked developmental benefits come to an end.

In addition, other longer-term uncertainties are also likely to arise. For example, if the Maduro government does not survive, the Trinidad government may well find that planned cross-border

investments and the energy sharing arrangements that it is continuing to discuss with the Maduro administration become uncertain.

All of which is happening as US sanctions on Venezuela are about to bite.

In an apparent recognition of the difficulty that some Caribbean states will face, the US Administration has said that it is working to try to ameliorate their effect.

Speaking at a February 13 hearing before the Foreign Relations Committee of the US House of Representatives, Sandra Oudkirk, deputy assistant secretary for energy diplomacy at the Bureau of Energy Resources, said Washington was looking at what needs to be done to ensure that the focus of sanctions remains on PDVSA and not on small Caribbean markets.

In reply to a well-considered question about the impact of US sanctions on neighbouring states from the Democratic Congresswoman, Abigail Spanberger, Ms Oudkirk noted: “We are looking on a country by country, jurisdiction by jurisdiction, basis at the involvement of PDVSA in these various small countries and islands, and figuring out what it is that needs to be done during that 60day period to ensure that the focus on sanctions impact is on PDVSA, not on these small markets”.

No other details were provided, but her remarks referenced mitigating the consequences of the 60-day period up to March 29 allowed for winding down operations, contracts, or other agreements involving the region, PDVSA and US institutions, its companies and citizens.

Although it is not clear which countries Ms Oudkirk was referring to, it is likely to be those that have bilaterally indicated support for US policies.

The outcome of the humanitarian, economic and political confrontation taking place between the Maduro administration and the President of the Venezuelan Congress Juan Guaidó and his US-led international backers, has yet to play out.

President Maduro could well survive if, as is so far the case, he secures the continuing support of the country’s military and paramilitary groups, if nations like Russia and its Kremlinlinked energy companies take a geopolitical gamble on playing a more profound hemispheric role, and US political rhetoric that hints at military action gives oxygen to those who support President Maduro.

What is becoming apparent is that coming close behind Venezuela’s humanitarian disaster and US sanctions will be a number of politically complex economic challenges touching nations as different as Cuba and Belize.

Continued on page 8

EDUCATION

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MARCH 2, 2019

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Is Saint Lucia’s Education System Up to the Task?

By ED Kennedy, STAR Businessweek Correspondent

E

to progress compared to another youth who may graduate and conclude their studies within their early 20s.

ducation is foundational to the development of all citizens but, in developing countries (which applies to the majority of the world’s nations), it is even more important. This is especially so in an era when the rapid changes in the way in which we live and work offer a leading advantage to nations that are highly advanced and highly technological.

Recent years have seen the emergence of new industries globally that don’t require a workforce to leverage on these advantages alone. Within the Caribbean, a growth in tourism is accompanied by the increasingly borderless nature of our global economy, which offers an ever-growing, emerging client base for established industry players.

But even the maintenance of existing local strengths and well-performing industries will require the successful transfer of expertise and jobs from one worker to the next, and one generation to the next. Education is at the core of this, and it drives social trends surrounding it.

Alternative Approaches to Problem Solving in Education

The Urgency of Foundational Skills

Saint Lucia has a history in the progression of its educational system.

Various religious orders, from the Anglican, Catholic and Methodist faiths, are credited with the origins of the system in 1838, when the island first became a part of the British Windward Islands Administration.

More recently, the 1980s is commonly cited as a milestone era in the progress of the nation’s education system. By the middle of that decade Saint Lucia had 82 schools and 1,000 teachers teaching 35,000 students across the nation of approximately 125,000.

By 2007 — in accompaniment to a population growth to 160,000 — the school student population had risen to almost 40,000. Notably, this included 253 students attending schools for those with special needs, and 40 teachers trained to provide instruction to these pupils. Despite this, there were few students with special needs enrolled in conventional schools across the nation.

This is unfortunate for those who advocate for the education of children with disabilities within a mixed system — both for the benefit of students with special needs and for the benefit of other students who would learn to effectively interact and socialise with people in the community who are differently abled.

With Saint Lucians aged between 15 and 24 now making up 14.79% of the nation, there is a recognition that this

The absence of a strong university sector makes it difficult for Saint Lucian graduates to gain meaningful employment

generation could enjoy opportunities more expansive than for predecessors. This has to be balanced against the hurdles that lie ahead for youth, so that today’s leaders can help grow the next generation.

15 to 25 Years of Age: A Crucial Era for Youth Progression

The absence of a stronger university sector makes it difficult for Saint Lucians, upon completion of their schooling years, to gain meaningful employment. Often they must travel abroad‚ study online (which can be expensive and impractical rather than affordable and easy)‚ or delay or forgo university altogether.

While there is always the opportunity to progress, no matter what age you are — and statistics are often indicative of trends and not absolute determinations of a person’s success in life — there is evidence to suggest that anyone who considers a strong schooling system pre-adulthood alone to be sufficient, would be wrong.

As the researchers at the Federal Reserve

Bank of New York found in 2015, the academic and professional pursuits of an individual in the first ten years of adult life can have a huge bearing on lifetime earnings. The research found that the peak time to establish a strong earning foundation is between 21 and 29 years of age. Earnings growth in the later periods were smaller, with the report boldly contending that the bracket between 35 and 55 years of age — otherwise considered the peak years for earnings and chance of promotion — is essentially nothing.

