President an inspiration to female students

THE EDITOR: The installation of the new President, Her Excellency Paula-Mae Weekes is a very timely example to inspire and motive all women in Trinidad and Tobago, especially our female students to strive for excellence.

I watched the ceremony on television and, as a woman, I was deeply touched and felt a great sense of pride and accomplishment for this outstanding woman. I also noticed a very large number of females, among the hundreds of school children who were afforded the opportunity to witness this historic event.

This society has seen an increase in the number of fights off the school compound involving our female students. The most recent was a brawl on Fredrick Street, Port of Spain, involving a large group of females. This incident was described by Education Minister Anthony Garcia as very worrying.

Ironically, Minister Garcia, in extending congratulations to President Paula-Mae Weekes, said she symbolised for the young women of TT that anything is possible as long as they work hard. He also urged young women at every level of their academic journey to stand proud and to follow in the footsteps of President Paula-Mae Weekes.

President Paula-Mae Weekes, former prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Calypso Rose are only a few of the many examples to inspire our female students to strive for excellence and to serve country. These women and many others have paved the way for our females to follow.

I hope that female students throughout TT will be motivated to follow in the footsteps of the new President and take full advantage of the educational opportunities being made available by the Ministry of Education.

Anita Ali

St James