With so much happening lately, one bit of positive news that should not be overlooked is Friday’s story on the resolution of issues resulting in delayed salary payments for personnel of National Institute for Professional Advancement (NIPA). It’s obviously most
important to the employees and their families, but also for the students – both present and future – as well as their parents or guardians.
The school has gone through a lot of turmoil that obviously did not contribute to an optimal atmosphere at what, after all, is supposed to be a place of learning. Moreover, vocational training has always been considered a rather weak point in St. Maarten, which is one of the main reasons NIPA was established to begin with.
It’s not necessary to repeat everything that has occurred in the last few months regarding the foundation’s Supervisory Board and Management. Suffice to say that Education Minister Silveria Jacobs announced recently that the crisis was over and a new board would be in office soon.
Regrettably, the changes had as immediate effect that the cheques initially could not be authorised as required, but this problem now has been solved. Although there still are various ongoing related court cases, the focus going forward will be on a smooth transition while ensuring proper accountability and continuity.
The latter is no doubt music to the ears of all those involved, because what NIPA needs perhaps more than anything at this point is some order and stability. The country’s labour market clearly can use such a school to prepare locals for the kind of jobs that actually are prevalent in the island’s tourism economy, so let’s please just get on with it.
