Established October 1895 Help for former LIAT workers PAGE 3 Thursday May 6, 2021 $1 VAT Inclusive – Time to implement ACT QUICKLY! healthy food policies LEADING nutrition researchers have In the article, the researchers call on warning labels. The paper, which was Sir Trevor Hassell, President of the co-authored an article that highlights the governments to act quickly to implement published in The Lancet Diabetes & Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC), wel- role that ultra-processed food and bever- effective healthy food policies, specifically Endocrinology in April 2021, provides comed the paper which lends support to age consumption has had on nutrition- recommending fiscal policies such as evidence that healthy food policies are regional calls for front of package related non-communicable diseases taxation, marketing restrictions, healthy effective in reducing consumption of warning labels (FOPWL) by the (NCDs) like obesity and diabetes. school food policies and front of package ultra-processed foods (UPF). ACT NOW on Page 3 Minister of the Environment and National Beautification Adrian Forde got the project off the ground as he moved some debris with a skid-steer loader. Green space for Coverley AFTER having the official ground-break- much needed within communities, ing of their community green space put Minister Forde noted that post-COVID on hold by last month’s eruption of the La green economic recovery will be impossi- Soufriére volcano in St. Vincent, the res- ble unless there is a trust as it relates to idents of Coverley have finally seen the preservation of biodiversity. project given the green light. Touting it to be the most beautiful And members of the neighbourhood recreational space in Christ Church East are breathing a sigh of relief as and blaming COVID-19 and the recent work began yesterday on the expansive ashfall for slowing the work of the Clean area, which was used as an illegal dump- and Green programme, Minister Forde ing site for many years. said that this work is critical. Minister of the Environment and “We are going to every single nook and National Beautification, Adrian Forde; cranny in Barbados and creating a space and Parliamentary Representative for that allows for eco-systems management, the constituency, Minister Wilfred allows for recreational activities, and now Abrahams, were on-hand for yesterday’s more than ever, when the country is faced launch as they drew attention to the ne- with the most stressful period, there is cessity of the creation of a recreational need to create psycho-social green spaces Parliamentary Representative for the area Minister Wilfred Abrahams (left) and space at that particular location. that people can balance their [psyche]. Minister of the Environment and National Beautification, Adrian Forde, on-site Stating that this type of intervention is GREEN SPACE on Page 4 yesterday. 2 • Thursday May 6, 2021 The Barbados Advocate Coding, robotics to be taught in schools By Marsha Gittens engage students, and to make learning tional objectives, and discussions are programme will be implemented by for- fun.” presently ongoing with CXC and TVET malising timetable contact hours for THE Ministry of Education will be Bradshaw told the gathering that the relative to determining the actions early developmental stage and through introducing a coding and robotics Ministry has procured robotics kits for that are necessary for facilitating the extracurricular clubs.” programme within schools in the the programme. She also said the past alignment. In other words, we are trying She pointed out that the initiative will upcoming academic year. few months have been spent creating the to identify and procure any additional not only be introduced at public schools Education Minister Santia Bradshaw framework for its rollout, noting that her resources at the various schools to sup- from the nursery to secondary level, but announced this yesterday as she ad- Ministry is in the final stages of develop- port the implementation of the curricu- at New Horizon Academy and the Edna dressed a press conference at the ing a draft curriculum for students aged lum.” Nicholls Centre. It will be implemented Ministry of Education. 7 to 14 years. She added, “We are also looking at as well at “satellite programmes for out She said the initiative, which will be “I say draft because we are receiving preparing our teachers and ensuring that of school youth, who will be encouraged rolled out from this September,has as its the different inputs from the various they are properly engaged in a level of to participate in this effort to reduce the primary objective to “first of all encour- stakeholders – our experts, our teachers, orientation that makes them comfort- inclination to be involved in any form of age students to become developers of fu- students and of course parents – so that able, and much of this will be facilitated lawless or criminal activities”. ture technology,to assist our students in their ideas can also be incorporated into under the lab school project approved by Bradshaw also revealed