The Saint Lucia Hospitality and Tourism Association (SLHTA), through its Tourism Enhancement Fund, has injected EC$50 000 into programmes at Bocage Secondary School, strengthening support systems designed to expand opportunity and nurture student success.
The funds, presented on February 13, will support the development and enhancement of key school programmes that equip students with skills, confidence, and meaningful pathways into the world of work, particularly within Saint Lucia’s growing tourism and hospitality sector.
SLHTA Chief Executive Officer Noorani Azeez described the initiative as part of the association’s broader commitment to deepen its impact in 2026. He explained that the support for Bocage Secondary “forms part of our commitment in 2026 to reach deeper and to do bigger things,” emphasising collaboration with educators whom he referred to as “the exceptional heroes in our schools, that’s the teachers, the principals.”
According to Azeez, the objective is to examine “what it is they are doing or what they need to do in order to make their engagement of the students a lot more interactive, to make the impact of learning more profound and to get our kids ready for a stronger contribution to the world of work.”
Highlighting the trajectory of the national economy, he stated, “Tourism promises a tremendous amount of expansion over the coming years,” adding that it is essential to connect with students early so they can “see the reach of the tourism dollar” and “feel and experience the impact of that investment in their dreams, in their goals and their aspirations.”
Azeez explained the role of teachers in identifying student needs, noting, “No one knows about these dreams and goals of our students better than our teachers.” He expressed appreciation for the school’s outreach over the past year, stating that the SLHTA was “very pleased and very impressed with the outreach from our teachers and the students at the Bocage Secondary School over the past year to keep us abreast of what their challenges and what their needs are.”
He explained that this engagement allowed the association to develop a structured response, saying the feedback enabled them to “put a comprehensive plan of support together.” While the EC$50 000 donation marks a significant milestone, Azeez described it as “the tip of that iceberg,” signalling a longer-term partnership. He affirmed that the SLHTA stands ready for “that long journey that we have to undertake alongside these champions of education to ensure that the future is bigger, the future is brighter and the future is more impactful for all of us in Saint Lucia.”
At the school level, the funding will directly benefit several targeted areas, including special and remedial education.
Zenith Duncan, the teacher at Bocage Secondary School who oversees special education and remedial programmes, outlined the structure and needs of the departments under her supervision.
Within the remedial programme, she noted that “we have over 30 students who need that assistance, who just need to build the basic foundations in literacy and numeracy.”
She highlighted a collaborative teaching strategy, describing it as “a whole school approach in this programme, where teachers from various disciplines are given the resources, the information, the objectives, and they go to the classes and tutor our students.”
Duncan also addressed the additional complexities within special education. “In special education, we have less students who have various disabilities, like Down syndrome and autism. However, it presents more of a challenge,” she said.
She expressed optimism about the impact of the newly acquired resources. “With the resources we have been given, our students would improve drastically,” Duncan stated, pointing to specific areas of support. “We have students with penmanship issues, and I’ve been able to receive resources that would help them improve in the penmanship area.”
She further explained that focus and sensory challenges are being addressed through practical interventions. “We have students who just lack being focused,” she said, adding that students with Down syndrome sometimes suffer from too much noise, and the sound-cancelling headphones will do amazing things for them and help them be more focused in class.
The school’s feeding mural, robotics and arts programmes will also benefit from the donation.
Thanks to SLHTA for investing in the future of our young scholars. It takes a village to educate our young people. Hope this investment result in positive outcomes in student learning.