CARU Schools Remain Healthy and Vibrant on Mid-year Progress Report
In response to a call for continued faithfulness to the Mission, Adventist education administrators and coordinators of the Caribbean Union Conference assented wholeheartedly. This appeal resonated with several inspiring presenters...
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CARU education directors attended an advisory in Miami in February this year. The meeting equipped participants with strategic thinking and strategic planning skills. Education Director of the Caribbean Union Conference Dr. Daphney Magloire led the team. Image supplied by Dr. Daphney Magloire.
In response to a call for continued faithfulness to the Mission, Adventist education administrators and coordinators of the Caribbean Union Conference assented wholeheartedly. This appeal resonated from several inspiring presenters at the mid-year Board of Education committee meeting hosted, virtually, on Thursday, May 18, 2023. Committee members approved strategies, plans, policies, and events to expand and improve the educational landscape of the Church across the Caribbean Union.
Dr. Ivan H. Omaña, Director of Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries, said, “We are to stand in the place of faithfulness. When you face the winds of faithfulness there is nothing that will move us. We still have a great mission to fulfill in our schools. . . as such there’s an alarming need for qualified individuals to be able to carry out the delicate work of chaplaincy in our schools. Those needs include the spiritual health of students and employees of the church’s educational system. We must focus on the school chaplains and their ministry to the schools.”
“This is a great moment of education for our territory because it points us to opportunities within our church organization that are in need of stronger services,” emphasized the Caribbean Union Conference President, Dr. Kern Tobias.
Six months into her role as Education Director of the Caribbean Union Conference, Dr. Daphney Magloire has re-positioned the department to achieve stated goals. She gave a comprehensive review of achievements and outlined strategic priorities determined from a SWOT analysis, completed by the department, which included: Providing a quality teaching and learning experience in the 21st century, promoting a strong Seventh-day Adventist ethos, adopting robust research and data-driven decision-making processes, and marketing Seventh-day Adventist education. “. . . It’s about refocusing on the distinctiveness of Seventh-day Adventism at the schools and [encouraging] the church members to embrace Adventist education,” said Dr. Magloire.
Education Director of the Caribbean Union Conference Dr. Daphney Magloire addressing the board of education meeting on May 18, 2023. Six months into her role as Education Director of the Caribbean Union Conference, Dr. Daphney Magloire has re-positioned the department to achieve stated goals.
The President of the University of the Southern Caribbean, Dr. Colwick Wilson stated, “The success of our primary schools would speak to the success of the university. Together, we should aim for one education mission that involves all of us to foster the mission of God’s cause in the Caribbean.”
The board and the administrative team acknowledged the great sacrifice that all employees made and will continue to make as a new future is forged. Leaders expressed thanks for workers who devoted thousands of hours to work and pray, which guided the successes attributed to Adventist education in the Caribbean Union. The board also voted on other significant recommendations which required approval from the Caribbean Union Conference Executive Committee. Key among them was the new strategic plan for the department; the need to upgrade salary scales was identified as an ongoing challenge.
Church leaders celebrated the department’s plan to include grant writing among the certification modules for employees, from at least two employees from each of the fifty-three schools, by December 2023. The thrust of the initiative is to develop sustainable income through which the technical, vocational, and technology opportunities can be expanded in schools. Already, each of three schools (St. Lucia SDA Academy, Arthur Waldron SDA Academy, and Temple SDA Primary School) secured a grant of US$10,000.00 to develop aquaponics, STEM education and agriculture. The first cohort of educators will begin the newly designed, self-directed Teacher Certification program in September of 2023. The autonomous solution will help the department achieve its goal of increasing the number of certified teachers, in the system, by 50% as of August 2026.
Education leaders from across the caribbean gather for their virtual meeting on May 18, 2023. Among those who met for the special board of education meeting are President of the Caribbean Union Conference, Dr. Kern Tobias and Education Director Dr. Daphney Magloire. Image by CARU Media
An advisory for CARU education directors, hosted in Miami, in February 2023, was a hallmark of achievement for the leaders. They worked hard as they sought to shape the direction of education for the quinquennium, and found time to rejuvenate. Under the theme, “I Will Go, Excellence in Leadership,” the advisory equipped participants with strategic thinking and strategic planning skills.
As top educators, church administrators and leaders concluded the business meeting, Dr. Magloire noted, “We are faced with challenges. With hard work and stronger, deliberate initiatives and activities, we will achieve. We want to take into consideration the short and long-term needs of our system and make adjustments to help us accomplish our mission. We look forward to where God is leading us.” Transforming educational institutions into centers of mission and taking responsibility for ensuring that these halls of learning fulfill their objectives, will be the single-hearted focus of CARU educators.