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| The top male students of the 2012 graduating class of West Terrace Primary School, Jamahl Burke (left) and Jadunte Richards, are presented with their awards. (B’dos Advocate)?? |
The performance of students in all spheres of endeavour signifies that the future of our country is in good hands.
Minister of Education and Human Resource Development, Ronald Jones stated this today as he addressed the West Terrace Primary School’s graduation today under the theme: Our Children; Our Future at the Western Light Nazarene Church.??
Minister Jones told the parents and guardians that "in the midst of all the turbulence life can sometimes present, our young people truly shine."
Adding that this was reflected from nursery to tertiary and throughout their lives as workers or volunteers, he stressed that Barbadians needed to mean what they say when they referred to students as "our future". "We have to highlight it in our newspapers, a constant daily dose of the strengths of our young people. We should lift our children up every day. Give them hope to achieve even beyond their expectations," said Mr. Jones.
Urging parents to prevent children from being deeply affected by self-doubt, he said: "There are many children who are burdened by self-doubt not because of their inclination to be doubtful about their ability, but because some persons would tell them ???You know you can’t achieve’ and ???You are no good!’
"It happens sometimes even in our homes. We create that basket of self-doubt in our young people and they reproduce that self-doubt in whatever they do; in negative behaviour that sometimes you might see in our schools or in our communities and our nation, reinforced by our own responses to that self-doubt."
Speaking specifically to the students, Minister Jones said they needed to feel "thrilled" about their successes and deserved "to be celebrated" by their parents and teachers for staying "focused and committed". He urged them to celebrate their new schools.