74 students head to Cuba on educational tour

A group of students from the Girls’ High School (GHS), the Thomas Saunders Secondary School (TSSS) and the St Joseph Convent Kingstown (SJCK) are currently into their third day of an overseas educational tour.

The batch of students, along with a number of teachers, left these shores {{more}}on Sunday, March 8 for Cuba, where they will spend 10 days, visiting various historical sites and places of interest and exploring the Spanish speaking country.

On Sunday, speaking from the ET Joshua Airport at Arnos Vale, head of the Social Sciences Department of the GHS Shereline Roberts said that the 74 students and 14 adults are part of an educational tour that is expected to give the students a first-hand view of things they have only read about in their textbooks.

“Part of the CXC [history] syllabus has to do with the Cuban revolution in the Caribbean, so I thought it was a good idea for the students to hear first-hand from the Cubans,” said Roberts, who stressed that the textbooks give the perspective of the various authors and not necessarily of the Cubans.

“…. So, it would be good for them (the students) to get information from a Cuban to balance their thinking,” said Roberts.

She added that the trip will see the students visiting a cigar factory, the rum museum, the University of Havana and caves (where the geography students will see things like stalagmites and stalactites).

The students are all fourth form students who do geography, history and Spanish.

Said Roberts, “they can immerse themselves in the language and help improve their Spanish also.”

“Cuba is unique because of the embargo and its history with the United States. The students are really excited because they don’t know what to expect, because they would have heard so many things about Cuba,” said Roberts.

She added also that this is not the first time that the GHS is taking their students on trips, but this is the first time that they have invited other schools to participate. In the recent past, the GHS has visited Cuba, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, St Kitts/Nevis and Trinidad and Tobago.

The group is made up of 25 students and five teachers from the SJCK, 30 students and six teachers from the GHS and six students and one teacher from the TSSS. Three retired teachers are also part of the contingent.

Roberts said they are grateful to a number of persons who assisted with making the trip possible including the Lewis Pharmacy, the various principals, Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves, education officer Decima Alexander and parents of the students, among others.