ECCB launches mentoring

The CW Prescod Primary School is one of eight primary schools in the Caribbean that are benefiting from the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank’s (ECCB) mentorship programme that was launched on Tuesday.{{more}}

In a short address via videoconference, President of the ECCB Staff Association Diana Williams said that they are targeting the grade four students because they (the students) are at a stage where they are very impressionable and are beginning to define who they would become.

The ECCB, according to Williams, decided to embark upon the programme as they realize that children are facing many adversities, and only a few children know what it takes to be a child.

“Many of our children were growing up too fast without a firm, solid foundation to sustain them,” she pointed out.

“The ECCB Mentorship programme is designed to increase children’s understanding of money and its usage, with the view of promoting the wise use of money and improving the decision making process,” Williams explained.

She admitted that the task would not be an easy one, but with their hard work and dedication they are willing to go the extra mile in order to be successful in the programme.

“We recognize that this will require us to give our time, talent and energy. However, we are committed to go that extra mile because we all recognize the very valuable resource we have in our youths,” Williams stressed.

Also addressing the launching, Sir Dwight Venner, Governor of the ECCB, said “our chances of making progress in the modern world are much more assured if we work together instead of by ourselves”.

According to Venner, all the governments in the Caribbean have been aware of the importance of education and have made tremendous efforts to bring education to everybody, despite the limited resources that are available.

“Education is not a political issue in this region. Any group of people elected in this region know without having to be told that they have to provide the best education that is affordable to our people,” Venner stated.

“There needs to be a total and collective effort within each island. We should not be in competition with each other. We must be in competition to be the best in the world by working with each other to achieve the highest levels of excellence,” Venner suggested.

The mentorship programme, will continue for the next three years and will seek to raise the awareness of the ECCB and its importance to children’s daily lives and promote closer involvement between the ECCB and the community.

Over the next five months, the students are expected to cover topics on Money Matters, The EC$ and Me, My Choices, Budgeting and Saving for Your Future.

The eight participating schools that are part of the programme are from Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.(JJ)