A CHILDREN’S float parade is slated for Mash Day 2016 in place of the traditional Mash Day float parade which has been shifted to May 27, 2016.According to Minister within the Ministry of Education, Nicolette Henry, the decision was made to make allowance for greater participation from students from senior secondary schools.
“Given that the senior secondary school students are scheduled to sit the CSEC during the May month period, they will not likely be available to participate much in the 50th Independence celebrations. so we decided that on February 23, 2016, we will be having an all youth and children costume parade on the road,” she explained.
This shift in trend, she said, will ensure that the young adults get to participate fully, so as the event will not clash with their examination period.
In previous years, the children’s parade was held several days before February 23, and featured mostly nursery and primary schools with involvement from a few secondary schools.
Minister Henry said that the Ministry of Education has a responsibility to ensure that young people are engaged in meaningful activities.
“We thought that we would make maximum use of this opportunity to engage them during the Mashramani period, so we are going to dedicate this period exclusively for their fun; for them to showcase their talents; for them to come out and have a grand time with as much support as possible from the adults in a positive way,” the minister said.
And while she could not say if the Mashramani route will be the same as the adult road parade, she did indicate that every effort will be made to encourage maximum participation from all schools.
Meanwhile, the other activities listed as part of Mashramani 2016 include the national schools’ competition, the chutney competition, junior and senior calypso monarch competitions, a concert for the elderly, the steel pan competition, masquerade, and a street fair.