Renewing his call for Saint Lucians who can afford it to “have more children”, Education Minister Kenson Casimir linked the decline in birth rates to underpopulated classrooms, outlining plans to consolidate classes and expand specialised programmes.
During a Cabinet briefing on Monday, April 13, Education Minister Kenson Casimir addressed concerns about declining enrollment in Saint Lucia’s classrooms and clarified his earlier comments on family planning and national demographics.
Casimir said the country’s birth rates are changing and noted that modern family planning gives people more control over when and whether they have children.
“I will say the same thing to all Saint Lucians. If you can afford to have children, I will say it again, if you can afford to have more children, contribute to the economy of this country, then by all means, as the Minister of Education, I encourage you to do so,” he said.
He also said the government is supporting maternal health, mentioning free ultrasound services and better healthcare for expectant mothers. He noted that people now have more options for making responsible choices if they are not ready to raise children.
Addressing the drop in classroom numbers, the minister said the government wants to use educational resources wisely. Instead of leaving classrooms empty, schools will be encouraged to combine classes and use extra space for other purposes.
“So, for instance, if you have a classroom that is right now filling in 10 children and another classroom 10, what we are going to do is we are going to move them into one class and then use the other class for something like special education,” he said.
Casimir shared plans to add more specialised programmes in schools. This includes more help for students who need special education and new technical and vocational training for those interested in practical skills.
He also said the ministry is looking at new ways to handle student discipline. Rather than sending suspended students home, special classrooms could provide them with structured support.
“You have a classroom set up, you have a particular counsellor, a behavioural modification counsellor that we’ll be speaking about in the next budget debate, to sit down with that child for that two-week period and ensure that you can realign that child and make them more productive,” he explained.
Casimir said this approach is part of a wider government effort to keep every student involved and supported in the education system, even as enrolment drops.
The minister also talked about plans to improve student health and nutrition. He mentioned expanding the “one banana per child” programme and said there are talks about starting a “one egg per child” initiative to help students get more protein.
He praised Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre’s administration for making health and wellness a priority. He said the government’s education plan includes not just academics, but also physical health and overall growth.
Casimir said that although falling birth rates pose challenges, they also offer an opportunity to improve the education system to better support students and advance the country’s development.
TO GIRLS WORLD WIDE, YOU WILL NEED SOMEONE TO CARE FOR U IN YOUR OLD AGE.
mahlo for GOD EARTH
Renewing his call for Saint Lucians who can afford it to “have more children”, – reposting from article
Take a good look at what is happening in 758 – here is the issue at hand. The reality is that most of you in St. Lucia can not afford and in addition for some strange reason believe that others are responsible to rear and support your children.
The small percentage who can afford – usually have one or perhaps two – check your population data. Godspeed
Amongst the members of government how many children do they have on average. Why not start with you
Casimamere
Will you support fanancially…
Good to know :
Like every has its own trouble or many of the children are of the adulterous woman (divorced which devores the country of maladiction, which means a fatale mistake leads to death or known as a rebellious familly…or stolen water is sweet in the mouth of many..
Where as the same a man will leave his father and mother to attache to his wife once for all and not wives means (adultery which has no forgiveness and leads to death, in other terms,this is what God has called us for to seek him to choose a good wife to have him in the center to know him living a life pleasing to him true happiness to seek God having a strong realatoinship with Jesus walking hand in hand of having a life a new generation for happiness is the LORD..good endings and blessings…
This is a dumb take by the minister. Low classroom numbers are a symptom not a cause. He already states the real problem, “if you can afford to have children”. Fertility rates are directly linked to the cost of rent/home. Wages have been stagnant over time while the cost of everything else has risen significantly. How about you work on that instead of looking elsewhere.
It never occurred to you clown that people simply don’t want to have children? Then you have to ask, can people really afford to have children? Do you know how much it costs to buy a plot of land to house those children? You are asking people to become slaves to debt.. I won’t.
Moreno, the English language is hard for you. Cashmere said said for those who can afford. Is that so difficult for you to understand.
I am appalled by the level of hypocrisy here. Families salary are heavily taxed, returns are not paid upfront, cost of living is increasing while salaries are stagnant, medical fees high while health centers wait time is all day. Have you seen the latest electricity bills? Some classrooms have 33 students to 1 teacher, and the discipline in schools are poor. Before asking people to have children and send them to the classroom, please implement disciplinary actions to be used. I want to pull my kids out of schools rather than have more to put in. The few who want to learn is overpowered by the gross lack of discipline these kids have that you are fearing to send home. Please sir, start paying qualified teachers better, give schools power to discipline, and correct behaviors with rules and consequences, then we will start having more children to send there.
Encourage immigration to increase population.
ONE OF YOU BETTER SHUT UP ABOUT CHILDREN TAKING CARE OF YOU IN OLD AGE. so many had kids and still alone in old age. those same kids will make their own decisions, have their man and their own kids and they will not be seen. stop with these false narratives. i have known those wha had several kids and were still alone in old age. one had about 8 and no one was with her when the end came. neighbours raised the alarm after a while. not kids.
CMO and Kenson never import a baby car seat to be insulted with the DUTIES that their own government charge parents for clearing it!!!!!!!!!!!