Gadsby-Dolly to BATCE 6th form students: Stand out in spite of

Minister of Education Nyan Gadsby-Dolly has lauded the Bishop Anstey Trinity College East (BATCE) sixth form school for including in its "routine operation," elements of the post-covid19 pandemic Cultural Transformation policy the ministry has begun implementing in schools.

Gadsby-Dolly delivered the feature address at the school's 2024 Achievement Day ceremony, at the Cheryl Greaves auditorium on January 17, to 113 awardees. The theme was Stand Up and Stand Out.

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So when we say to young people, 'stand up and stand out,' we have to recognise that the foundation we are standing on is becoming more difficult to build. And so sometimes what we expect of them could be a bit much because they haven't had, in all cases, the right type of preparation."

But, the minister said, referring to sixth form principal Shinelly James' outline of the school's many academic, spiritual, social, community, cultural and other programmes, "I have seen here, the emphasis on moral and spiritual values; the emphasis on team work, and that helps."

Gadsby-Dolly said for some students, the stay-at-home two-year period during the pandemic was like a vacation, but for others it was "an indoctrination into a life of crime that is very difficult and is some cases impossible to reverse."

She said the ministry recognised there was a need to focus more deeply on values, attitudes and behaviours (VABs) as much as the academics.

"And so we had to ask our schools to focus on creating a space where, much like you do here (at BATCE), to allow our children to develop values; positive values that would help them to transform into the ideal Trinidad and Tobago citizens."

That was when the ministry introduced the 2023-2027 transformation policy.

"Why was that so important? Because especially coming out to the covid19 experience, where our children were at home; and for some children being at home was one of the worst experiences for their national and personal development.

"What they get at home is the reason why we have so much crime in our country. What they get in their community explains why their behaviour is so negative."

The policy, Dolly-Gadsby said, forms part of the government's Vision 2030 developmental agenda.

On the ministry's website, Strategic Initative/Action 7.3 of Goal 7, Theme I states its aim is to:

“Revise the school curriculum to emphasise core values, nationalism and workforce readiness skills...These include discipline, production, tolerance, civic responsibility and lifelong learning. Knowledge of our cultural diversity must be taught in order to promote cohesiveness and, our country’s history and geography must also be imparted.

"Moreover, workforce readiness skills like problem solving, innovativeness, creativity along with entrepreneurial abilities must be supported throughout the education system. A culture of research and development must also be inculcated in all tertiary level institutions, both public and private. Sports, culture and physical education must also be fully integrated.”

The ministry said cultural transformation, through education, is a process that begins at primary school.

"It requires the inculcation of positive VABs, and adjustments of the school curriculum, timetabling, assessment and student experiences to prioritise not only academic education, but moral, physical and cultural and arts education, and the development of technical, life and 21st century skills," the website said.

Gadsby-Dolly congratulated BATCE for its years of service to its students by upholding the institution's Selflessly Serving Our Community motto, and by extension, serving the people of Trinidad andTobago.

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If you have no values you are easily influenced, and not necessarily in the right way."

But, she said, "Individual values have a very collective influence on our nation."

She said TT is not where it should be on the developmental Vision 2030 trajectory because of negative VABs in the national psyche. "That's how important our individual values are. Because when you add it all up, it means as a country we are not developing as we should.

"So its critical as young people to inculcate these values into our lives upon which we can stand up and stand out," she admonished the students.

She said because of changes in family life, the spiritual and cultural landscapes too are changing.

"So we are losing certain things along the way, and with the loss of those practices, we are losing values...

"So we have asked our schools to do much of what BATCE does in its routine operation: to have clubs, to have Spanish days, to have career days for guidance; we've asked them to have sports day, have a kitchen garden that the children have to take care of themselves, we've asked to do these activities and more so that our children can develop certain principles – trust, team work, kindness, productivity, time management skills – These are the things that are developed when the education experience is richer than jut a focus on academics; these are the things our children remember about their school days...

"Once our students have the correct value system, then they will be able to have something to stand upon."

But, she warned, standing out may mean standing alone and not everyone is prepared to do that.

"Standing out can be painful, have dire consequences, that you can interpret and feel like negative ones. However, stand up anyway, stand out in spite of."