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…Min. Broomes says children need greater community support
YOUNG Deborah Leitch is this year’s top achiever of the Enterprise Primary School, after successfully sitting the 2019 National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) and securing a spot at St. Stanislaus College.
Just hours after the results for the 2019 NGSA were announced, Minister of Youth Affairs within the Ministry of the Presidency, Simona Broomes, decided to visit the Enterprise Primary School, located in her D’Urban Backlands community. In more recent times, the minister has been trying to foster a working relationship with the school, in an attempt to improve the quality of education delivered there.
“When I first came here, even the teachers were telling me that they worked so hard and they’re happy for the support, because a lot of the parents don’t come to the school and a lot of children are from Sophia and other communities that persons look at as depressed communities,” Minister Broomes highlighted while on her visit. “Some children come to school without food, they have the feeding programme. I met with the headteacher and they really poured out their hearts.”
And as a result of that, the minister decided that she would give back to her community by working along with the youth and teachers at the school. Over the past few months she has visited the school, giving them motivational talks, helping to beautify the school and she was even there the morning before this year’s NGSA– in April– encouraging the children to hold their faith and do their best.
And young Leitch was determined to put her best foot forward and come out on top, while securing a position at a senior secondary school. “I was not expecting it, to be honest,” Leitch shared, but said importantly: “If you work hard and put your mind to it you can get what you want.” Her mother Sharmane Arthur was too overcome with pride to even speak properly. The woman related that she was just too happy that what she instilled in her daughter has come to fruition. “I never write Common Entrance and them things, the first sister wrote [the NGSA] and now she wrote and got Saint’s,” the woman said, adding: “I told her, whatever you put in that is what is going to come out and I thank God.”
Speaking with this newspaper, Deborah, who wants to be a professional chef one day, noted that her success would not be possible without the hard work done by her teachers too.
“I worked with my Headteacher and she did lessons, she stayed when she was supposed to go and she even came on Sundays, when she was supposed to go to church, and she taught us,” Deborah said, while expressing her profound gratitude. Acting Headteacher and Grade Six Teacher, Allison Blenman, related that it has been almost a decade since the school was able to produce a student to secure a place in one of the ‘top schools’.
“With Minister Broomes, we have collaborated and we are thinking about giving some extra classes during the afternoons from maybe three to five o’ clock,” the Headteacher said. She also encouraged the parents to come out and play a greater role in their children’s education by working hand in hand with the teachers of the school.
Minister Broomes herself noted that before heading into the new school year, she and the teachers will determine some “strategic ways” of supporting the students, since the Enterprise Primary must perform at the same level as any other school in Guyana. As part of the minister’s visit, the young girl was awarded a tablet that was gifted to the minister by the owner Star Computers, as she went there purchase the tablet. This act of gratitude was one that Minister Broomes said is so critical in supporting all of Guyana’s children.
“I want to encourage persons in communities, you don’t have to be a minister, you have elder persons in your communities — your pastors, your community leaders— how could you support and try to inspire [the youth],” she said. According to her, not everything should be left in the hands of the government. Rather, she opined that each community must support the children, their families and the teachers. “I think if we all look at it in this way, then Guyana’s future would be really bright. We’re depending on our young people, Guyana needs our young people,” she stated firmly.
