Lakshmi Girls' celebrates principal Sonia Mahase-Persad's national award

THIS year is one of celebration and pride for the teachers, administrators and students of Lakshmi Girls’ Hindu College.

The college is celebrating its golden jubilee – 60th anniversary and it also celebrated principal Sonia Mahase-Persad, who was awarded the Medal of Merit (Gold) at the Republic Day National Awards, for education, community service, and the upliftment of women.

A release from the college on October 8 said Mahase-Persad has been at the helm of the school's administration since 2010.

During that time the college had grown significantly in size, curricular and extra-curricular programmes and played a vital role in nation-building through the high calibre of its graduates, the release said.

It said Mahase-Persad, as principal, exemplifies visionary leadership and the ability to inspire her staff, students, and parents to take risks with the changes in societal demands and expectations.

She has worked passionately for more than 38 years in the education system, at primary level for ten years; 28 years at the secondary level – starting in 1995 at Lakshmi Girls’ Hindu College; and five years at tertiary level, as a part-time lecturer at Cipriani Labour College.

Under her leadership, the college has risen to new heights, the release said.

Between 2010 and 2023, the school won approximately 270 national scholarships. From 2015-2019, the school attained five consecutive President’s Gold Medals, with another President’s Medal in 2021.

The school has received the Caribbean Examination Council Regional Award in Business Studies on several occasions as well as in the modern languages and humanities (history) at CAPE. Lakshmi Girls’ Hindu College is the leading Caribbean secondary school for business studies and tourism, the release said.

Mahase-Persad's embracing of technology from 2010 enabled her school to qualify for the Samsung Smart School project (2014) and equipping a smart classroom for use by staff and students.

Five years before covid, she infused ICT in educational pedagogy through e-testing, and using hybrid teaching and learning.

Hers is one of a few secondary schools offering digital media in addition to computer science at CAPE. This extended to including robotics, web design and ICT clubs at the school.

The school’s wide-ranging curriculum has resulted in a significant number of scholarships across all subject groupings, regional awards in business studies, foreign languages, humanities, history and geography, which speak to the diverse curriculum and the adaptability and motivation of her staff to meet the needs of 21st century learners.

Mahase-Persad and her staff, the release said, expanded the CAPE programme to include subjects such as tourism, entrepreneurship, digital media, food and nutrition and computer science.

She has transformed the learning environment to iPad, laptops and notebooks and reinvented teaching with technologically driven, child-centred approaches, such as the "flipped classroom" concept, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) initiatives.

She has been president of the Association of Principals of Assisted Secondary Schools (APASS) since 2018.

Persad-Mahase served as a member of the APASS executive in various capacities from 2014 to the present, and has also served at various levels on the executive of the Association of Principals of Public Secondary Schools (APPSS).

In these leadership roles, she has advocated for positive change, contributed significantly to the efficacy of the education system and represented principals at stakeholders’ meetings with the Ministry of Education and other interest groups.

She represents principals as a member of the CXC’s Secondary Examination Committee (SEC) since 2018.

Mahase-Persad, the release said, has contributed to several key ministerial committees in education, changes in education policies and in public consultations in education. She was a member of the cabinet-appointed committee to review and recommend changes to the conduct of SEA and transition to secondary school, and the Concordat (2021-2022).

Mahase-Persad contributed significantly to consultations on the data collection and analysis of perspectives of the SEA examination and the Concordat.

She contributed her expertise and experience as an educational administrator to the Secondary School Establishment Committee in 2018, created to examine the existing and recommended establishments of 125 secondary schools in Trinidad, based on the Secondary Staff Audit done in 2016/2017.

Mahase-Persad also contributed as a member of the National Advisory Committee on Education formed to advise the then Minister of Education. She served from 2018-2020 and made significant contributions to a better understanding of the needs of schools and students.

Her commitment to the upliftment of the education system is demonstrated in the way she gives of herself and her time in supporting her colleagues.

This was seen in her role as a facilitator from 2008-2010 on behalf of the Ministry of Education in training principals of both primary and secondary schools in the Caroni Education District on the implementation of School Based Management strategies.

In August 2023, Mahase-Persad was selected as a Master Principal by the Ministry of Education and invited to share best practice at Lakshmi Girls’ Hindu College, specifically, in the implementation of the robust co-curricular programme at the college, where the students are timetabled to pursue a co-curricular subject over their five-seven years at the school.

This is aligned with the Ministry of Education’s Cultural Transformation via Education Policy.

In June, she was selected by UWI's School of Education as a “Mover and Shaker” in education as part of its 50th-anniversary celebration.

The Medal of Merit (Gold) award, the release said, is the culmination of Mahase-Persad's long and meritorious service to her country and its children.

"It is fitting that this occurred in the year Lakshmi Girls’ Hindu College celebrates its 60th anniversary," the release ended.