Sixteen teachers and 45 of their students from eight primary and secondary schools in the La Brea catchment area have been rewarded by Trinidad Generation Unlimited (TGU) for their academic excellence.The students were among the top performers at the 2013 SEA examination, Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE).They represented Brighton Anglican, Rousillac Hindu, Rousillac Presbyterian, La Brea RC, Vance River RC, Delhi Road Hindu, Guapo Government and Vessigny Secondary School.At the Paria Suites Hotel and Conference Centre on November 23, the students and their teachers were each presented with plaques and a cash prize by the company, which operates at the La Brea Union Estate.
TGU's CEO Stephen Badrie said this Educational Excellence Awards ceremony was initiated last year to celebrate the academic achievements of some of the brightest young minds of the area, as well as to extol the significant contributions made by some of the community's educators.He told the young academics when he graduated from Vessigny Secondary many years ago, only a handful of his classmates went on to do A-levels (now CAPE), and fewer still went on to university. Today, he said, the situation has changed, with a lot more being afforded the opportunity to pursue tertiary education and chart the country's future.
He encouraged them to continue their good work, but stressed the significance of being balanced, well-rounded individuals."There are more dimensions to life than academic success. You could join or form a debate club or the cricket/football team or a hiking club or any other clubs–not nightclubs–that might be of interest to you."To four of the recipients already enrolled at universities, he said that while social interaction is good, "You must prepare now for integration into a working environment that demands effective communication skills–and requires more than 140 characters to tweet."