Educators participate in renewable energy symposium

AS part of activities being held to mark Education Month, a Renewable Energy symposium was held yesterday to provide teachers with practical knowledge in the areas of electricity and renewable energy, which in turn they can convey to their students.

 

The event, held at the Barbados Light & Power’s (BL&P) headquarters, was an initiative of the BL&P in collaboration with the Media Resource Depart-ment and the Ministry of Education, and brought together educators from several secondary and tertiary institutions across the island.

 

Parliamentary Secre-tary in the Ministry of Education, Senator Harcourt Husbands, thanked the BL&P for contributing to the event, as he highlighted the importance of the contribution of the private sector to complement the work being carried out by Government, particularly in the education sector.

 

He said that the seminar fits well with the National Sustainable Energy Policy of Barbados, which identifies a number of key areas including renewable energy, the development of an effective Electric Energy Policy, the development of efficiency in the use of non-electric energy and also the sustainable supply and demand for fossil fuels.

 

Senator Husbands also stated that critical to Government’s policy is the development of energy education and awareness.

 

“In the policy, the Government has committed to ensuring that the general public is aware and informed on all matters related to energy resources. Furthermore, the Government recognises the importance of co-operating with businesses and the NGO sector is key to development and awareness of these sustainable energy goals.”

 

He stressed that Government is committed to the acquisition of satisfactory knowledge by those who work in or will work in the future in the energy sector. “While you do not currently work in the energy sector, you are, as teachers in the classroom, key agents for the development of our young students who may seek careers in the energy sector. While I’m not encouraging you to leave teaching, it is important to recognise that there are exciting careers in the area of energy,” he said. (JH)