More conventionally, research in the wider social sphere suggests that the millennial generation, alongside the swathe of social changes they’re experiencing, will marry later in life. Research surrounding the direct link between college graduation and marriage is contested. But certainly, the delays experienced by youth in finishing full-time studies, acquiring a stable job, and thereafter feeling they are in a suitable financial position to move out of home (and marry) can, in turn, produce knock-on effects that embattle the ability of a youth

Many forecast that the digital revolution would bring about greater equality and opportunities for people around the world. The research is mixed on this outcome. This is not surprising given the huge global diversity of all things digital — even technological aspects like computer processing power, internet speeds, and stable connections can have a large bearing on the potential to harness those opportunities — but it does also affirm that those who look to digital innovation with unwavering hope need to be more circumspect.

Undoubtedly the greater availability and adaptation of technology can bring enduring benefits to the education and career progression of youth. Yet cultural, sociological and pure economic factors (such as the availability of professional placements, like internships all the way up to fulltime salaried jobs in the field) play a major role too.

While we see a greater offering of online resources and education than ever before‚ the translation of those offerings, from availability into fulltime employment, isn’t always clear cut. There is also evidence to suggest that the global rich-poor gap (which is at its greatest since the early 1900s) has made the jobs market more unequal.

The highprice of education at elite schools and university institutions is increasingly out of reach for students and their parents who may struggle to secure steady and salaried fulltime work over casual‚ part-time and contract work.

The Road Ahead

Whilst the above paints a daunting picture, let it affirm to those who would rely on new solutions in the future, that progress should account for new emerging problems. After all, Saint Lucia has had an education system in operation for 180 years. In that time much progress has been made but plenty remains to be done. There are no magic answers or quick fixes but a renewed conversation about what the nation’s’ education system means, not only for educational outcomes but also for opportunities and quality of life, could create new recognition of the urgency of progression, and a greater clarity in defining the SBW road ahead to realising it.

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MARCH 2, 2019

regional news

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Kaya invests J$ 33mn in medical cannabis dispensary in Falmouth St Vincent location in the works

By Horace Hines

F

almouth, Trelawny — The historic town of Falmouth, the parish capital, welcomed Kaya Herb House’s J$ 33mn investment in a medical cannabis dispensary during a glitzy opening ceremony last Wednesday.

Trelawny is now on the cusp of becoming the newest destination and resort area of Jamaica.

Balram Vaswani, chief ganja officer of Kaya, noted that the opening of the Falmouth facility brings the sum to some J$ 150mn that his company has so far invested in Jamaica’s fledgling cannabis industry.

In March of 2018 Kaya Farms became the first legal medical cannabis dispensary to open its doors in Jamaica with the opening of a facility in Drax Hall, St Ann. But, according to Vaswani, the opening of the Falmouth branch will be followed by Kaya’s opening of a third cannabis dispensary in St Vincent by the end of the year.

“We have already signed an agreement

Continued from page 6

Haitians protest alleged misuse of PetroCaribe funds, demand accountability

Mayor of Falmouth Councillor Colin Gager (left) greets Balram Vaswani, chief ganja officer of Kaya, ahead of the official opening of Kaya’s Herb House, medical cannabis dispensary in Falmouth last Wednesday. (Photo: Philp Lemonte)

with the government of St Vincent, the SVG Invest, to start the research and development, and from there we go into cultivation, and they are issuing licences this year to start building. So by the end of

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PetroCaribe, Sanctions And Collateral Damage

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the year we will start selling in St Vincent,” Vaswani disclosed.

The chief ganja officer of Kaya said locals and visitors are the customers who are targeted for the company’s offerings at the Falmouth venue.

“When we chose Falmouth it was a natural succession. Obviously today you can see by the two cruise ships — we have Royal Caribbean with 5,700 passengers, we have Disney with 4,000 passengers, that’s 9,700 — plus you have the locals, it makes sense to focus on a model that would work between the tourists and the locals alike,” Vaswani told reporters.

He added that during the refurbushing exercise, great care was taken not to compromise the Georgian architecture on the historic building, owned by the Pinto family, which houses Kaya’s lastest expansion of his business in Falmouth.

“It’s an historic building and everything was redone to its original condition. So building in that culture I think you will find a different feel of Falmouth in it,” he said.

Mayor of Falmouth, Councillor Colin Gager, during his address at the opening ceremony, argued that the opening of the facility will be a major boost to wellness tourism in the historic town of Falmouth.

“I commend Kaya for being the first of its kind in the Caribbean, leading the way in medical marijuana. Kaya Herb House comes to Falmouth at a time when Falmouth is pregnant with tourism prospects. And this opportunity to open this dispensary will add to Falmouth being a destination of choice,” Mayor Gager argued.

The opening ceremony apart, the day’s activities also featured live entertainment at the new venue, highlighted by performances from Ky-Mani Marley and Beenie Man. Originally published in the Jamaica Observer

Apart from observing the obvious, that this argues for the more rapid diversification into renewables and for Guyana to consider having a regional energy role after 2020 as it becomes both a major oil and gas producer, it points to the need for a more neutral, better balanced, less politically aligned future approach to Caribbean development.

It suggests too that the US and other nations backing change in Venezuela recognise that a new pan-Caribbean

More protests are planned in the coming days following what many Haitians see as the continuing failure to address their concerns about the disappearance of US$ 1.7 bn in PetroCaribe funds between 2008 and 2016 intended for social programmes in Haiti. Among those implicated by a Senate report were former ministers, officials, and senior political figures mechanism is needed that incentivises external investment and private sectorled growth and supports, in the short term, programmes that improve education and health care as the building blocks of future prosperity.

David Jessop is a consultant to the Caribbean Council, a regional think tank. He can be reached by email: david.jessop@caribbean-council.org

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