Multi-Purpose Centres – A second chance

There are some things that miles of sea and a change of accent don’t change. There are some expectations that are uniform in their expression worldwide, and in the field of education this is absolutely so!

All around the world, you find the Grammar Schools and the Girls’ High Schools – the ambitions of primary school children.{{more}}

These schools that were formerly distant thoughts to the poor and the black, over the years through Herculean efforts and the evolution of societal structure, have become accessible; a dream worth dreaming.

At the other end of the spectrum are the disillusioned youths who not only missed the stars of the elite secondary schools but the clouds of the others; destined for who knows what; without education.

It is at this time in the script that programmes like the “Out of School Youth Programme” at the Kingstown Multi-Purpose Centre walk in.

The programme caters for students who were unsuccessful in the National School Leaving Exam and who have had difficulty accessing secondary education.

The population at the centre of around 270, consists of school leavers, secondary school dropouts and they bring with them feelings of underachievement, low self-worth and a desperate need for attention.

“When you understand where these children are coming from, what they are facing, you have to take a different approach in dealing with them,” says Earl “Ole George” Daniel, teacher and counselor at the school.

He told SEARCHLIGHT that shouting and talking down to the students don’t help and so teachers have had to develop closer relationships with them, helping to change their mindsets about life and themselves.

“This is real life and youths with serious challenges and it is amazing to see when they discover their self-worth, to watch their lives and sense of purpose change, it is really gratifying,” Ole George said.

The same adjustment is made in the Curriculum because there is no curriculum designed for Multi-Purpose Centres. The centres were seen as a last resort and teachers have to plan and select lessons according to students’ needs.



“Teachers use their own materials and once children want to stay in school we adjust to meet their needs,” said veteran teacher Catherine Cuffy (left).

Students are taught Science, Social Studies, Mathematics, Health and Family Life and Language Arts. This is in addition to the skills components of Technical Drawing, Plumbing, Electrical Engineering, Art and Design, Art and Craft and Hospitality.

“A lot of our time is spent in remedial work, a lot of it,” said Cuffy.

The students however don’t have it easy outside of the school as they are the victims of constant heckling and disrespect showed by many in the public towards the school.

So you can’t help but feel it for the students. It isn’t easy being termed a student of the “Monkey Circus Centre.”

However the eternal optimist would say that such an indoctrination, such an uphill climb can prove to be the motivation for jaw dropping success stories – and at least three students believe this to be the case.

She can’t wait to be the Head Chef at a renowned resort – it will be the perfect ending for 17-year-old Jasmine Williams of Queen’s Drive. After failing the school leaving exam she felt frustrated, as she watched all her friends head off to secondary school and she wasn’t sure what the future held.

“My parents were very supportive and sent me here and now I am learning so much,” said the confident young lady.



Left to right: Shanique Quashie, Atneil John and Jasmine Williams are all smiles – a reflection of their new found sense of purpose.

She said that it hurts when she hears the derogatory remarks made about her school but isn’t daunted.

“It motivates me to work harder to achieve and prove them wrong,” she said, adding that while she may have had a slow start in the pursuit of her destiny, she was confident that she will eventually become all she could be – thanks in no small measure to the teachers of the Multi-Purpose Centre.

Jasmine has not only made a mark on herself but has inspired her friend, Shanique Quashie of Redemption Sharpes. Also 17, Shanique passed the school leaving exam, but was looking for a job instead of going to secondary school. She admitted that she gave trouble in school and often got suspended – stretching the patience of her single mother, who loves her dearly.

When the opportunity came for her to attend the Multi-Purpose Centre she said that she saw it as a chance for her to “get a second chance, to really work hard and achieve my goals.”

“I have made up my mind to work hard at fulfilling my dreams,” Shanique said.

When his father died, Atniel John was thrown off so badly that his drive for education and life on a whole was badly dented.

“I didn’t feel to do anything,” he said.

But when he saw every one going to secondary school the former Belmont Government School student felt terrible.

Now a student of the Multi Purpose Centre, Atneil says that he wants to be an electrician. He said that even though there are some negative elements in the school, he stays out of trouble as he remembers the hard work of his mother – not wanting to break her heart.

“We are trying to build on the positive and dismiss the negative,” says Alanza Daisley, principal at the school for the last two years.

She said that teachers’ tolerance is critical to the school’s success because of the different challenges that they face due to the children’s backgrounds.

She said that the school is making progress despite its unique nature. “We are training our children for success in life, every aspect of it,” she said.