June 24 - 30, 2017
Precious Treasures tops GSAT again BY DELANA ISLES “IT WAS really exciting and I am very elated by my success in my examinations and this experience is evidence to me that hard work really and truly does pay off.” These were the words of a very happy sixth grader Jade Clarke of Precious Treasures, on her major accomplishment at the Grade Six Assessment Test (GSAT). Clarke, who received 94.95 percent to top the country, credits her success to determination and an incredible support base, both at home and at school. “Entering six grade I decided I would try for a scholarship and to get first place in GSAT. My mother and my father encouraged me, my teachers and my principal were all very helpful, they supported me in my decision to aim for my goal,” Clarke said. Meanwhile, Precious Treasures is certainly no new comer to snagging the coveted top spot in the country, as the school has developed and maintained an impeccable record of putting out high performing students. Principal Annoina Jones substantiated this: “Everyone expects Precious Treasures to put out a good showing at the national exams and we are very happy that we have not disappointed persons who are looking on for us to do well. “But this particular year it is particularly exciting not just to have a student who have once again placed first in the country but to have one of the highest overall average as the average for our grade six class is 86 percent.” 2017 GSAT RESULTS Four hundred and forty-five students sat the examinations held
NEWS
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
on May 31 and June 1; of that number 358 students scored 50 percent or higher. The pass rate for 2017 is 80.45 percent compared with 75.1 percent in 2016. The pass rate in mathematics and English language increased by 7.89 percent and 9.99 percent respectively compared with the pass rates in 2016. The pass rate in science decreased by 8.74 percent and there was also a decrease in the pass rate for the general paper. Adrienne Parry of Ona Glinton Primary scored 97.6 percent in Mathematics, Jade Clarke of Precious Treasures scored 94 percent in English, Evadne Gardiner scored 99 percent in Science and Kaidan Bobb of Mills Institute scored 97 percent in the general paper. The top ten students in the country are Jade Clarke - Precious Treasures International 94.95 percent; Adrienne Parry - Ona Glinton Primary 94.67 percent; Evadne Gardiner - Providence International Academy 93.24 percent; Talia Simms Ona Glinton Primary 93.05 percent; Shaina Forbes - Ona Glinton Primary 92.67 percent; Dani Reynoso Reyes - Richmond Hill Preparatory 91.81 percent; Anika Harry - Richmond Hill Preparatory 90.86 percent; Antwon Walkin - Ianthe Pratt Primary 90 percent; Kaidain Bobb - Mills Institute 90 percent and Khouri Swann - Ona Glinton Primary 90 percent. The Grade Six Achievement prize giving ceremonies are carded to take place from Monday, July 3, to Thursday, July 6, under the theme, ‘Recognising achievements – Promoting excellence.’
9
New batch of passports ready for distribution BY OLIVIA ROSE THE DEPARTMENT of Registration and Birth is in receipt of a new batch of passports. Applicants throughout the Islands are being urged to collect theirs in a timely manner. Minister of Border Control and Employment, Sean Astwood at a press conference on Tuesday (June 20) emphasised that his ministry is working feverishly to improve the lengthy process of issuing passports. He said: “We are now in receipt of a new batch of completed passports from the UK, so persons who would’ve been waiting on their passports for some time now please contact the Department of Customer Service and inquire. “Over the next couple of weeks we will be receiving a lot more.” The minister noted that collaborative work between his ministry and the United Kingdom will ensure that the process is quicker. “We have opened up a more direct line with the UK in trying to facilitate these passports as well as streamlining some of our own processes and making sure that we have adequate staff in that department. “But also management is looking at the process to ensure that persons submitting applications are doing it the right way and all the correct information and supporting documents are present. “That gives their application the best chance of succeeding once we would’ve processed it and sent it off to the UK.” MINISTRY TO IMPROVE PASSPORT BACKLOG Following numerous complaints from the public the ministry has taken
Minister of Border Control Sean Astwood`
a strategic approach to revamping the passport system. This will see the length of time taken to renew a Turks and Caicos Islands passport reduced. Last year the Government made a decision to electronically transfer all applications for Turks and Caicos Islands passports to the United Kingdom. According to the ministry, those who qualify and submit completed applications will experience shorter processing times and a swifter return of their printed passport. The decision to transfer the printing of passports followed recommendations made by UK parliamentary committees and the National Audit Office in 2007. They suggested that production of British passports be repatriated to Her Majesty’s Passport Office in the UK. A working group consisting of senior officials from each of the UK overseas territories was set up in 2011 to identify potential issues and to ensure that the revised processes were workable and sustainable. The transfer of passport applications from the Turks and Caicos Islands began in July 2015 - it proposed faster turn-around
times, but some challenges were experienced along the way. The ministry has disclosed that discussions were held with Her Majesty’s Passport Office (HMPO) and the members of the Registration and Citizenship Department within the ministry to address the passport backlog. During the meetings, staff identified that the key factors impacting the service delivery of passports are the lack of dedicated resources to the passport processing unit and the need for further knowledge development in the various British Nationality Acts and their applications. The ministry stated that: “While these gaps are the main contributors to the significant delays, it was further identified that a smaller number of passport applications are being affected by incomplete submissions of documents by customers. “The passport application process is two-pronged, with a local approval process prior to them being uploaded electronically to the processing site utilised by HMPO for verification of details and the final printing of the passport facility.” The Weekly News was informed that on May 30 that management within the ministry undertook a reassignment of duties among the personnel within the Registration and Citizenship Department to increase the number of resources that are now dedicated to the processing of passport applications. This, along with the temporary staff that the ministry recently employed, was designed to assist in decreasing the backlog locally, while efforts were made to organise the much-needed training in the BNA and other HMPO policies for the overall reduction in the inaccuracies being recorded in the application process.
Police warn against spreading false information BY DAISY HANDFIELD THE SPREADING of misleading information during ongoing investigations will not be tolerated, according to a police press statement. This warning was issued by the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force (RTCIPF) following a social media post written on an ongoing investigation. It spoke about a rape claim made by a female victim. The woman said that she was sexually assaulted by a Turks and Caicos Island man, who is also a public figure. The police statement read: “In recent days some local media agencies in the Turks and Caicos Islands have been making comment
on a potential police investigation into an allegation of a serious sexual assault. “The reporting has cited what it says is details of the offence which have not been provided by the RTCIPF. “It is normal practice for the force not to provide any personal data of investigations until at least a person is charged with an offence. This case is no different.” Acting deputy commissioner for the RTCIPF, Trevor Botting, said that the reporting of such matters without proof, in his view, was inappropriate and irresponsible. He said: “The recent reporting by some media agencies in the Turks and Caicos regarding an allegation
of a serious sexual offence has been, in my view inappropriate and irresponsible. “Whilst I can confirm that an allegation has been made by a female of a serious sexual assault and a criminal investigation was commenced and remains ongoing, no person has been charged with any offences. “A man was arrested and remains on bail.” Botting added that no further comment will be made at this stage regarding the details of this investigation. He urged the public to refrain from speculating or making comment within the media or social media regarding this investigation as this can have an adverse impact on the
Acting deputy commissioner Trevor Botting
investigation and the administration of justice. “I reiterate that this matter remains
under investigation and further public comment may interfere with the criminal investigation,” he said.