THE Hopetown Practical Instruction Centre is geared towards providing secondary school students with basic life-training skills, in preparation to enter the workforce after exiting the formal school system.

The Pepperpot Magazine spoke with Senior Teacher of the Building Technology Department, Avery Alfred, who reported that students visit the facility from several secondary schools to learn trades.

He noted that mostly boys participate in the electrical installation, building technology, technical drawing and industrial technology (construction and joinery) courses offered free of cost at the institution.

Alfred stated that the girls, however, are more drawn to the Home Economics and Food and Nutrition courses, which are headed by trained teachers.

“This is a Grade ‘A’ School and we can accommodate a total of 500 pupils where we teach them a trade for their future endeavours if they are not academically inclined, they have something to fall back on to earn a living,” he said.

Alfred disclosed that they support the school through their own pockets, projects, exhibitions and fundraising activities.

Meanwhile, most of the furniture and other things hand-made are stored at the regional office for safe-keeping since space is limited at the location.

Alfred added that they have the basic tools and equipment for the projects that are part of their curriculum, but donations are always welcomed.

He stated that the youths received training in cake-making, cake decoration, tie-dye and block-making.
“The aim of the initiative was to empower the individuals through the development of the skills, to later be able to launch economic ventures utilising the skills acquired during the camp,” he said.
The Pepperpot Magazine also spoke to the newly appointed Deputy Headteacher of the Home Economics Section, Charmain Brummell.

She pointed out that she was elected to the post since September 2019 and she is from Rosignol, also on the West Coast of Berbice.

Brummell related that she teaches Family and Resource Management for Grades nine and 10 students who come from Woodley Park, Fort Wellington and Bushlot Secondary Schools.

“We get money to sustain this school by selling snacks such as plantain chips, egg balls and pholurie. We were gifted a freezer recently and we are very grateful, because we will make ice, icicles, popsicle and ice cream, which will be sold to bring in much-needed funds for the school,” she said.

Brummell stated that money garnered will be used to purchase raw materials for projects and practicals; their way of assisting students whose parents cannot afford to buy raw materials for classes.

The teacher, however, stated that the Hopetown Practical Instruction Centre needs to be promoted, because often parents think skills training is a waste of time, but it is necessary for some children.

She explained that some parents don’t see the subjects as being important, but it is adding that skills training is basically a back-up for pupils, who are not excellent performers and it will come in useful in their adult life.

Brummell pointed out that the administration is seeking, as far as possible, to produce well-rounded individuals.
She explained that although an individual may be academically inclined and be employed in a particular field; that individual may still be able to utilise whatever skills they would have acquired to generate additional income.
Brummell noted that the aim of the Hopetown Practical Instruction Centre is to ensure that the skills which students would have acquired will be utilised to benefit themselves and their communities, particularly since such skills are always in demand, she said.