“It is not where you go, it is what you do when you get there.”
This was the advice Minister of Education and Human Resource Development, Ronald Jones gave to the graduates of St. Paul’s Primary School at their graduation and prize ceremony yesterday.
He told them to be proud of their school. “We surround our schools with too much negativity…It is important to give our young people a chance to progress at their own rates,” he pointed out.
Addressing the parents, Minister Jones stressed that parents were placing too much pressure on their children about the Common Entrance Exam.
“This country is making a phenomenal mistake with our children. We heap coals on the children’s heads and in their hearts. We behave as though there are only five schools in Barbados,” he opined.
Stating that “everybody wants a reallocation for their child,” Mr. Jones said that society could not tie itself to the history attached to the older secondary schools.
“Society has to progress and make provision for its people,” he stressed.
Referring to the school’s graduation theme, “Still I Rise”, the Minister commended the graduates and teachers on what he described as ‘their resilience, determination and fortitude”, following the challenges the school faced during the last school year.
“Today, you the parents, teachers and students have proven to us that you were able to rise above all challenges, fears and above all expectations…You did not give up, despite all odds. I applaud you,” he said.