No more ???moaning??? culture in Barbados.
This is something which Minister of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Ronald Jones wishes to see.
Speaking at the official opening of Purple Kisses Beauty Salon at Springer Memorial School, last Friday, he encouraged Barbadians to change their attitude from one of ???Give Me??? to one where they recognised they too, could change themselves and the world through education.
Accepting that there were some ???extremely vulnerable and poor individuals in our midst??? who needed a hand, Minister Jones told the students at Government Hill: ???We have to start to shift away from a situation of ???I need from you???; ???I need from you???; ???Give me what you have??????.
The salon, an initiative of the Enterprise in Action (EIA) offered via the Small Business Association received assistance from the W. Salon, a brand of Shelly William, wife of businessman, Ralph ???Bizzy??? Williams and from BGI Beauty Inc. which donated pieces of equipment.
Commending the generosity displayed by those involved, Mr. Jones said it was an important lesson for the young people as it would also teach them that they too ???must reach out and contribute???. As he lauded Shelly Williams of W. Salon, the Minister said: ???I am so pleased that you have used the opportunity to come here at this single-sex school to make this wonderful contribution??? and to transform it into a cosmetology centre.???
He also encouraged others who benefitted successfully from informal and formal education to be ???more giving??? and urged the students at the Government Hill institution to not only see their market place as Barbados but the Caribbean, where they could eventually spread their wings.
Business Development Partner, Charmaine Hunte, said: ???The W. Salon initiative is symbolic of the excellence, commitment and the level of action required for taking our schools forward and by extension our national development.???
She said the SBA was currently in the process of assisting the fifth year cosmetology students to capitalize and build on what Ms. Williams had developed and delivered.
Assuring Minister Jones that there would be ???no moaning students at Springer??? given this form of entrepreneurship, she said: ???They will not have to moan for job placements, they would have established their own salon and they will become self-sufficient.??? And, she urged the continued support of the Ministry to ensure the sustainability of the salon.
Meanwhile, Ms. Williams, who said she was not a stylist spoke of her involvement in the salon business and her interest in partnering with schools.
She noted that the young persons in her W Salon, although they may style hair and do nails and tattoos, were also pursuing higher learning at the University of the West Indies. She encouraged others to join in the movement ???to change a school one project at a time.???
joy-ann.gill@barbados.gov.bb