~ Staffers make physical fitness pledge ~
DAWN BEACH--Teamwork, improving service, performance and accountability were among the issues focussed on during the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth Affairs' one-day retreat at The Westin St. Maarten Dawn Beach Resort and Spa on Friday.
The roughly 100 ministry staff members who attended also engaged in what was described as an enjoyable physical activity and pledged to continue such an activity on a regular basis, starting next week Friday, in the parking lot of the Government Administration Building.
Minister Dr. Rhoda Arrindell said discussions at the retreat had focussed on planning, accountability and teamwork, and how the ministry could move forward in these areas.
"Being held accountable for the results of the ministry is one of the things that I emphasised and is one of the things that kept coming back in the various presentations. How do we hold ourselves accountable for the results in the ministry?" Arrindell asked.
"The accountability issue on reporting was a very important discussion. It focussed on how we report, the different forms of reporting, when to report, what feedback do they receive, and the responsibility of the persons and to be able to understand if they are being held accountable for what they are doing, in the scope of their roles and their responsibility.
"The last activity had to do with teamwork. How do we build the team? How do we build the Ministry and the services that we provide to our clients? What we do in terms of improving on our services, in terms of relying on each other's strengths where we feel we are weak, etc., as a team to be able to improve on our service."
Arrindell said the highlight of the retreat had been the physical activity that had closed off the event. "That's where people were able to probably let their guards down, become comfortable and work as a team and just forget who is around you, because you have to rely on each other to achieve the goal."
Education Innovations Division head Patricia Lourens said there had been a lot of positive feedback from the activities. "What I heard ... was that persons now have a better understanding of their role in the big picture, and that was important. Sometimes people are working and working diligently, but don't sometimes see their connection in the big picture. The big picture was clearly explained and the role of each individual in achieving that big picture."
In terms of the pledge by the ministry's staffers to continue being physically fit, Arrindell said the intention was eventually to involve the other ministries and the public in fitness. "The idea is to keep moving," she said.
