ADDRESS AT THE RAMPUR COLLEGE 2010 PRIZE GIVING CEREMONY

BY : MR VILIAME MATAIKA GUCAKE

DIRECTOR SUGAR

30TH NOVEMBER, 2010 – 12.30PM

The Acting Principal Miss Sarita Prasad Members of the Staff Students Rampur Education Management Board Parents, Guardians Friends of the School Ladies and Gentlemen.

Good afternoon to you all.

At the outset I would like to convey my Permanent Secretary,Mr. Manasa Vaniqi's apologies for not being able to officiate at this prize giving ceremony. He has been invited to another official engagement with all Permanent Secreraries. But he sends his good wishes for this function. As a consequence I am indeed honoured to have been invited to deputize for him and in this regard I thank the Principal for her concurrence.

Ladies and gentlemen, for fear of sounding presemptuous and offensive, I earnestly plead for your forgiveness and seek your indulgence beforehand for what I propose to share may not go down well with some of you.

But I do so with all sincerity and with the spirit of love and a caring attitude. I pray and ask that it be taken in the same spirit. This address is for the sole intent and purpose of giving our children the best possible formal education we can provide within the confines of the meager resources at our disposal.

Let me state at the very beginning that education is very important in any society, Fiji included. Nothing can be more frustrating than an illiterate population.

Education prepares an individual to face the challenges that he/she may be subjected to later in life. It goes beyond the bounds of lending "a better paid job.

This preparation is influenced by us the parents and guardians from home, the Teachers in School, students' peers in school and the society in general. And that is why our role as parents, guardians, teachers, school managers and Government is critical.

Collectively, we help shape the character of these young individuals to becoming responsible citizens when they leave school.

That is why Govetnment has invested heavily in education over the years. In 2009 the Ministry of Education, national Heritage, Culture and Arts had a budget of $243m, in 2010 it was $239m and for 2011 the figure has been increased to $245m with 10,064 established posts and 188 Government Wage earners.

I reiterate that this address is for all of us from the Principal and staff, the School Management, the students, the parents and guardians and friends of the school. Central to this address is the need to providing our students with an environment that is conducive to effective learning through partnership in education.

And by partnership in education I mean coming and working together in a co-operative effort through unity of purpose driven by all stakeholders comprising, the school (teachers and management) and students (and their parents and guardians) for a common goal shared by all.

Today is always an important day in any school year. It is the day when the whole school shows off its achievements to its stakeholders.

And here when I say the whole school, I mean the whole school. It includes the teaching and support staff, the students, the Rampur Education Management Board, the parents, guardians, friends and Government.

The School Principal has just shared with us in her address the school report. We have heard some milestones and some of the challenges faced by the school during the year.

Likewise, in his address, the Manager of the School has also shared with us his report for the year. With more challenges than milestones perhaps.

In both these reports we hear "of achievements and challenges. Both these reports were based on goals set from the last reporUng period, may be this time last year, and polished and finalized for implementation early this year.

In other words, these reports were not put together just to record the events as they unfolded. Rather, they provided an update of what the school had achieved (actuals) based on resources made available at their disposal versus the goals or targets they had set for themselves for this year.

And this leads me to the core and perhaps centre stage of this afternoon's function which is the students' prize giving. This very important event marks the culmination of everybody's efforts put together. The apex of the Rampur College achievements in the year 2010.

If you like, today is the day of reckoning, the day of harvest, the day of reaping what the students sow. Today is the day when we show to our parents and guardians the fruits of our labour in the 2010 school year.

It is the day when performance is recognized and rewarded. To the students, :today is your day. You are the reason we are gathered here in such large numbers despite the threat of strong winds ,and wet weather. In that context, you are all winners.

To those who have won prizes, we say, hearty congratulations. You have made your parents, guardians, relatives, friends and school justifiably proud. You deserve to celebrate. Next year, try to set even higher goals to be conquered.

To those who have missed out on prizes, do not despair, it is not the end of the world. Try again. Not all of us are same. Some of us are late learners. But that should not be an excuse for not tryiflg your best.

It is to this group that I propose to spend some time for in my view they need help.

If you have tried your best and still not succeeded maybe you need to relook at your whole approach to education and bring about cha,nges that would yield results.

We need to ask ourselves some hard questions such as:

Did I attend school for most part of the school year?
Did I give it my all in terms of attention during classes?
Did I give ,it my all during homework?
Did I consult with my subject teacher on what should be covered in my assignments before writing the first draft?
Did I allocate my assignments adequate preparation and time for", writing and rechecking before submitting or was it rushed in the 11th hour for the sake of submitting?
Did I give ample time for revision before exams?
Was I in the right frame of mind during the exams?

Ladies and gentlemen these basic questions equally apply to us as parents and guardians. We should make it our business to know throughout the year how our children are doing in school.

In this day and age with the mounting pressure placed on our time at work, at home, the demands on out time for social gathering, the church meeting etc; we run the risk of hardly having any time left to spend with our children at home together after a day's work, let alone supervising their homework.

They are virtually left on their own with little interest shown for their education or how they are getting on in school, until the day of the Parents interview when their weaknesses are raised with us.

But then after the occasional ear-bashing to impress the teacher and perhaps to save face, things go back to square one; that is no genuine effort on our part as parents and guardians tocorrect or improve the situation.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am referring to a change in the way we do things, if status quo does not achieve the desired results. I am not a psychologist but over the years, I have observed that change does not come overnight. It requires a concerted and persistent effort for it to happen.

Change will only come about if those subjected to it are convinced that it will deliver the expected results. Resisting change is not a new phenomenon. But if our children are to benefit through education by way of a change in approach and attitude then change is not an option but a necessity.

Charles Darwin, the father of evolution once said and quote; "It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent; it is the one most adaptable to change" unquote.

May I go back to those students who have tried their best but have missed out on prizes.

By now, you, would have identified where you went wrong. During the school break when things are still fresh in your mind I urge you to take time to making notes on your areas of weakness and start setting goals and targets of what you want to achieve and an action plan (strategies) not only on how to overcome these weaknesses, but more importantly on how you could achieve your goals and targets.

In this regard, I urge you to share these with your parents, your guardians during the school break.

When the 2011 school year starts make an effort to share these with your school teacher as well.

Ladies and gentlemen, for the last 10 minutes or so I have labored on the importance of education, the role of parents and guardians and the need for students to set goals.

I have also emphasized the need for all to work together and embrace the theme "Partnership in Education". All that is left is for us to take action.

In conclusion I leave with you this personal observation. During my 36 years of service, I have observed that, generally speaking, there are largely three groups of people:

There are those who "wish for things to happen";

There are those who "watch things happen";and

there are those who "make things happen".

The new Fiji requires us to be people who make things happen. As agents of change we are in a position of influence to educate, help shape and build the character of our young people into becoming responsible citizens.

There is no time to sit and wish for things to happen. There is no time to sit and watch things happen. It is time to make things happen. Let us start in Rampur College.

We owe it to our children. We owe it our children's children and we owe it to our new Fiji.

Enjoy the afternoon; and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Thank you.