By Latrishka Thomas
The youth of Barbuda will soon be getting their ‘Second Chance’ at academic success as the government said it will be instituting the Ministry of Social Transformation’s Second Chance programme on the sister island.
The scheme offers an opportunity for young people who have been unable to complete their formal education to access educational opportunities tailored specifically to them.
On Thursday, Marshall said that new Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Barbuda Affairs, Senator Knacyntar Nedd, expressed an interest in rolling out the initiative in Barbuda.
“And yesterday (Wednesday) I got a call from Senator Nedd. Senator Nedd was only sworn in yesterday (Wednesday). Senator Nedd called me to tell me, ‘Minister I need you to work out how we get the Second Chance programme in Barbuda.’
“But it doesn’t stop there, Mr Speaker. Senator Nedd advises that she has someone who will assist financially in the support of the programme…. We going Barbuda,” said Marshall.
She added that, since its inception, the programme has increased its intake from 300 to 1,600 students – an achievement for which she lauded her team.
“One gentleman met me and he said ‘you know what? I always wondered what social transformation was. Now I know, having seen you perform.’ But Mr Speaker, I had to tell him, it’s not me, it’s the team. I don’t do anything alone,” the Minister continued.
Meanwhile, the representative for St Mary’s South declared that her Ministry’s Home Advancement Program for the Indigent (the HAPI programme) will produce another 50 homes this year.
She said, “How could we, how could any government that cares about people sit back and not do anything. I am proud of our partnership with adopted family, Mr Ragguette.
“I am proud of what HAPI has done. And I think we have done something like nearly 50 homes. Mr Ragguette, I am challenging you today, we are doing 50 homes this year. We are stepping it up. There are people who are in need and we have to ensure that we provide that.” The HAPI programme is one of two rehabilitation initiatives currently being used by the government to help prisoners re-integrate into society. It involves taking the inmates outside the jail’s confines to work within the wider society by constructing homes for the poor and engaging in other community-related activities.