Philipsburg:--- The Minister of Education, culture and sports Ms. Rhoda Arrindell has announced that she has ordered the Secretary General to lift the moratorium placed on the hiring of workers for her Ministry. Minister Arrindell said that after taking stock of the current situation, she has decided to lift, as of this Monday, the moratorium on the hiring of staff to allow for some critical functions to be filled.The Acting SG has been authorized to re-open the process of recruitment and the vacancies that are considered of high priority will be advertised not only on the Government website, but also in the daily newspapers, in English, so that more St. Martiners would be able to apply for the jobs.
The Minister also announced at Wednesday's press briefing that the first phase of the familiarization exercise, which has been characterized by meetings upon meetings, is now winding down. She said she has met with the department heads of her ministry as well as the Acting SG in what you can call fact-finding talks.
Minister Arrindell said she was impressed by the open-minded and frank manner in which the discussions took place. She readily agreed that she has learnt a lot and is still learning more about the challenges the workers face on a daily basis.
Thanksgiving Service.
The Culture Minister said the annual thanksgiving service will be held on Sunday December 5th. The thanksgiving ceremony is to mark the official end of the hurricane season. Arrindell said the Ministry through the department of culture is working closely with the Council of Churches on the preparations for the multi-denominational Thanksgiving Service held traditionally in front of the Government Administration Building. The service will be followed by the Lighting of the Christmas Tree to usher in the festive season.