Carmona: No comment on President’s single guests rule

FORMER President Anthony Carmona has steered clear of the controversial issue of guests bringing their unmarried partners to events at President’s House.

Carmona, who served immediately before President Paula-Mae Weekes, would have invited hundreds of people to annual national awards ceremonies, which he moved from Independence Day to Republic Day. He even held the function in San Fernando one year.

Weekes, who succeeded him has kept this tradition, but has imposed another rule, which is receiving mixed reviews: that of not inviting the partners of unmarried guests.

Carmona launched the website of his alma mater, Presentation College, San Fernando, and opened the AutoCAD room on Thursday as part of the school’s career day.

The AutoCAD room, which is equipped with 45 computers, some new, some refurbished, and outfitted with the latest technical drawing software, was opened in the former school chapel. Approached on the subject, Carmona said it would not be prudent for him to comment.

As he cut the ribbon to open the computer lab, he thanked those involved in realising this power of transition from manual to technological, where students can now put aside their slide rule and T-squares and use computers to create an avenue for information and the transmission of that information.

He told the students in the technical drawing class, who are the direct beneficiaries, “You have the power to do better, be better and disseminate the power of being good and doing good.”

Head of the technical drawing department David Bissoon said the school had transitioned from the traditional-type drawing introduced 34 years ago under principal Bro Michael Samuel.

He said before Bro Michael’s initiative, technical drawing was only taught in what was then known as senior comprehensive school, and Presentation was one of the first “prestige” schools to offer it as part of its academic syllabus. He said since they started advanced-level technical drawing five years ago, student have been doing exceptionally well.

Bissoon said what is remarkable is that his students did both Unit 1 and Unit 2 of the CAPE syllabus in one instead of two years. He believes that among this group are potential scholarship winners, including Jonathan Nancoo, who, along with other students, had designed a box cart that only needs an engine to take part in go-kart sports.