A MEMORABLE EVENT that lays a solid foundation of partnership between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Government of Barbados.
That’s how Minister of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Ronald Jones, described Government’s signing of an agreement today with the IDB for the administration of approximately US$600 000 to further aid the A Ganar Programme, one of the components under the Skills for the Future programme.
At the signing ceremony in the Cabinet Office at Government Headquarters, Jones said it was a partnership that “not only continues to support the expansion of the A Ganar Programme in our secondary schools, but one that continues to give our Barbadian youth a second chance at success in their academic and professional lives”.
He noted that following the success of the A Ganar pilot programme, Government recognised it could not only be limited to the six secondary schools, two post-secondary schools and the Government Industrial School, already under its purview, and, as a result, A Ganar will be introduced to three other secondary schools.
Congratulating the IDB for negotiating funding with the USAID for these additional institutions, the Education Minister said: “The benefits of this administrative agreement are already being seen; already these three schools are engaged and open to having the A Ganar Programme introduced to their staff and students. These schools are already excited to see youth labelled as “at risk” return to school to acquire needed certification or be employed.”
He further expressed the belief that the administrative agreement would sustain efforts towards ensuring “our young people continue to develop the professional, technical and life skills needed to contribute to the development of the Barbadian economy and society”. (BGIS)
