Dear Editor,
BROWSING through a more recent edition of the Marian Academy School’s yearbook, I came upon a most interesting article contained therein, which featured an educational exchange visit paid by a group of their students to the Far East and North America recently, an initiative which I consider to be both fascinating and ground- breaking.
Such resourcefulness, imagination and originality by the Principal and her students for conceptualising, successfully planning and effectively executing this forward- thinking, valuable and meaningful undertaking, clearly demonstrates why this school has such an enviable record of success and achievement. Although such international field trips are frequently undertaken by and between educational institutions from developed countries, such ingenuities to such far reaches of the globe have never before been ventured into by our local schools, and thus the reason I congratulate Marian for their boldness, prudence and farsightedness.

Clearly, from the information contained in the report, the participating youths not only made their school proud, but all of Guyana, as they performed admirably as young ambassadors of our country, whilst at the same time facilitating the further strengthening of the relationship that exists between their school and the one in the People’s Republic of China. With the significant technological and other advances occurring, and the new career paths being developed across the globe, such an opportunity would have given the participating students the chance to compare and contrast their experiences with those of real people; people they can communicate and identify with, and not just rely on text books for information.

It is my sincere hope that more schools in Guyana, both private and public, would emulate such sensible creativities in order to give more of the youth of Guyana a fuller appreciation of the world in which they live, and of how they can contribute to making it a better place. I believe that the enrichment benefits from initiatives such as this, to both students and teachers, shall be of a cultural, moral and social nature, and consequently it is my earnest anticipation that Marian as a pioneer of bringing international education to life in Guyana, will ensure that this initiative is undertaken on an annual or biannual basis to allow as many students as possible from their school to benefit.

I say again, ‘Hats off, Marian Academy’! And I ask that you develop the existing, and create new, twin school partnerships that are meaningful, reciprocal, sustainable and long-term in nature.

Congratulations to the hardworking Principal and her team of professionals for producing, over the years, well-rounded students from this very prestigious learning institution in Guyana.

Regards,
Ravindra Thakur