The President’s Medal awardees were on Tuesday reminded by President Paula-Mae Weekes that they are the future of the nation who have benefited from the education system and must now think of giving back as T&T can only be as good as they make it.
Speaking at the presentation ceremony held at the National Academy for the Performing Arts in Port-of-Spain, Weekes said: “Go to school and learn well, understanding that the real purpose of education is to equip you to make a useful contribution to society and it is never too early to begin thinking how.”
The students were reminded that education is more than simply examinable subjects but instead a culmination of the knowledge, skills, attitudes, principles, and values that they acquire over their lifetime. To do this, she advised the students to take responsibility for educating themselves, keeping at their books but broadening their horizons.
“Explore the arts—music, poetry, art and design, engage in volunteering, there are dozens of options, keep current with local news and developments, there is an election next year follow the campaigns, analyse the manifestos. You are not too young to have informed opinions,” Weekes said.
She told them society was filled with multi-degreed people who are selfish, inconsiderate, greedy, uncaring and amoral, and lacked the empathetic bonds necessary to make them valuable people.
“Be vigilant, scholars, that this does not happen to you. Take the time and make the effort, even while keeping up with your studies, to grow and develop your kindness, your generosity, your compassion, set your moral compass and establish your patriotism,” the President advised.
In her address to the students, Weekes called for a restructuring of the nation’s education system.
“From my vantage point as President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, it would seem that it is time to do a complete overhaul of the education system if we are to have any chance of producing the individuals that we want and need to lead this country into the future.”
This, she said, does not occur overnight and needs to comprise a comprehensive plan which ran through Early Childhood Education and primary and secondary schooling. She asked whether the present system was producing the young people the country needed to create a society in which even they would want to raise their children. This is an important question as she said, “Only a small percentage of our students are being absorbed into the traditional professions but 100 per cent of them are going to be citizens, whose conduct, value systems and love for country will determine our viability as a prosperous nation, in every sense of the term.”
The President’s medal is awarded annually to the top two students based on their academic performance in the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE), Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC), and the Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA).
This year, two girls, Amrita Singh of Lakshmi Girls’ Hindu College and Sadhana Balladin of St Joseph’s Convent, San Fernando, copped the award for their performance in CAPE. Joining these girls were Cassandra Khan of Naparima Girls’ High School and Joshua Mohan of Naparima College for their performance at CSEC, and Saiesh Rampersad with Jada Ramnath for their performance at SEA.
Last year, two girls also won the medal at the CAPE level; Veshala Goon of Lakshmi Girls’ Hindu College and Saanjali Maharaj of St Augustine Girls’ High School. Two girls also won the award the year before that. Historically, girls have typically outperformed boys when it comes to academics in the country.