Don’t settle for less – Minister Lawrence tells Skeldon High students

Ministry of Social Protection, Guyana, Thursday, October 6, 2016

Education is critical to unlocking their potential and students can achieve their goals if they stay in school were among the messages Minister of Social Protection took to students of the Skeldon High School during a visit to Region Six.

During a talk with the students, Minister Lawrence learnt that many of the students are being raised in single parent families and she urged them to take their education seriously, as it is their ticket out of many of the hardships they are experiencing.

“You have hours of school time to take in your education to be great Do a check on what you do in the time you have and ensure that when you get to school, you do not waste that time. You can be the best at whatever you want, so don’t settle for less,” the Minister said.

From her interactions with the students, the Minister noted the need to boost parenting skills in the area.

Meanwhile, the teachers said the students are generally well behaved and have been producing good results at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations.

The Minister’s visit to the school was prompted by complaints from residents in the neighbouring community during a public meeting about prohibited items being sold by vendors outside the school compound. She advised the school’s administration to meet the vendors to make them aware of items that should not be sold in the vicinity of the school, such as alcohol and squibs, which are reportedly commonly sold during the Diwali and Christmas seasons.

“I’m not here to accuse anyone, but the concerns are genuine and we have to deal with them collaboratively. So we should try to meet and work together to resolve any problem we have,” she urged.

During that meeting with the public, Minister Lawrence was also told of other social issues affecting Corriverton residents, such as dysfunctional families and domestic violence.

The Minister asked the community members to become more involved in the solution by playing a role in supporting families in need within the community. She urged the older residents  to “get yourself involved so you can help in some way to address the issues that affects us. There is need for more family connections. For us to have a strong country we need to have stronger communities and the first step is to help our families.”

Corriverton Mayor, Mr.  Ganesh Gangadin, who was present at the public meeting, said that the Mayor and Town Council is committed to the task of strengthening families, since many of the social problems “are preventable. Hence, we welcome the partnership between the Mayor and Town Council of Corriverton and the Ministry.”