Basseterre, St. Kitts, October 18, 2018 (SKNIS): The eighty-five (85) primary school students who were recipients of Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris’ 15th Help-a-Child Programme on Wednesday, October 17, at the Mount Carmel Baptist Church in Bourryeau, were encouraged to play their part in their education as it is important to remain committed to the pursuit of academic goals.
“It depends on your attitudes; it depends on your willingness to listen, to obey and be respectful. It is up to you to do your homework; it is up to you to get good grades on your tests. So when your teachers are teaching they can pull out all the stops, all the creative methods to get you to learn but in the final analysis it depends on you to ensure that you are successful,” said William Hodge, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education.
He reflected on the key message to students for the academic year 2018-2019 – ‘If it is to be, it is up to me’.
“That is a practice that we started about three years ago that on the opening day of schools, we have education officers, lecturers from the Curriculum Unit and other persons from the wider ministry who would go to every secondary and primary schools to deliver a key message,” he said. “So, as it is, our responsibility as adults, as parents, as teachers and as the Government is to ensure that we provide the best opportunities for you to learn. But I want you to go through this school year keeping that message in mind, that if you are to be successful it is going to depend a lot on you as an individual.”
Mr. Hodge used the occasion to reaffirm the Ministry of Education’s commitment to supporting Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris’ Help-a-Child Programme and expressed thanks to Prime Minister Harris for “ensuring that he continues to give support directly to the education of our boys and girls.”
The permanent secretary expressed how impressed he has been with the programme, noting that he made a commitment to sponsor four students of the 15th Help-a-Child Programme.
The 15th Help-a-Child Programme scholarship awards ceremony saw EC$ 500 in bursaries being presented to students from the four primary schools in Constituency Seven, namely, Violet Petty Primary in Lodge Project, Joshua Obadiah Williams Primary in Molinueax, Estridge Primary School in Mansion Village and the Edgar T. Morris Primary School in Tabernacle, as well as children of the Cotton-Thomas Comprehensive School, and students who reside in the constituency but attend school in other districts