More offers of university education

Vincentians wishing to pursue university education via the distance mode now have a new avenue by which to do so, and a service that takes away some of the hassles to getting started.{{more}}

Last Saturday, at the Grenadine House in Kingstown Park, the Education for Advancement (EFA) hosted a press conference to officially launch its office here.

The EFA is a United States (US) based organization that facilitates educational opportunities for person in the US and Caribbean.

President of the EFA John Evans, visiting for the launching of the local branch, indicated that his organization opened an office here as a direct result of the need for education through distance education.

Evans said that the training will be a virtual classroom, with faculty visits from the institution of learning.

The EFA will facilitate persons applying to the institution with all information needed. They also send and receive information to and from the school, as well as deal with problems on behalf of the students.

Director of Administration in the School of Management at the University of Leicester Jayne Bowers, also here for the launch, said that her school was looking forward to students from St. Vincent and the Grenadines taking their virtual place at her university, and expects that students will be inspired by the cutting edge, research led teaching.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Education Officer Luis deShong, representing the Ministry of Education at the launching ceremony, indicated that the work of the EFA was supported by his Ministry.

deShong called the programme a highway between secondary education and the labour market.

The local office of the EFA will be supervised by Marlon Stevenson, a former schoolteacher. Stevenson said that the EFA is committed to the total satisfaction of persons applying through them.

According to the EFA, there are thousands of persons pursuing studies in the Caribbean through them, as well as hundreds of graduates.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines joins Antigua, Barbados, Dominica, and St. Lucia as having branches of the EFA. (JJ)