Charlestown, Nevis (June 08, 2007)
Premier and Minister of Education on Nevis the Hon. Joseph Parry reminded parents of the importance to develop a close relationship with their children from childhood to adulthood. He said his Nevis Reformation – led Nevis Island Administration had put children and their needs at the fore front of their agenda and called on parents to do the same.
Mr. Parry’s comment came during an interview with the Department of Information at a parade of pres-schoolers, Nursery and preparatory students clad in colours of the rainbow, in Charlestown on Friday June 08, 2007.
The parade which formed of Child Month activities on Nevis, under the theme “Making the World fit for Children: Every Child matters”, was led by members of the Nevis Island Cabinet and top education officials as it wiggled its way through Charlestown to Grove Park. A contingent of over 70, including children from St. Kitts were also on hand to show solidarity.
“We believe that parents need to take serious concern about their children, they must be their highest priority not only at this age [pre-school] but through their childhood until they are finished school. Parents, both men and women, need to put their support behind the children and that would help us [NIA] so much in having balanced and well developed adults in our society. It would help to minimise all the problems that we have.
“Parents don’t realise how important it is to be close to their children but this demonstration especially by mothers is a good beginning and I am just hoping that the fathers could get involved as well,” he said.The Education Minister registered his satisfaction with the parade and congratulated the Education Department in particular Ms Florence Moving for their effort which resulted inn a successful event.
Ms. Moving who depicted the sun, explained that most of the children wore colours of the rainbow while the infants depicted the clouds. She thanked all who participated in the activity to ensure its success and took the opportunity to canvass even more support from the public in other activities which dotted the Child Month 2007 calendar on Nevis.
Meantime, Ms. Vanta Walters, National Director of Early Child Education in the Federation who led the contingent from St. Kitts also congratulated the parade’s organisers for what she termed a very orderly, colourful and innovative parade.
She called attention to the Child Month theme and deemed it appropriate given that the United Nation’s had also designated 2007 the International Year of Wholeness and Completion.
“We feel that this theme represents in more ways than one and reflect that theme because the children are threatened – their survival, their wholeness. The possibility of them developing to their fullest potential is threatened because of the trend that the world is taking now – the increase in crime and violence and wars threaten their very survival. The increase in HIV AIDS makes them become orphans because they are losing their parents through that dreaded disease. Child abuse is also threatening them and sometimes they are being abused by the very hands of persons that are supposed to be protecting them.
“So the whole activity the parade and all the child month celebration will be geared towards making the public aware of ways in which they can individually and collectively contribute towards making our world more fit for every child for every child matters no matter their colour, class, religion physical or mental ability, sex what ever they are and wherever they are, the world should be fit for them wherever they exist,” she said.