14 youngsters from St Elizabeth to début first movie on Dec 13

Member of Parliament (MP) for St Elizabeth North East Delroy Slowley has given 14 talented youngsters the opportunity to write, direct and even act in their first movie, under the newly established Creative Arts Centre.

Making his presentation during the State of the Constituency Debate in Parliament on Tuesday, Slowley urged support for the youth.

“I am also pleased to share that the MP, through his office, has launched a Creative Arts Centre, which was introduced at the Black River Film Festival,” Slowley revealed.

“This centre will be serving students in the constituency in areas of the creative arts. We currently have 14 young creatives enrolled at the centre, who will soon début their first movie, written, directed, and acted by them, on December 13th at STETHS (St Elizabeth Technical High School). I extend a warm invitation to the members of this Honourable House to join us in supporting these talented young individuals as they showcase their work,” he added.

Sticking with the youth, Slowley spoke against auxiliary fees imposed by some schools, claiming the fees are burdensome and a hindrance.

“One reminder to this Honourable House is an issue I raised in a previous debate that continues to affect many young people across the island – the burden of auxiliary fees,” Slowley told the House.

“These fees often prevent students from accessing their examination results, blocking their pathway to further education or meaningful employment. This situation is unacceptable and demands urgent action to ensure no student is denied opportunities due to financial constraints.”

According to Slowley, education is the cornerstone of the nation’s progress, and all barriers to the success of students must be eliminated.

Key areas

Slowley’s presentation focused on seven key areas – infrastructure works completed, water system upgrades, education, health, community development and sports, agriculture, and social housing.

Slowley said there have been extensive road rehabilitation, flood mitigation efforts and water system upgrades.

The $100-million project to upgrade the Santa Cruz to Leeds main road is 98 per cent complete, while Number Road (also known as Boat Road) has been fully rehabilitated. So too the Ginger Piece road in the Braes River division and the Hope River road.

Slowley said the Raheem breakaway, which occurred nearly two years ago, will soon be addressed.

Turning to education, Slowley praised Fayval Williams, the former minister of education and current minister of finance, for her support to the constituency.

“I rise today to acknowledge the tremendous strides we have made in the field of education within our constituency and to express our gratitude to the former minister of education, Honourable Fayval Williams, whose efforts, through the CHASE Fund since 2020, have helped us to successfully secure a third infant department, with a total amount spent on all these three amounting to approximately $130 million,” Slowley said.

“The three infant departments are at Leeds Primary, Santa Cruz Primary, and Roses Valley Primary.

Support has also come for students who needed help to pay school fees at the secondary and tertiary levels.

The MP’s office has also launched a breakfast feeding programme to support six schools in St Elizabeth North East.

“Additionally, my office has initiated conversations with HEART/NSTA Trust to ensure that all uncertified ECI (early childhood institution) teachers in our constituency are certified, and those already certified are upgraded, where possible, through collaborative efforts involving our office, MOE (Ministry of Education) Region 5, and HEART Trust.”

In the area of health, the Pepper Health Centre has been upgraded, and the Santa Cruz Health Centre has benefited from a US$1.4-million investment from the Pan American Health Organization and the Ministry of Health.

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