We often speak in a disparaging manner about the institutions or persons charged with promoting the wellbeing of members of society, particularly our young people. Those of us who are of more mature age, and who care to be objective, would agree that the services and activities available to young persons today are far more extensive than those available when many of us were of a more youthful age. The recent Science Fair, which culminated on Friday 27th November 2020, with an awards ceremony, is one such example.
Today, some parents are challenged to find time to schedule all the activities in which their children express interest. Weekdays and weekends are filled with activities that are intended to promote the physical, mental, artistic, social and spiritual development of their children. In some instances, persons are employed to arrange and facilitate such activities. In many other instances, persons voluntarily commit their time, energy and expertise to the development of our children. All these persons deserve our gratitude.
In the 29th March 2019 edition of The Anguillian, the Editorial addressed the apparent disinterest of older students. A substantial portion of the text of the editorial is set out below.
“Are Our Older Students Really Uninterested?”
Parents are present in large number for every activity while their children attend Pre-School. At graduation, both parents often accompany their children in the graduation walk. In Primary School, parents continue to be attentive and regular participants in their children’s lives. They ensure their children attend practices so that they can properly represent their school in sporting competitions. Parents enrol their children in extra classes to ensure that they are adequately prepared for exams. Primary School Sports Day, other Inter Primary Sporting Competitions and Primary School Graduations, are all well attended and parents gladly support their children and celebrate with them as they are recognised for their various achievements.
Then our children enter Secondary School and perspectives seem to change. The level of involvement exhibited by parents appears to diminish and many students are no longer as engaged in the many activities available to them. How can this change of heart be explained?
We often blame Anguilla’s social challenges on the youth and on the Government’s failure to adequately cater to the needs of our youth. We claim that our education system only caters to a particular segment of our youth, while totally ignoring the needs of other segments. Is this real or is there really something for everyone? An objective examination of the education system suggests that the subjects offered at the Comprehensive Secondary School cover a significant range of areas including Sciences, Visual Arts, Theatre Arts, Music, Languages, Business Studies, Building Trades, Electronics, and Mechanical Technology. These subjects are all offered at levels reflective of the different capacity levels exhibited by the students.
The Inter-House Competitions at the secondary level offer a great opportunity for those students who demonstrated an interest and ability in athletics, and other sporting events, to continue to develop their abilities. The failure of secondary students to participate in athletics and sporting activities is clearly not for the want of opportunity. What then is the reason for this apparent lack of interest?
Is it that students are now more interested in developing their musical abilities? If they are, there is no scarcity of opportunities to do so, once they enter Secondary School. The Musical Department of the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School has long been recognised as a centre of excellence. The opportunities provided by the ALHCS Steel Orchestra, Concert Band, Recorder Ensemble and Choir cannot be denied. The failure of secondary students to participate in the music programmes at the ALHCS is clearly not for the want of opportunity.
At the secondary level, a host of extra-curricular activities are offered to engage the interest of the students. Clubs exist which cater to those students interested in the environment, travel and debate – along with other areas of interest.”
Primary and Secondary schools continue to have many organised curricular and extra-curricular activities for students. These include sporting competitions and science fairs – and students with an interest in the environment, debating, music, travel, technology and paramilitary service are all able to find a club to facilitate their interests. Teachers or members of our community facilitate all these activities. These persons often contribute their time, energy and expertise to the development of our children, at no cost, while we often take for granted their voluntary contribution to the positive development of our children.
I believe that we can all identify agencies and individuals whose energies and contributions serve to enrich our children’s lives, and by extension, all of our lives. The work of the Anguilla National Trust, the Department of Youth and Culture, the Music Department of the ALHCS, and the individual efforts of the many sports coaches, music directors and club leaders, all contribute significantly to the quality of the lives of our children. Since institutions and individuals have committed themselves to the betterment of our children, it is just left for parents and caregivers to avail themselves of the opportunities offered.
As we come to the realisation that there are many persons and institutions in Anguilla committed to ensuring the wellbeing of our children, let us be unwavering in our gratitude and support for their efforts. Many of them seek nothing in return for their efforts, but would no doubt welcome and find renewed energies from a simple show of gratitude from us, the beneficiaries. Let’s strive to be grateful for people.
