Private Sector Oversight
80% of local kids in under-performing schools
(CNS): Only one school across the Cayman Islands received an ‘excellent’ grade from school inspectors in 2020. The Office of Education Standards’ annual data analysis for last year revealed that almost three-quarters of all children are in under-performing schools and 80% of Caymanian students are attending schools not yet meeting the expected level of performance.
Poor leaders undermine school’s achievements
(CNS): What was once considered one of Cayman’s best private schools has been given just a ‘satisfactory’ grade by government inspectors. Even though student attainment and progress was either ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ in English, maths and science across the whole school, “fundamental weaknesses in leadership and governance” brought down St Ignatius Catholic School’ overall grade. […]
Fuel suppliers dominate consultation
(CNS): Only two private individuals contributed to OfReg’s consultation exercise on consumer protection rules for the fuel sector, according to details released by the regulators. Despite broad concern about fuel prices and standards here, the public discussion was dominated by the suppliers, SOL and Rubis, both of which suggested that new regulations would push up […]
OfReg proposes consumer protection rules
(CNS): Three years after its launch, the Utility Regulation and Competition Office (OfReg) has announced that it is conducting a public consultation on the proposed consumer protection regulations for the energy and water utilities under its remit. This was one of the main motivations for creating the beleaguered office, which has since its inception created […]
CUC boss says future of power is solar
(CNS): Whether solar panels in the Cayman Islands should be mainly located on rooftops or on land farms to meet the proposed energy goals may be up for debate, but Richard Hew, the CEO of Caribbean Utilities Company (CUC), is certain that the sun will provide the country’s future power needs. Appearing before the Public […]
Private schools praised over home-learning
(CNS): The Office of Education Standards has found that the private school system adapted well to the environment created by the COVID-19 pandemic school shut-down. While inspectors had found much to be concerned about in their report on the government schools last month, in a report released this week leaders and teachers in private schools […]
OfReg set back ICT progress, says director
(CNS): The executive director responsible for the regulation of the telecommunications sector under the umbrella utilities regulator, OfReg, has said the creation of this entity had not only failed to meet public expectations but had also undermined the progress of ICT regulation and development. Alee Fa’amoe told the Public Accounts Committee that the creation of […]
‘We’ve been ripped off’ on gas prices
(CNS): The price of gas at the retail fuel pumps riled up several members of the Legislative Assembly on Monday, as they pressed the premier over what OfReg was doing to address the problem, given the dramatic fall in global oil prices this year. Chris Saunders (BTW) said, “We’ve been ripped off,” and everyone had […]
PTU ignores bus complaints one year on
(CNS): A passenger who made several credible complaints and provided documented evidence about drivers on the local bus routes last June was ignored, given the runaround and generally dismissed by the Public Transport Unit (PTU). And despite recommendations from the ombudsman, who found the unit was at fault, neither the PTU management nor the Public […]
Pension boss justifies withdrawal fees
(CNS): Varying fees being charged by private sector pension funds to people accessing their cash to help them weather the COVID-19 economic collapse, in line with the recent change to the law, were defended by government’s pensions boss on Wednesday. Concerns have been raised that some pension administrators are taking advantage of members by charging […]
OfReg offers little hope on gas prices
(CNS): Gas prices finally started to fall in Cayman this week but the utilities regulator, OfReg, which is tasked with tracking fuel costs around the world as well as regulating the sector here, has backed the local fuel suppliers’ claim that the lag in price decline is unavoidable. For years there have been concerns that […]
