Development Programmes, a 19 percent increase on last year, and almost 50 percent more than five years ago.

The latest enrolment figures for the programme were released by Minister of the Environment, Development and Opportunity, Terry Lister in the House of Assembly on Friday. Mr. Lister said the programmes were designed to provide a full range of educational, recreational, social and cultural courses for people of all ages and backgrounds.

The programme also seeks to make optimum use of public education facilities, and stresses the importance of developing these facilities to create neighbourhood community centres.

Centres are currently located at Sandys Middle School, Spice Valley Middle School in Warwick, CedarBridge Academy in Devonshire, and Clearwater Middle School in St. George's. Primary Schools from Southampton to Hamilton Parish are used as satellite centres, and historically, the Warwick Community School has accounted for more than 60 percent of the total annual enrolment.

Mr. Lister said: "This year's improved performance is due in large part to an increase in the number of courses offered at the CedarBridge Academy, on just one night a week.

"The 84 students registered at CedarBridge in 1999 has grown to 360 students this year without, I am pleased to report, any reduction in numbers at the main Warwick Centre.'' Mr. Lister also said Government intended to make greater use of facilities at CedarBridge, and the Department of Community Affairs had held fruitful discussions with the board of governors to increase, term by term, the number of nights on which classes would be offered at the senior secondary school.