A second chance at academia

FOR people who have had to face many challenges in life regarding developing themselves in the world of education, there is always great news for persons who would want a second chance.

The Pepperpot Magazine spoke with the Coordinator of the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination for the Sophia Night School, Le’Roi Adolphus, who outlined the importance of the benefits of such a programme.

“We would have given an opportunity to persons who wouldn’t have had a chance to write CXC because they would have dropped out of school in fourth form because of economic reasons. They now have a chance to complete their secondary school education, now that they would have become adults,” Adolphus noted as the main impact that the school is making on the community.

Adolphus explained that the beneficiaries of this programme offered by the school are now able to serve their community in a better way because they are now more qualified and empowered. In many cases, he noted that they are also beneficiaries of promotions in their jobs, and as a result, they become more marketable.

Some, he noted, have gone on to higher institutions of learning, such as the University of Guyana, E.R. Burrowes School of Arts and the Institute of Distance and Continuing Education (IDCE).
Adolphus assured that the teachers who teach at the Night School aren’t just there for the remuneration that they are given at the end of the month, but they love what they do.

The coordinator noted that there have been great responses regarding the students who are the primary beneficiaries, adding that they have seized the opportunities of having a second chance at obtaining qualifications to make themselves marketable for opportunities ahead in the corporate world.

“ We have an open-door policy, so if you have a Grade Four and you write back with us, you can obtain a Grade Three, Two or One. If they can’t write CXC in a year, then we put them in a pre-CXC Maths and English class. Because of finances, we are ensuring that we are doing enough advertising to ensure that those who have dropped out of school can have a chance to write the examination after they would have gone through the pre-CXC class,” the night school coordinator told the Pepperpot Magazine .

But like every other commitment in life, it requires commitment and consistency to achieve the required goal. Those same students may have had difficulties maintaining commitment: for example, some may have become pregnant and have to discontinue. Adolphus assured that he urges the students to keep their eyes on the prize and see themselves on the campus of the University of Guyana stage graduating, because they would have put in the required work and should see themselves at the top of the education ladder.

Education as an advancement
Adolphus explained that despite the stigma attached to the Sophia community, the Night School has managed to attain an 85 percent pass rate for Grades One and Two.
He called for continued support from donors and funding, whether it be from Government or the private sector.

At the same time, he called for the support of mentors, social workers, and motivational speakers to play their part in teaching and training the students to be the kind of great people that society expects them to be and to become despite their environment.

Just last year, it was reported according to the Guyana Chronicle that telephone company Digicel paid for some of the students to write the CXC or what is now known as the CSEC examination.
The coordinator touted some of the achievements of the school since 2016.

“Some 2,000 students have passed through the system, but some close [to] 500 students have written the examination; nevertheless, we remain open to external donors,” he told the Pepperpot Magazine.

The Sophia Night School is currently offering classes in English Language, Mathematics, Electronic Document Preparation Management, Social Studies, Principles of Accounts, Principles of Business, Office Administration, Integrated Science, Human and Social Biology, according to the Coordinator of the Sophia Night School.