Dear Editor,
The fact that Ituni and Kwakwani (schools) were able to defy the odds and do quite well at the NGSA (National Grade Six Assessment), is most worthy of some positive probings.
It shows that education is within the reach of just about everyone, and success has some special roots. The explanation is that the teachers and parents combined to bring about the many great success stories over there. So now Howell Wilson and Kwakwani Primary Schools are right up there where this year’s NGSA’s results are concerned.
Right here, I slip in the fact that successful students, especially those in primary and secondary schools, always attest to the good support of teachers and family members. Bear in mind, Editor, that both schools faced, during this time, many challenges. I am sure that the many schools in the city and on the East Coast of Demerara would not have put up with what Ituni and Kwakwani students had to endure. Yet the two schools have managed to produce eight students, who have garnered adequate marks to attend some of the top ranking secondary schools in the country. So congratulations to the parents and teachers.
Now there is no need to get down to minute details. I want to sing another song of praise for education in Guyana. Editor, the caption says it all: “Hinterland Scholarship Programme graduates 62 more.” Wow. A professor once told me that ‘education is still the poor man’s bread.’
I believe it is even more than just a means to an end. Education elevates a civilisation. This particular ongoing initiative again allowed for students, drawn from several hinterland regions of Guyana, to be invested in. Now this batch just completed their secondary, technical and tertiary education. The successful 62 graduated a few days ago, and several of them will return to serve their respective communities, to serve their people.
Others still have a few more phases in their educational journey. But for now, I am in a celebratory mood. At the beginning, I said a big thank you to the teachers and parents, and in closing, I say a big thank you to the Ministry of Education.
If there is one thing that I will always advocate, it will be education. I am very positive that education will eventually be the antidote for most of life’s evils. Just this week, I witnessed three teenagers, erstwhile school dropouts, who got entangled in a melee. Instantly it crossed my mind that a little bit of learning would have eliminated this problem.
So parents and teachers must ‘keep at it.’
Respectfully yours,
Ramesh Pertab