The Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has officially named eight outstanding students as National Scholars for 2026, honoring their exceptional academic achievements, discipline, and dedication. As part of this national recognition, each recipient will receive a full five-year university scholarship to support their higher education pursuits. The cohort comprises six students who demonstrated mastery in the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) alongside two technical scholars who recorded top-tier Grade Point Averages in vocational and professional disciplines.

The six CAPE National Scholars earned high honors across a diverse range of science, technology, mathematics, and humanities subjects. Kyrah Sergeant achieved top-tier Grade I results across multiple units in Chemistry, Computer Science, Pure Mathematics, Digital Media, and Integrated Mathematics, alongside Grade II in Communication Studies.

Ginniek Shallow secured Grade I performances in Chemistry, Computer Science, Pure Mathematics, and Integrated Mathematics, combined with strong standings in Biology and Communication Studies. Shéya Weekes similarly excelled with Grade I results in Chemistry, Computer Science, Pure Mathematics, Integrated Mathematics, and Biology Unit 2, while maintaining solid standing in Communication Studies. Ciara George achieved Grade I distinctions across Computer Science, Pure Mathematics Unit 2, Integrated Mathematics, Physics Unit 2, and Chemistry Unit 2. In the environmental and geographic sciences, Tye Lowman and Christian Joseph both delivered outstanding performances, earning Grade I results in Geography and Caribbean Studies alongside strong standings across Environmental Science, Physics, and Communication Studies.

Complementing the CAPE awardees, two technical scholars were recognized for remarkable academic excellence in practical and professional fields. Acadia Charles achieved a 3.92 Grade Point Average in Business Studies with a specialization in Accounting, demonstrating outstanding technical proficiency and financial acumen.

Tamiah Williams earned technical scholar honors with a 3.81 Grade Point Average in Culinary Arts, highlighting high-level mastery in the culinary profession. Both achievements reflect the expanding scope of national scholarship awards to celebrate diverse pathways of academic and vocational excellence.

The Government extended warm congratulations to all eight national scholars, recognizing that their perseverance and hard work serve as an inspiration to fellow students across the nation. Official commendations were also directed to the scholars’ parents, guardians, teachers, and supporters who guided them throughout their educational journeys.

State officials noted that the investments made in these young scholars reflect confidence in their ability to excel at the tertiary level and make meaningful contributions to the long-term growth and development of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

The Housing and Land Development Corporation has officially finalized the purchase of approximately 4.7 acres of land in Belair as part of a targeted government strategy to expand homeownership opportunities for young professionals and first-time buyers across St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Minister of Housing, Land Management, Urban Development, and Informal Settlement Upgrading Andrew John confirmed the strategic acquisition during a national update, emphasizing that the property will be developed directly into completed residential housing units rather than subdivided for raw land resale. The initiative reflects a concerted push by the ministry to address rising housing demand among the nation’s growing youth demographic while restoring the Housing and Land Development Corporation to its primary operational framework of constructing quality homes for purchase.

The Belair housing project marks a pivotal transition for the corporation as it recalibrates operations following an intense period of emergency housing relief in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl. While the state housing entity was temporarily redirected to construct and repair properties for storm-affected residents—particularly across Union Island—the administration is now moving to capitalize the corporation so it can operate self-sustainably, generating revenue through home construction and commercial sales to finance ongoing national housing programs.

Developments on the newly acquired site will feature a combination of traditional concrete block structures and modern prefabricated homes. Minister John reported that twenty additional prefabricated units have recently arrived at the port, augmenting an initial shipment of fifty units utilized for immediate relief and broader national deployment. The government intends to continue ordering these units in phased batches of fifty to maintain a steady supply of affordable, structural housing options for both mainland communities and the Grenadines.

By offering fully constructed wall homes alongside prefabricated options, the government aims to provide tailored housing solutions that match the financial capacity of young workers and families. Minister John noted that while emergency relief for disaster victims remains a priority, the housing ministry must simultaneously serve citizens seeking long-term residential security through commercial channels, laying a foundation for sustainable economic growth and community empowerment.

Vincentian karate athlete Christian Joseph captured a bronze medal at the 12th Commonwealth Karate Championships, held in Glasgow, Scotland, from November 5–8, 2026.

