Region Five honours teachers and students
DPI, Guyana, Monday, December 10, 2018
The annual awards ceremony of the Department of Education (DoE) in Region Five (Mahaica/Berbice) was hailed as another milestone to honour student achievement and hard work by teachers for 2018.
The awards ceremony at the Mahaicony Technical and Vocational Training Centre provided recognition to top performing students in both public and private schools; to the top performing school; to teachers with more than thirty years of service; and to retirees across the region.
Among the many present were top senior Education Officials of the DoE, of the Regional Administration of Region Five, adult awardees and parents and guardians of the students honoured.
The DoE awards gave recognition to the top ten students in the Region at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and at National Assessment levels from Grades Two to Six.
The Department recognised and awarded Rosignol Secondary as the best performing secondary school in relation to turning out top performers at CSEC during the academic year 2017-2018.
In brief remarks, the Regional Education Officer RED (ag) Deon Lyn Lewis told the top performers to always bear in mind that the key to success in life is not to get ahead of other people but to get ahead of themselves.
“You should not see these awards as the fruit of being in competition with someone else but as an achievement in competition with yourselves, as a victory in overcoming the inner barriers which would try to prevent you from rising to higher levels of achievement and excellence.”
Lewis stated that the DoE of Region Five hopes in the near future to not only award academic excellence but to also give due recognition to students with personal qualities like leadership and teamwork determination and flexibility, confidence and self-belief and other aptitudes like singing, writing and art.
Guest speaker Dr. Steven Cheefoon who hails from Region Five urged the awardees to see learning as a lifelong activity. “Life is continuous self-improvement; about seizing opportunities “Carpe Diem” – seize the day…always!”
During the hour-long ceremony, the department gave recognition and tokens of appreciation to eighteen teachers serving for over thirty years as well as five others with outstanding contributions who had retired during the period.
The DoE also gave an award to Okemi Porter a secondary school student who set a new high jump record at the recent 58th National Schools Championships.
Story and Images: Clifford Stanley.