Parents must respect cadets, says NESC VP

National Energy Skills Centre (NESC) vice president Rafael Mohammed today called on the parents of a batch of cadets to respect them and celebrate their success.

“Your son is now a success and a mentor to many, therefore I urge you to and take pride in his achievements," Mohammed told the parents of 24 cadets at a passing out parade at NESC's headquarters in Couva. He asked the parents to repeat the statement, "My son is a success, my son is a mentor."

Mohammed said he knows times are challenging for parents, as there are many things to distract and endanger children. “There are persons waiting to derail them from their path and we, as parents and guardians, are forced into action, sometimes in desperation,” he said. A parent’s decision to have a child enrol in NESC's Military-Led Youth Programme of Apprenticeship (MYPART)and reorientation training would have been a difficult one, he said, but it was a sacrifice on the path to turn-around their life.

Some young people may have had a challenging start academically, or socially, Mohammed said, and there were times when they were at a disadvantage. He describe MYPART as an equaliser, since it presented opportunities to turn less than ideal circumstances into a spring board for success.

To the cadets, he said, “You may not realise the message that your success sends to others.” Even before they completed the full programme, he said, the passing out of the recruits was a positive example to others – including their siblings, relatives and friends.

Mohammed represented NESC president Kern Dass at the event.

Musa Ramlagan won the trophy for best cadet and the first runner-up was Tearath Narine. Special prize winners included Tearath Narine, Emmanuel Mitchell, Oba Stewart, Musa Ramlagan, Javon Coppin and Romario Boodram.