PHILIPSBURG:--- The Minister of Education, Culture, Youth Affairs and Sports, the honorable Silveria Jacobs wishes to inform the general public and in particular students, parents and guardians that the crisis with the board of NIPA has been resolved and that a new board will be in place.
Over the past two weeks, the Minister met the remaining board members, who were appointed by the Chamber of Commerce, the Ministry of VSA and SVOBE on the board of the foundation for Advanced Vocational and Adult Education and the various stakeholders such as the Windward Island Chamber of Labor Union (WICLU)represented by president Claire Elshot and the Chamber of Commerce (CoC) represented by the president Peggy-Ann Brandon. Mrs. Barbara Pompier, and Mr. Van Dijk Bell the chairperson of the schoolboard FAVE were unable to attend.
During the meeting the minister received an update from the board members on the composition of the board and an overview of all urgent and or pending matters at NIPA including the various ongoing court cases .Also discussed and debated during the meeting was the procedure for the appointment of new members by the various stakeholders and the preparation of a transfer plan and document.
The transfer plan and document are extremely important to facilitate a smooth transition and to ensure proper accountability and continuity. This document should include but not be limited to an overview of all procedures/policies, a synopsis of all personnel matters, court cases, ongoing matters, organogram of the institution, copies of all relevant and important documents etc. The current members furthermore expressed their willingness to remain available to assist and guide the new members during the transition period.
Finally a resignation schedule was discussed and it was decided that the new board members will meet with the outgoing board on a later date. During this meeting the outgoing board will verify the credentials of the incoming members after which the remaining members will submit their official resignation. All stakeholders are reminded they must submit the resume/cv and cover letter of their proposed candidate(s) before March 1, 2016. The stakeholders are reminded to ensure that all proposed candidates meet the profile and criteria for board members and that they are willing dedicate their time, energy and expertise required to turn around this vital institution.
The meeting took place in a very cordial, respectful and friendly atmosphere where the various stakeholders and board members had the opportunity to discuss the challenges currently being faced at NIPA and to exchange ideas on the best way forward.
The Minister would hereby like to extend her sincere gratitude to all who contributed in one way or the other to the resolution of this crisis. There is a lot of work to be done to ensure that NIPA can live up to expectations of providing high quality advanced secondary vocational education on St. Maarten.