that the coding developing skills necessary for social and the curriculum. We are also aligning the the IDB.” and robotics programme will be offered at economic development in this country,to upper secondary curriculum with the na- The Education Minister noted, “The community centres shortly. Chief Media Resource Officer, Burkley Lowe setting up to demonstrate how the robots work. Education Ministry making big investment in technology THE Ministry of Education has procured robotics kits to be used by students from Students at the Class 3 and 4 levels Education Minister, Santia Bradshaw demonstrating how the VEX IQ robot works. the nursery to secondary levels in the will learn how to use the VEX IQ robot. She is aided by Chief Media Resource Officer, Burkley Lowe and Principal of coding and robotics programme to be Erdiston Teachers’ Training College, Dr Ramona Archer-Bradshaw. taught in schools from September. which would have resulted in over 140 Education Minister Santia Bradshaw teachers being trained and 2602 students number of students and teachers who a classroom will aid our students’ vision told the media at yesterday’s press confer- at across 50 schools at the nursery, pri- could participate in the programme for of science and engineering and will allow ence that the Ministry has the 1128 mary and secondary level participating in the start of the September term, which them to observe directly practical appli- robotics kits, or what is described as “94 a robotics programme at their respective would allow us to have 16 508 students cation of theoretical concepts in classroom bundles”. She said these have schools,” she explained. being able to have access to these robotic Mathematics and technology. been acquired by the Ministry as one of Bradshaw further stated that with kits.” “Robotics will also provide added value the major pillars of government’s more resources becoming available at the “The total investment on this project to to the existing subject areas through a Educational Reform Programme. end of the last financial year at the end of date is about Bds$2.7 million,” she said. carefully designed programme aimed at “These kits were initially part of a pilot March, Cabinet “agreed to the procure- Turning her attention to speak about capitalising on the development of tech- project which was led by the Ministry of ment of an additional 4782 kits or rather the coding and robotics programme to be nological skills, whilst giving students Education, in conjunction with the a further allocation of Barbados $1.6 mil- introduced, Bradshaw said it is “govern- the opportunity to practise what is re- Erdiston Teachers’ Training College, lion. This would allow us to increase the ment’s belief that presenting robotics in ferred to habits of mind.” (MG) The Barbados Advocate Thursday May 6, 2021 • 3 Barbados records Help for 31 new former COVID cases THE Best-dos Santos Public Health Laboratory LIAT workers identified 31 new positive cases of COVID-19 on AFTER over a year of Tuesday, May 4, from being out in the cold, among the 650 tests con- displaced LIAT work- ducted. ers are set to receive a The cases, which com- measure of relief prise one female and 30 as government has males, include 24 male pledged a commitment clients of the Psychiatric to a helping hand in Hospital. The new posi- the coming days. tives at the hospital reflect ward. and 3,821 recoveries. The 75,148 vaccinations (first Just under 100 former the results of the second Four persons recovered death toll from COVID-19 and second doses) have LIAT workers are ex- PCR tests, which were from the virus, while there is 45. been administered. This pected to receive a one-off given to staff and patients are 93 people in isolation. The public health labo- number includes 22,181 gift of $2000 compliments following the discovery of Since March 2020, there ratory has conducted a people who have been of the Central Bank of cases on the “A” ward late have been 3,915 confirmed total of 156,003 tests. fully vaccinated during Barbados by Friday or last month. The outbreak cases of COVID-19 (1,888 Under the National the second phase of the early next week, the ab- remains confined to that females and 2,027 males) Vaccination Programme, programme. (BGIS) solute latest. This was revealed in a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office which Prime Minister Mia Amor Urgent need to reduce NCD, obesity rates was made available to the Mottley. media late yesterday ACT NOW from Page 1 ing obesity and NCD rates evening. During an exten- Barbadians that were in the Caribbean. FOPWL sive Zoom meeting with based out of Antigua, their Pan American Health has been successfully several of the former deductions were made to Organisation (PAHO); the implemented in other workers, Prime Minister that country’s Social Caribbean Public Health countries and we Mia Amor Mottley made Security Scheme and they Agency (CARPHA); and applaud these experts for the promise, which is ex- are entitled to severance the HCC, and further emphasising the need for pected to give authorities under the country’s laws.