The European Union is funding an ‘access to open spaces project campaign in the Eastern Caribbean

The European Union is funding an ‘access to open spaces campaign in the Eastern
Caribbean which includes Antigua and Barbuda.
As part of the project, a tree planting exercise was held at the Villa Primary School
on Thursday, with another planned for Liberta Primary today.
Prime Minister Gaston Browne, the parliamentary representative for the area,
joined the Team Leader / Counsellor, Human Development Delegation of the
European Union to Barbados and the OECS, Dr. Florian Luetticken, officials of the
Office of the National Authorising Officer which coordinates EU projects locally,
and school officials.
According to the literature, access to playgrounds and other outdoor areas on a
school campus is as important to supporting learning, as traditional classrooms.
With careful planning, schools can make effective use of these communal spaces to
help create the right school culture and support learning beyond the classroom.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has proven the value of these spaces in supporting
high-quality teaching and learning. As schools have tried to spread students out to
maintain safe social distancing, many have taken advantage of outdoor areas to
create additional learning spaces. Outdoor learning spaces can be an easy and
cheaper way to offer better air quality, as well as a way to increase school
capacity,” it noted.
Additionally, outdoor spaces offer several opportunities to extend learning, and
research suggests there are both educational and health-related benefits to learning
outdoors. For instance, breathing fresh air can clear students’ minds and help them
think, by increasing the amount of oxygen their brains receive. Being outside, can
also reduce stress and improve students’ emotional well-being.
The EU provided the benches, garbage receptacles, and signage for the two named
schools. The Ministry of Agriculture provided fruit trees for the greening of the
outdoor space, which forms part of the counterpart contribution to the project. This
project was replicated in other countries during the COVID period.