Government of Dominica

364 SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE ADULT EDUCATION DIVISION SKILLS SUMMER PROGRAMME

Three hundred and sixty four participants have successfully graduated from the annual Adult Education Division summer programme.

A certificate ceremony was held on Wednesday, September 28 2022 at the Goodwill Parish Hall to celebrate the accomplishments of the participants.

The Adult Education Summer Programme ran for eight weeks and covered various skills including tiling, electrical wiring, guitar playing, pastry making and acrylic nail application among others.

During her keynote address, Minister for Governance, Public Service Reform, Citizen Empowerment, Social Justice, and Ecclesiastical Affairs Hon. Gretta Roberts stated that she is honored to celebrate this milestone with the participants.

“It is indeed an honor to celebrate this important milestone with all you gathered here. As minister responsible for citizen empowerment, a responsibility that I hold near and dear to my heart stemming from my tenure as an educator, it gives me great pleasure to witness the work and achievements of this graduating class, and the dedicate staff of the Adult Education Division,” Hon. Roberts stated.

Hon. Roberts told the participants that this graduation ceremony is evidence of the decision that they made to invest in themselves and improve their lives.

“These three words, conceive, believe and achieve, are the pillars of wisdom and encouragement which describe the path that each of you have taken in pursuit of adult education. Today we are all here to celebrate the decision each of you made in investing in yourself. The decision to overcome the obstacles that prevented you from completing school in the traditional sense or in fulfilling your desires to acquire a new skill, speaks volumes of your aspiration and desire to achieve more,” she noted.

She then congratulated the participants for completing the eight week programme.

“Let me take this opportunity to congratulate each and every one of you for completing this year’s summer programme. Today, three hundred and sixty four of you will receive certificates of completion for your participation in these programmes,” Minister Roberts stated.  

The Minister says Adult Education remains an integral part of continuing education as the continued registration for the offered programmes shows its importance in Dominica’s society.

“Adult Education remains as fundamental a part of further education as ever. The continued enrollment in our programs underscores its importance and relevance in today’s socio economic environment with far reaching benefits that can transcend generations. The key role of adult education is to allow our citizens to develop their skills and to acquire new ones. It presents an opportunity for adults to equip themselves with the knowledge and skills necessary to participate effectively as employees, entrepreneurs, parents and competent members of society,” the Minister explained.

Hon. Roberts went on to say that the adult education division will continue its mandate as government remains committed to achieving the sustainable development goals.

“The Adult Education Division continues in its mandate to promote functional literacy and numeracy, continuing education, capacity building and entrepreneurial skill programmes for adult learners across Dominica. We remain committed to achieving Goal 4 of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals that is quality education to substantially increase the number of youth and adults with relevant skills including technical and vocational skills for employment decent jobs and entrepreneurship by the year 2030,” Hon Roberts added.

Meanwhile, participant in the pastry making programme in Layou, Ms. Stephanie Green encouraged other young persons to take advantage of the opportunity available and register with the adult education division for the chance to learn a skill.

“To all in the hearing of my voice, wake up. The Adult Education Division is giving people like me and you an opportunity to become self-reliant and to create an opportunity for upward mobility. Young people take advantage of the opportunities offered by the Adult Education Division. I can attest to the fact that you won’t regret it,” Green stated.

Sign up for the Newsletter

Join our newsletter and get updates in your inbox. We won’t spam you and we respect your privacy.