Joseph earned bronze in the Men’s Under-21 Kumite (sparring) division, competing against athletes from an international field representing 23 nations across five continents.

Also representing St. Vincent and the Grenadines was Coach Adrian John, who attended the championships and provided coaching support.

In addition to his involvement with the Vincentian delegation, John coached two athletes from Grenada, Lorenzo Asnaghi and Ethan Courtney. Asnaghi secured a bronze medal in the Junior Kumite division, while Courtney advanced to the next round of competition.

The championships brought together competitors from across the Commonwealth, providing a valuable opportunity for athletes and coaches to showcase their abilities and gain international experience.

Joseph’s bronze-medal performance adds another achievement to his karate career and represents a proud moment for St. Vincent and the Grenadines on the international karate stage.

Opposition Senator Keisal Melissa Peters has launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Dr. Godwin Friday, accusing the head of government of delivering false statements to Parliament and deceiving the public regarding state support for tertiary students and electricity relief. Speaking on Star Radio’s “The People’s Forum,” Senator Peters publicly challenged the Prime Minister’s assertion that all eligible Vincentian students who met basic matriculation requirements had been awarded government tuition scholarships for the current academic year.

Categorizing the Prime Minister’s statement in the House of Assembly as an outright falsehood, Peters asserted that multiple qualified applicants, including final-year university students with proven academic standings, had their funding applications summarily rejected by the New Democratic Party (NDP) administration.

The opposition senator revealed that the scholarship rejections have forced affected families to take out high-interest private bank loans to ensure their children could complete their final year of university studies. According to Peters, parents of rejected students are prepared to go on record to refute the government’s official narrative and establish that their children met all matriculation criteria but were turned away due to political targeting or severe fiscal cutbacks.

She pointed to official budgetary records showing that the administration capped the tuition scholarship allocation at $30 million in the 2026 budget estimates—matching the baseline estimate of the previous year but ignoring the fact that actual expenditure under the prior Unity Labor Party (ULP) administration reached $50 million to accommodate over 3,000 students. This decision led to more than 500 fewer tuition scholarships being issued this year, alongside a sharp drop in national scholarship awards from 19 down to just eight.

Beyond the educational grant controversy, Senator Peters broadened her critique to address utility relief, accusing Prime Minister Friday of misleading the public during a May 27 national address regarding promised electricity bill discounts from the St. Vincent Electricity Services Limited (VINLEC). Peters claimed the announcement represented part of a broader pattern of deceptive communication by the 11-month-old government, comparing it to statements made by Gender Affairs Minister Leavon Velox. Minister Velox had publicly praised the Promoting Youth Microenterprises (PRIME) program for empowering female entrepreneurs during an international forum, while omitting the fact that the administration had completely removed the program and its funding line from the 2026 budget estimates.

Peters argued that these deceptive public statements reflect a systemic betrayal of the nation’s youth, who had supported the NDP in the previous general election based on campaign promises of expanded opportunities, job creation, and enhanced social safety nets.

She argued that rather than building upon established development programs, the government has systematically gutted critical social and educational initiatives, including the national youth orchestra, the mathematics improvement program, and regional athletic infrastructure development. The senator called on citizens to scrutinize executive claims against documented budgetary figures, warning that the political consequences of unfulfilled commitments and misleading statements are already being felt by families across the nation.

 Opposition Senator Melissa Peters has launched a sharp rhetorical attack on the New Democratic Party (NDP) administration’s education leadership, mockingly comparing the government’s three education ministers to the animated Cartoon Network characters “Ed, Edd n Eddy” during a recent broadcast of “The People’s Forum” on Star Radio.

During her commentary on national youth policy and budgetary allocations, Senator Peters seized upon the animated television series to criticize what she described as collective passivity and a failure of leadership among the ministers overseeing the country’s education portfolio. The senator broke down the character dynamics of the classic show to draw direct parallels to the cabinet members, asserting that their joint performance in budget negotiations has compromised the nation’s educational infrastructure and youth development programs.

