Ex-student and teacher… President’s College reduced to ‘nothing’ under PPP/C

guyana chronicle, October 19, 2015

PRESIDENT’S College, once a prestigious secondary school founded by Guyana’s first Executive President Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham, was reduced to ‘nothing’ under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration.This is according to Alyne-Ann Downes, a former student and teacher of President’s College, who delivered the feature presentation during the Forbes Burnham Foundation General Members Meeting yesterday at Critchlow Labour College in Georgetown.

Downes, whose presentation was under the theme, “President’s College, Introspection and Prospects”, said the secondary level institution was starved of resources by the former government which had contended that the school was a financial burden.

President’s College on September 11, 2015 celebrated 30 years of “shaping minds and building character,” under the theme “Quality achievements through sustained holistic education”, but Downes noted that the school has endured some challenging years with its standards dropping drastically.

She recalled that 30 years ago on September 11, 1985, President’s College opened its doors to students as the premier secondary school in Guyana, catering for the ‘cream of the crop’. “That is the top 2% of learners who were successful at the secondary school entrance examination,” she added.

Though he did not live to see the commissioning of the school, Downes said it was President Burnham’s vision to have the school mold the minds of the nation’s future leaders, providing them with the finest opportunities. “So in 1985 this wonderful school, which is located to the southern end of Golden Grove, was opened to about 67 learners in that year, and they were exposed to so much.” She added that during the early years of the school, “it was a cut above the rest.” “It was of high standards…you had to get 85% in order to be promoted and so the bar was set very high.” Downes further noted that both students and parents were proud to be associated with the school and felt privileged. “When I went there in 1997, the vision was still there but the resources and the persons who were there to carry on the vision did not hold the same ideals as L.F.S. Burnham… Nevertheless in my time, we did well both in academia and extracurricular activities.” DRAMATIC CHANGE But comparing then to now, Downes said President’s College has changed “dramatically.” “I don’t think it is because the foundation wasn’t set properly but I think it is because persons no longer hold the school in the highest ….and they allowed things to just go,” she opined.

She said the decision by the former government through the Board to change the structure of the school, created a number of loopholes within the system which developed into major challenges. “L.F.S Burnham intended the school to be a resident school, now we are catering for both resident and non-resident students, and this is putting the non-resident student at a disadvantage because they are not in a position to enjoy all of the opportunities that they can enjoy,” she pointed out. The President’s College teacher said the school was designed to be self-sufficient with the establishment of certain programmes and projects such as the setting up of a school farm, but today the school is highly dependent on government. “President’s College was supposed to be self-sufficient but today what are we providing for ourselves, our farm is of no standard. It is just there…I remember as a student our rice fields were there and we could have walked along the corridors and see paddy when it was harvesting time but now the fields are there and persons from the villages come and loose their animals.” “We had cattle, you name it… But now, most of the animals you see there do not belong to President’s College. It is a very sad situation because the school has been reduced to so little.” She noted also that children and parents all across Guyana had lost respect for the school, pointing out that the qualification needed to access the institution has been reduced significantly. This year the cutoff point was 491 marks when the National Grade Six Assessment (GNSA) results were announced. “So children no longer see President’s College as a school they want to attend because it is no longer rated among the top.” Members of the Burnham Foundation during the discussion segment bemoaned the poor condition of the school, particularly the dorms, noting that the school is in dire condition and requires urgent rehabilitation. One member, who appeared very displeased at the current state of the school, said the “entire board needs to be scrapped immediately,” contending that “the school has gone to the dogs.” (Svetlana Marshall)