by Kevon Browne
St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN): The Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis celebrates the 38th commemoration of Child Month. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, the Hon. Dr. Geoffrey Hanley, declared the opening of Child Month 2023 in an address shared on June 1.
The 2023 commemoration is held under the theme: “Empowering Our Children through STEAM Education”.
“Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) are the building blocks of any robust education system and therefore should be integrated into a child’s early years. The fostering of interest and exposure to these disciplines will ultimately contribute to the building of our great nation. As a small island developing state focused on building resilience and becoming more self-sustaining, it is critical that Science, Mathematics, Engineering, the Arts and Technology are viewed as integral towards us achieving our goals. Therefore, our children must develop an understanding of their world and be encouraged to explore creative solutions to the current economic, physical, environmental, and social challenges. Also, the Arts must be viewed not just as an avenue for self-expression but a means through which our heritage is passed on. Our nation’s children are naturally gifted; they are curious and therefore poised to learn tremendously through STEAM education.” – Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, the Hon. Dr Geoffrey Hanley.
The Education Minister expressed gratitude to several stakeholders in the sector and especially singled out the Early Childhood Development Unit and all who work in early childhood development.
“I want to thank the Early Childhood Development Unit and all early childhood, public and private providers for their yeoman service given every year to the nation’s most vulnerable, our children. Thank you for your continued dedication and willingness to undertake the planning and implementation of the annual Child Month celebration. It is a success because of you. As we proceed on the work of preparing our nation’s children to become contributing citizens, I appeal to our caregivers and teachers to adopt habits [and] material techniques that stimulate our children in STEAM education. Parents and guardians, I appeal to you to support the Early Childhood sector as they give their best to your children. You can do this by stimulating your child or children’s thirst for knowledge and their curiosity. In general, we should all try to be supportive of the efforts to develop our young children through STEAM education.”
Some activities for the month include the T-shirt and Promotional Day on Monday, June 05, Nevis Parade Day on Friday, June 09, the Family Soup-A-Fair, Staff Appreciation, Dance Concert and Zonal Sports Day ending with the annual Grand Parade on Friday, June 30.
