At Transitioning Seminar…
– the next five years of their  school life can either ‘make or break’ their future
A NOVEL approach to grooming and incorporating into the secondary school environment, Grade Six pupils who would have written and passed their examinations, was recently introduced locally.
This was done with the hosting, two Saturdays ago, of a one- day Transitioning Seminar for more than 120 students from about  ten schools around Georgetown. It is hoped that this effort could be replicated around the country later on.
The seminar, a joint initiative of the Rotary Club of Stabroek and the Ministry of Education’s National Centre  for Education Resource Development (NCERD),  was coordinated by Mrs. Marcia Marcus and sponsored by Corporate giants – Demerara Distillers Ltd. and GT&T.  The venue was NCERD offices, Battery Road, Kingston.
Co-coordinator, Mr. Colin Thompson, said the aim of the programme was to give the children some guidance as to how to cope with the change, and ultimately help the children have a smoother transition from Grade Six into life at High School.  He added that a number of challenges faced by children making that transition have been identified and the programme will address these.
Also present at the seminar were the parents who, it was felt, have a role in helping that transition. “It’s not like you send your child off to High School and the school system automatically takes care of everything,” Thompson commented.
Facilitators were drawn from the Education system, some with legal background, others involved in Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Sports Development and Healthy lifestyles.
The sessions were highly interactive  and some of the issues addressed were:  peer pressure; issues that relate to self study, recognizing that study modes in High School will be different to those in Primary School; the effective use of Information and Communication Technology.  Thompson  observed that, if the students do not make the transition well, their entire Secondary School life is likely to be affected; they’ll be left behind, or could even get caught in the wrong modes, which could be to their detriment later on.
President-elect of the Rotary Club of Stabroek, Mrs. Patricia Plummer , in her  ‘Welcome and Opening Remarks’, urged the pupils assembled along with their parents, to ‘take heed’ and to share the life lessons learnt with classmates, friends and others.
Plummer noted that, today, children in High Schools must learn to cope with increased negative peer pressure and ever-advancing curriculum; their own evolving sexuality and the need for ever more discipline and self study.  She concurred with the previous speaker that, the goal of the Transition Seminar was to prepare the pupils for changes in the coming year, among them – academic and personal, physical and emotional.
Extending best wishes for the road ahead, the Rotary official cautioned the pupils that the road ahead is not easy, but said that with hard work and discipline they will be able to cope and succeed.
Meanwhile, Director of NCERD, Mr. Mohandatt Goolsarran, stressing the importance of diligent application to studies, and doing nothing but the best when writing examinations, noted that ‘sometimes one mark … just one mark,’ can make the difference in determining which school the child gets.
As in the case of the Grade Six Assessments, he cited:   “Sometimes one mark can make the difference between Queen’s College and Bishops’;  you may prefer Queen’s …but no matter how you beg, the rules are clear and we can’t put you over,” he stressed.
He said unconditionally, what they have on their grade slips is what they worked for, and that’s what they are going to get.
And looking ahead to C-SEC Examinations in the next five years, he admonished them, “The amount you put in now, with the support of   your parents will make a difference. You can only achieve if you keep focus on what you are doing; pay attention to your school teachers and make good use of the abundance of books the Ministry of Education makes available at school.”
He warned of the distractions along the way, and said the Transitioning Seminar will prepare them to resist such temptations aimed at taking them away from their books.  The NCERD Director also stressed the importance of getting at least six subjects, including Mathematics and English, at the CSEC Examinations, failing which, the road ahead could be dim.
“The next five years ahead of you, will either make your future or break your future,” the education official declared.