Thousands of students, teachers, parents and officials of the Ministry of Education gathered at the St. John’s Pentecostal Church House of restoration on Wednesday for the annual Service of Thanksgiving to mark the start of another school year.
With the Governor General, Sir Rodney Williams in attendance the service featured students from various schools playing prominent roles within the service, from conducting the service, to reading the lessons, blessing the offering and delivering the message.
The only adult to speak was Education Minister, Daryll Matthew, who underscored the value of education in building character among young people and by extension, the entire nation.
“Education is that place where we mold character in our young people and effectively the character of the nation; because a country is a manifestation of the character of the people within it, and the people in the country are molded by educators at all levels,” he stated.
Minister Matthew referenced a quotation from the Book of Proverbs which stated; ‘Train up a child in the way it should grow and when he grows up he would not depart from it’.
“This charge, entrusted to us, is one that requires our diligence, our sacrifice and it requires that every single one of us to accepts the guidance of God in every single thing that we do,” he noted.
The Education Minister then expressed heartfelt appreciation to members of the teaching fraternity who work tirelessly molding the nation’s youth. He also thanked the parents and guardians for the many sacrifices they make to ensure that their children have the necessary tools to function within the classroom.
“Additionally, I want to thank all the stakeholders who work hand in hand with us to advance the cause of education in Antigua and Barbuda; our principals, our teachers, our ministry officials, all of those persons who work on the school plant, whether they be grounds men, janitors or school meals persons I want to thank you because without you there is no education system,” he remarked.
The message during the service was delivered by Ajani Edwards, a student of the Dr. Alister Francis Campus of the Antigua and Barbuda College of Advanced Studies.
