Sunday 15 October, 2017 marked the annual observance of Caribbean Statistics Day in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). Caribbean Statistics Day recognises the vital role of statistics in improving the well-being of the people of our Community and in raising the profile of statistics and statisticians across the Region.
Official statistics help decision-makers develop informed policies and programmes that impact millions of people, which can also affect communities and businesses. Statistics help families make decisions based on the cost of living; they help businesses make decisions about when and where to invest; and help educators make decisions based on the performance of their school and students. Better ways of collecting data, publishing data and attracting people to become statisticians can improve the quality and availability of statistics and thus enable better decisions that eventually result in better lives for all of us.
The OECS Commission joined the entire region in celebrating Caribbean Statistics Day by actively engaging the youth, highlighting the importance of statistics to the development of our people, to the sustainability of our environment, and to the stability of our economy.
The OECS Statistical Services Unit with support from the Government of Canada funded Project for the Regional Advancement of Statistics in the Caribbean (PRASC) embarked on a school campaign in Saint Lucia and St. Vincent and The Grenadines in collaboration with the Saint Lucia Central Statistics Office and the St. Vincent and The Grenadines Statistical Office respectively. The campaign highlighted the importance of statistics to society and the fundamental role of the National Statistics Offices (NSOs) and statisticians.
Here are a few highlights of our 2017 student engagement initiative.