By Charminae George
Students from schools across the island were awarded for their creativity by the Prices and Consumer Affairs Division. The competition, entitled ‘Student Design Challenge’, encouraged the young artists to submit artwork inspired by the theme, ‘Empowering consumers through clean energy transitions.’
This competition was one of the activities for World Consumer Rights Day 2023 which was observed on March 15.
The short ceremony was held at the Department of Environment with awards being presented in four age categories. The first, second, and third placed winners of the over 14 category, were Roseanne Lewis, Shem Zraibi, and Malik Watkins, respectively.
For the under 14 category, Summer Goodwin captured first place, with Bernicia Smith, and Paris Turner capturing second and third place, respectively.
Anree St Louis was awarded first place in the 8-12 category, with students representing the St Michaels Primary School awarded the second-place. Third place in this category was captured by students, O’Ryon and Kaehlum Willams of the TOR Memorial School.
The winner of fourth category, the 5-7 age group was Anez St Louis. He was the only entrant.
“I want to thank the students for participating. As we see from some of the entries, they were very, very creative,” Orin Steele, Director of the Prices and Consumers Division said in his welcome remarks. He also encouraged the audience to implement habits to conserve energy which included unplugging chargers that are not in use and leaving on a fan in an unattended room.
Meanwhile, Clarence Pilgrim, the Permanent Secretary in Ministry of Trade, urged the students to continue to participate in activities geared to energy conservation and by extension the conservation of the environment
“This competition might end today, but going forward, I challenge to speak with your teachers…and tell them you want to have more activities like this,” he said.
Minister of Trade EP Chet Greene echoed Pilgrim’s remarks, emphasising his speech with the biblical quote, “A little child shall lead”. He also recounted one of his earliest experiences learning about the conservation of the environment, through a teacher who instilled in him the importance of caring for the environment.
World Consumer Rights Day aims to raise awareness of the rights and needs of consumers. This year’s team aims to encourage consumers to transition clean energy solutions to minimise the impact on the environment.