– regional officials stress punctuality, attendance
Students of Region Five who could not be placed at schools in the region after writing the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) because of inadequate space are now attending a new secondary school at Number Eight Village.
At the launching of education month in the region on Friday at the Fort Wellington Secondary School, Regional Executive Officer Floyd France said that the Number Eight Secondary School already has an enrolment of over 130 students.
He said the school was opened in time for the new school term to accommodate some of the students who had not performed that well at the NGSA and who were placed at Vryman’s Erven Secondary in New Amsterdam.
The opening, he said, was possible following “timely intervention” from him, persons from the Ministry of Education, Regional Education Officer Urlene Crandon and Regional Chairman Harrinarine Baldeo.
France used the opportunity to advise students of various schools in the region to focus on their education and “do not lime at street corners after school or wait on the shiniest buses” and be influenced by peer pressure.
Crandon who addressed the gathering based on the theme: ‘School Attendance and Punctuality: Keys to Education Success’, acknowledged that teachers in Region Five have a problem with both “attendance and punctuality.”
She urged the teachers to make changes to improve the situation and to be present at school 15 minutes before classes begin, while noting that if they were late “the classrooms would be in chaos.”
She also reminded teachers and students that they should be present at school every day “and if there is a problem and you cannot be there you need to inform the school. You do not have to wait until two days would have elapsed and then turn up.”
She told the teachers that in order to have success in education they have to be there to offer the full curriculum and not just turn up “because salaries would be paid today or tomorrow.”
Baldeo remarked that the region has the responsibility to ensure that teachers work under comfortable conditions as well as to ensure that “maximum results” are achieved.
He said the region has 31 nursery schools while another one is expected to be opened next year, 32 primary schools and six secondary schools.
In two weeks, the region would be “pulling down the De Hoop Primary and constructing a new school.”
He said the region is “spending a lot of money on education” and acknowledged that there is a still a shortage of furniture. He said too that it does not make sense to invest so much and there are “still delinquents in the system.” He reminded the students and teachers that “time is a part of discipline.”
Some of the activities planned to observe the month are a face the community meeting on September 9, Regional Awards Ceremony on September 22, a reading tent for secondary students on September 18 and for nursery and primary pupils on September 23.
There would also be a visual arts exhibition on September 30 and a truancy rally on October 2.
Competitions would also be held at all the schools for class and attendance.
A scrabble competition which was held on September 2 saw teachers from Lachmansingh Primary emerging winners.
