The government of St Lucia on Monday, December 16, donated $1 million to Sir Arthur Lewis Community College (SALCC) to carry out urgent refurbishment and rehabilitation of the premier institution’s Science Block building at its Morne Fortune campus in Castries. The college thanked the government for the support and said the donation would help it improve its infrastructure and give the students a better learning experience.
In an Instagram post on Tuesday, December 17, the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) of St Lucia said Prime Minister Philip Pierre donated the money to the community college named after St Lucia’s late economist and Nobel Laureate Sir Arthur Lewis (1915-91).
SALCC, which has been in operation for almost four decades now, has got its biggest cash donation from the government in just over three years, the OPM of St Lucia said, adding that the money was obtained from revenue generated by the Caribbean island-nation’s Citizenship by Investment Programme.
In a post on his official Facebook account, PM Pierre confirmed the donation. He said it was in addition to the yearly subvention the government provides since it understands the significance of renovating and preserving the historic institution.
PM Pierre affirms commitment to college and its students
“The Sir Arthur Lewis Community College remains our premiere learning institution and we will continue supporting the administration and our students,” the Labour PM said.
His office reiterated his commitment to supporting the college, its faculty, staff and students, along with members of the Cabinet.
The prime minister’s office called the SALCC a cornerstone of St Lucia’s educational development and that the Pierre administration will continue to give it support and help its students with key competitive education and technical skills so that they can make sizeable contributions towards the nation’s development.
It may be mentioned that a few months after taking office, the Pierre government commissioned a new board of governors to run the SALCC’s affairs.
Speaking at the donation-giving ceremony at the college, PM Pierre said a lot is said at talk shows or on platforms like Facebook without any factual basis or logical reasoning. He urged the college students to begin a culture of debate and reasoned arguments so that people get to hear about key issues that affect St Lucia from informed minds, like climate change and the economy.
St Lucia’s Education Minister Shawn Edward, who informed about the assignment of funds for the immediate refurbishment of the reputed college during his address at the SALCC’s 38th graduation exercise earlier in December, said during the handing over of the donation to the college authorities that the institution continues to be St Lucia’s flagship educational institution and where the future leaders of the country are nurtured.
Expressing its gratitude, the SALCC announced on its official Instagram account, “We are excited to announce that @saintluciagovernment has donated $1 million EC dollars to the College to refurbish our science building. This donation will be instrumental in improving our infrastructure and providing our students with a better learning experience. We are truly grateful for this support.”
The prime minister was praised by social media users for helping the college with one saying that the institution should be upgraded into a university soon. One also lauded the Pierre government saying it has performed well since taking office three-and-half-years ago.
