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??The graduating class of the St. Lawrence Primary School give a farewell performance for parents, teachers and friends at their graduation last week. (U.Gaskin/BGIS)

A government minister has told the graduating class of the St. Lawrence Primary School not to be sidetracked by conversations about which secondary school they attended but to keep focused on being productive citizens.

Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Christopher Sinckler, gave this advice to the graduates last Friday, while delivering the feature address at the Accra Beach Hotel.

He told the 19 graduates: "I say to you do not allow anybody to define who you are based on where you went to school, where you were born or who your parents are.???? You are who you are…You are excellent, dedicated and intend to be an outstanding citizen of this country.?? And, anyone who asks you in later years, as they often ask me, tell them it is not where I went to school but it is the fact that I did go to school that is important," Mr. Sinckler affirmed.

The Finance Minister also mentioned the importance of moulding’s one’s character from the secondary school experience. ??"It does not matter where you are going …It really matters what you do when you get there.?? A school… does not determine what your character will be.?? It [school] can help to shape and inform your character, but it cannot determine what character you will have.?? That determination is solely within your control and, therefore, it is incumbent on you as students to be able to ensure that you exercise the wisdom and teaching that you have gathered from your teachers and parents as you move from the St. Lawrence Primary School, onto secondary school," Mr. Sinckler emphasised.?? ????????????

While pointing out that the workload in secondary school would be much greater than that in primary school, the Finance Minister urged parents to be supportive of their children. "Please understand that the work will be greater [and] seem more difficult and the level of application which you have to give over a period of time, will be substantially greater than you have done in primary school.?? You will be exposed to new subject areas multiplied several times over and a short space of teaching experience called periods will decorate the kind of environment that you will be called upon to exercise your abilities to learn," Mr. Sinckler stressed.

He further stated: "Nonetheless, regardless of whatever school that is assigned to you…rest assured that the level of educational instruction, teaching aides, books and other parts of the pedagogical experience, will be of the highest possible quality."

Mr. Sinckler also urged students to complete their homework and to pay attention to their teachers in the classroom in order to achieve greater things in life.

julie.carrington@barbados.gov.bb

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