In her breakdown of the cartoon trio, Peters recalled how the character named Ed, spelled with a single D, was depicted as slow-witted and content to passively follow the lead of others. She contrasted him with Edd, known as “Double D,” who functioned as the intellectual brains of the group, and Eddy, the unscrupulous schemer constantly devising get-rich-quick plots that dragged Double D into misadventure. Peters suggested that the three cabinet ministers overseeing education—Minister Phillip Jackson, Minister Terrance Ollivierre, and Senator Lavern King—exhibited a similar dynamic of inseparable compliance while allowing critical education funding to be dismantled.

The senator challenged listeners to observe the ministers’ actions and decide for themselves which official fit which cartoon persona. Her central critique focused on their performance during cabinet budget preparation meetings, where she alleged that all three ministers sat silently and permitted Prime Minister Dr. Godwin Friday and government financial advisors to gut vital educational projects from the 2026 budget estimates.

Chief among the budgetary decisions highlighted by Peters was the removal of $10.3 million in concessionary loan funding from the Saudi Development Fund that had been earmarked for the comprehensive rehabilitation of schools across St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Peters pointed out that the government stripped the multi-million-dollar external allocation, leaving the school repair program with just $797,000 in local counterpart funds. She argued that this drastic reduction directly contributed to delayed maintenance work and forced several schools to postpone their reopening at the start of the academic term.

Beyond school repairs, Peters cited the complete removal of funding for the proposed Brighton Secondary School in East St. George, a facility designed to alleviate crowding and expand access in surrounding communities. She also condemned the scrapping of a planned National Science Laboratory, an initiative conceived to provide fully equipped practical science facilities for students attending secondary schools that lack on-site laboratories.

Programmatic cuts were also targeted in Peters’ commentary, including a 56 percent reduction in the Mathematics Improvement Program. The initiative, which previously received $790,000 to fund remedial classes and teacher stipends for struggling students, saw its allocation slashed to $350,000 in the 2026 estimates. Peters maintained that such retrenchment, combined with a sharp decline in university tuition scholarships and national scholar awards, undermines the educational advancements achieved over the past two decades.

Closing her critique, Senator Peters argued that the ministers’ willingness to acquiesce to these budget reductions exposes a stark disconnect between the government’s public rhetoric regarding youth empowerment and its actual fiscal priorities. By invoking the “Ed, Edd n Eddy” comparison, she emphasized that leadership requires active advocacy rather than passive compliance, warning that the continuous erosion of educational resources will carry long-term socio-economic consequences for the nation’s young people.

 The Customs and Excise Department of St. Vincent and the Grenadines has issued a strict public ultimatum to vehicle importers and consignees, announcing that a sizable fleet of un-cleared automobiles currently held at the port of Kingstown will be sold at public auction.

According to official departmental notices published in Government Gazette No. 51, dated Tuesday, November 3, 2026, the statutory sale is scheduled to take place on Saturday, November 21, 2026, at the Transit Shed in Kingstown, targeting all listed vehicles that have remained in customs custody for more than two months without clearance.

The upcoming auction is being executed under the statutory authority of Section 58, subsection 8 of the Customs Control and Management Act (Act 14 of 1999, Chapter 422 of the Revised Laws of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines). Under the published legal provisions, affected owners are granted a final grace period of one month from the first publication of the notice to settle outstanding import duties, storage fees, and administrative charges. Failure to fully clear the shipments within this mandatory statutory window will result in the immediate forfeiture of the vehicles to the state for competitive bidding.

The published customs list reveals a diverse inventory of abandoned imports ranging from commercial transport vehicles to luxury sedans and electric automobiles, representing significant uncollected import revenue. Among the oldest un-cleared shipments listed is a 2011 maroon Mazda Demio imported by Mark James aboard the vessel Hoegh Caribia, which has remained warehoused at the port since May 20, 2022.

Similarly, a 2013 white Smart Electric Drive car consigned to Stewart Grant via the vessel Luzon Strait has been stored at the facility since March 15, 2023. Other long-standing un-cleared private vehicles include a 2016 black Toyota Vitz imported by Aneka Neptune aboard the Splendid Ace, warehoused since December 2024, and a 2015 Kia Carnival consigned to Mauvin Hutchinson, warehoused since March 2025.

