St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN): The Hon. Dr. Geoffrey Hanley, Education Minister in the government of St. Kitts and Nevis, revealed that phase one of the new education program to be implemented in the new school year would see Spanish introduced as a subject in preschools.
The Education Minister revealed that at the recent Boys of Excellence Awards Ceremony.
Spanish in preschools is one of the expected changes to the school curriculum when classes resume in September. Foreign languages have traditionally been introduced when students are in high school, with Spanish being taught during a student’s second year of public high school.
When considering the diversification of cultural groups integrating into the Federation, especially Spanish-speaking people, having youths start foreign languages earlier is necessary to create more globalised people in the Federation.
The Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in St. Kitts and Nevis relaunched Mandarin classes in Nevis for the general public in May this year, another language that gives those fluent access to 2.4 billion people worldwide.
The Education Ministry will also expand social clubs in schools to complement The Explorer’s Group, Boys’ Brigade and others.
Minister Hanley said the groups are important in moulding the Federation’s young people, helping to establish discipline, find one’s true self, and offering training to position them for success.
Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Hon. Dr. Terrance Drew, noted that there will be opportunities for young men from our schools to join the St. Kitts and Nevis Cadet Corps, and there are plans to make it a much larger group.
