…says CWSS Principal on acquiring 6th form status

THE Christianburg Wismar Secondary School (CWSS) in Region 10 has achieved Sixth Form status, and now joins the Mackenzie High School (MHS) which held the monopoly in this regard for years.

This is according to a missive from the Ministry of Education (MoE) which states that the move was another step towards closing the gap in education delivery across Guyana. CWSS will now be able to accommodate the many Linden students who want to pursue the Caribbean Advancement Proficiency Level (CAPE), especially in the vocational field. “This intervention comes at a time when Guyana is expected to experience a ‘purple patch’ with the emerging Oil and Gas sector.

The MoE [has] recognised that the educational thrust of Guyana is along the Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) path. Therefore it is important that the schools’ curricula respond to the needs of the society,” the release noted.
The subjects that will be taught for the September 2018 CAPE programme at CWSS, is Geometrical & Mechanical Engineering Drawing, Electrical & Electronic Technology, Computer Science and Pure Mathematics.

This ultimately would lead to an Associate Degree in Technical Studies from the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC). Additionally, such pursuits will allow for the exemption from courses at the University of Guyana (UG) should the students go on to that tertiary institution.

Speaking to the Guyana Chronicle on the news, was Principal Cleveland Thomas who said that it was more than a rewarding feeling to know that a fight that started since 2005 had finally ended, and the teachers, many of whom are retired, would have really pushed for this to materialise. “I am happy to know what the teachers would have been fighting for since 2005 has finally come to pass, and in September 2018 we will be getting Sixth Form, it is a satisfying feeling,” he said.

According to the MoE, the CWSS has one of the strongest technical vocational education programmes in Region 10. This is evident in the CSEC results in the technical subjects. The school is equipped with four large workshops and two Information Technology (IT) laboratories to offer a multilateral programme.

The school is a grade [B] institution, with a matriculation rate that ranks high among the other listed [A] Grade schools in Guyana. Matriculation is defined by CXC as a pass of at least five CSEC subjects, at one sitting, at Grades I to III, including English A and Mathematics.

Over the past five years the school recorded a consistent improvement in student matriculation. In 2013, only 29 per cent of the CSEC candidates matriculated. By 2017, 48 per cent matriculated. Over the past three years a total of 233 students matriculated from this school.

Thirty-one per cent (or seventy-two) of the students, who matriculated from the CWSS over the past three years, were from the Industrial Technology Department (ITD). In 2015 and 2016, 83 per cent of the candidates passed and in 2017, all the candidates (100%) passed.

THE HARD WORK STARTS
Thomas said that it was also a bitter sweet feeling, since the attainment of sixth form status means that the hard work now begins for him and the rest of the staff, since there is a lot of responsibility that comes along with the status. He is confident, however, that he will get the support as always but will be the one leading the way, since he is the only one at the school that has the experience of teaching at a sixth form school, which is Mackenzie High and Bishops High School.

The teachers, however, have been preparing for this news through strategic planning since five of them would have successfully read for their degrees in the Industrial Technology (IT) field and the others are trained teachers who also acquired certificates at the Government Technical Institute (GTI). Teachers are also trained in the fields of Communication Studies and Caribbean Studies. “We have been strengthening the base,” Thomas related.

Thomas, therefore, urged the students that will benefit from this opportunity to let their attitude speak for them as a determined and dedicated spirit come along with success.
In addition, the extensive repairs that are ongoing at the over 40-years’ old school will allow for the sixth form attainment to come with a fresh look as well. A total of $229 M has been allocated for the rehabilitation which entails the entire building being overhauled.
CWSS is one of the top performing schools in Linden and in 2015, for the first time, the school copped seven of the top 10 places in Region 10 for CSEC and continues to acquire places in that top bracket. This performance was repeated in 2017. The school’s pass rate has also increased to 67 per cent. It has also managed to extend its curriculum by adding Spanish, Economics, Theatre Arts and Physics to the list.

CWSS has also been making headlines for its football team that has been repeated champions at the annual Digicel Schools Football Competition.