– night school in Sophia positively impacts lives of residents ages 14-50

THE Sophia CSEC Night School, though strap for cash, continues to positively influence the lives of Guyanese through education, a community dialogue forum heard on Saturday.
Established by the Sophia Community Development Association (SOCDA) in 2016, the school has seen over 250 individuals registering to be part of its programme.

Addressing a small group of residents in the compound of the Sophia Training Centre where the school is held, SOCDA’s Treasurer, Sidney Nelson, said the night school continues to achieve its purpose, that is, to provide a second chance for ‘at-risk’ youths, school drop-outs and individuals who have not achieved above five subjects at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations, or individuals who have never had the chance to sit the examinations.

“In essence, it was conceptualised to give individuals a second chance and we have been more than successful in this area,” Nelson said. He said though it is no easy task, SOCDA remains committed.

SOCDA Community Dialogue and Volunteer Coordinator, Stacey Gordon, said persons as young as 14 and old as 50, have registered with the school thus far.

“Our policy here is come as you are, however, come with the intention to make your life better. Come with the goal of improving your lot,” Gordon told those present. It was noted that while the night school is located in Sophia, it caters for residents in and around the community and as far as the East Coast of Demerara, and Linden, Region 10.

It was noted that since the start of the night school, its programme has expanded to cater to the needs of its students.

“When this programme started in 2016, we offered five subjects – mathematics, English Language, principles of accounts, principles of business and office administration. Now we have added an additional five subjects to include social studies, EDPM, human and social biology, integrated science and agriculture science,” she explained. But the inclusion of the additional subjects has put a strain on budgetary allocations. In an effort maintain the expanded programme, SOCDA merged years one and two of the office administration, business and human and social biology classes. Also, contact hours have also been reduced.

“This has affected subjects like mathematics, English Language and the sciences. Ideally, those subjects could have two more additional contact hours weekly but the current funding does not allow for that,” she said. Notwithstanding these challenges, the school continues to deliver.

HIGH PASS RATE
“For 2018, we topped the CSEC Night School Programme with an 85 per cent pass rate,” she reported while noting that the Sophia and Soesdyke Night Schools registered students to sit CSEC in May/June 2018. Eight subjects – mathematics, English Language, social studies, principles of business, principles of accounts, office administration, human and social biology and electronic document preparation and management (EDPM) – were attempted by 14 students.

“There was a total sitting of 31, with a 73 per cent average pass for grades 1-3 and 97 per cent average pass for grades 1-4. This year, some 22 students are expected to write the CSEC examinations from the Sophia Night School,” she noted.

At a time when the school faces financial difficulties, Gordon said it is important to invest in its operations as it continues to play an important role in the lives of many. The school, she emphasised, is a safe haven for residents who are at risk.

With a population of 35,000 people, the community dialogue and volunteer coordinator said Sophia has grown to be heavily associated with crime and violence.

“Statistics from the Guyana Police Force for 2016 revealed that there were 136 selected offences that occurred in the Sophia community. Among these were robberies with firearms and without firearms, 38; rape – 13; theft – 25; domestic violence – 52; and shooting incident (murder) – 2,” she reported while underscoring the need to invest in the school.

PRAISE
Residents, who attended the Sophia Community Dialogue, lauded the efforts of the school, and called for similar units to be established in other parts of the community and country by extension.

The Sophia Community Dialogue was the first for SOCDA, and forms part of a project funded by USAID through a grant under its Local Capacity for Local Solutions Programme (LCLS). The initiative is aimed at building the capacity of SOCDA’s executive in strategic planning, financial management and communication and visibility.

Under the LCLS grant initiative, residents of the community are being given the opportunity to express their views on issues affecting the development of the community, particularly ‘C’, ‘D’ and ‘E’ Fields, and its environs. Following the community dialogue, a retreat has been planned which is aimed at creating a five-year strategic plan for SOCDA by May 2019.
Derwayne Wills, moderator of the dialogue, pointed out that it is SOCDA’s mission to “educate, empower and develop innovative leaders and managers with the skills,

competencies and predisposition which will contribute to the nation’s development.”
Richard Jones, Caribbean Policy Development Centre (Barbados) official, in offering brief remarks, said the CPDC represents non-governmental organisations across the Caribbean, to influence policies. He said based on the remarkable work being done by SOCDA, it was able to acquire a USAID grant under a programme CPDC is implementing. Jones noted that CPDC has the highest number of grantees in Guyana. These are four organisations benefiting under the umbrella project – SOCDA, Merundoi, TOGETHER and Child Link.