The government inventory highlights both private vehicle owners and corporate entities facing potential financial losses due to asset forfeiture. Local commercial importer Paradise Foods SVG has three distinct vehicles listed for auction, including a 2020 Nissan Caravan van, a 2018 Isuzu Elf truck, and a second 2018 Nissan Caravan van, all reported in late December 2025 and warehoused in January 2026.

Additional commercial and heavy transport vehicles subject to sale include a 2015 Hino Dutro truck imported by Marcus McCoy and a 2024 Suzuki Carry truck consigned to Jerry Clarke. High-end private vehicles slated for the auction block include a 2015 white Mercedes Benz imported by Isabella Hazel Eldering aboard the vessel Janina and a 2015 BMW 2-series consigned to David Chase.

The public notice also encompasses a wide array of popular sport utility vehicles, compact cars, and sedans consigned to individual Vincentian residents. These include a 2017 Suzuki Jimny listed for Geir Atle Anderson, a 2016 Suzuki Vitara consigned to Cyprian Mitchell, a 2018 Suzuki SX4 imported by Joseph Mari Gaymes, a 2017 Nissan X-Trail consigned to Dale Samuel, a 2016 Kia Fortes imported by Marvelene Richards, a 2017 Suzuki Hustler consigned to Solomon Bynoe, a 2024 Suzuki MR Wagon imported by Kezran Walters, and a 2018 Toyota Vitz listed for Mordel Cato.

Customs officials emphasize that all sales on November 21 will proceed strictly in accordance with statutory auction regulations unless consignees take immediate action to clear their goods at the Kingstown port terminal.

The complete removal of the Promoting Youth Microenterprises initiative, widely known as the PRYME program, from the national budget has sparked significant debate over the future of micro-entrepreneurship and youth economic support in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Budget records for 2026 reveal that project line items for the flagship grant scheme have been entirely omitted under the current administration, effectively ending state-funded direct capital injections for emerging young business owners across the nation.

Established in March 2020 under the previous administration, the PRYME program was designed to provide crucial financial backing and business development opportunities for young Vincentians attempting to launch or expand microenterprises. Eligible entrepreneurs were capable of receiving up to $40,000 in direct grant funding, which allowed scores of recipients to secure essential equipment, purchase inventory, and establish operational capital without taking on commercial debt.

The initiative proved especially consequential for female entrepreneurs, who represented more than 53 percent of all approved grant beneficiaries throughout the program’s operation. Public data released during gender equality initiatives highlighted that PRYME served as a vital cushion against severe economic shocks, including the financial fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 volcanic eruptions of La Soufrière, and devastation caused by Hurricane Beryl. For many women operating in micro, small, and medium-sized enterprise sectors, these grants provided a primary avenue for economic independence amidst historically elevated unemployment rates.

Controversy surrounding the program’s discontinuation intensified following public policy discussions on Star Radio’s The People’s Forum. Program host Melissa Peters, a former minister of gender affairs, drew attention to official statements made during the April 2026 launch of the Caribbean Women Entrepreneurs Generating Resilience and Inclusive Trade project, also known as the Grit project. At that event, Gender Affairs Minister Leavon Velox publicly praised PRYME’s track record in advancing female economic empowerment and cited the 53 percent female beneficiary figure as proof of government commitment to inclusive growth.

However, policy analysts and opposition figures pointed out that while the minister touted the initiative’s historical achievements, the 2026 budget estimates had already completely defunded PRYME. An examination of the capital estimates confirms that project numbers for PRYME were erased rather than allocated nominal or reduced funding, confirming the formal termination of the grant scheme. Critics on The People’s Forum characterized the omission as a stark contradiction between public messaging and fiscal policy, arguing that stripping micro-enterprise grants leaves vulnerable youth without alternative capital structures.

The total defunding of PRIME occurs alongside broader adjustments in youth, sports, and cultural capital allocations in the national budget, drawing sharp reactions from community advocates and young business operators who relied on state seed funding to navigate a challenging economic landscape. As the elimination of the program takes full effect, young entrepreneurs across St. Vincent and the Grenadines face an increasingly uncertain economic environment without dedicated state-backed micro-grant support.