Two students of Bush Lot Secondary School, in West Berbice, were presented with laptop computers after they were successful at an essay competition sponsored by the Aditya Kids Trust Fund Foundation.
Director of the foundation Archie Mohan handed over the computers to Allana Husain and Gangadai Matadin at an award ceremony and talent show, held at the Aditya Library & Resource Centre at Bath Settlement. The essay competition was open to students who are preparing to sit the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations. They were asked to write the essay about the advantages and disadvantages of the Berbice River Bridge.
They students were elated to be presented with the computers and said they would help a great deal with their studies.
Mohan told Stabroek News that the computers were donated by Canadian-based businessmen Fizal Hussain, formerly of Stanleytown, New Amsterdam and the owner of Harry’s Gold Jewellery, who hailed from Bee Hive, East Coast Demerara. He expressed gratitude to the men, who are not members of the foundation, for their kind gesture as well as to the other persons who contributed generously.
Prizes were also presented to five of the “most outstanding” members of the library, Darshanee Balgobin, 12, Vashti Samaroo, 12, and Manisha Tobin, Kimberly Ramgobin and Imran Khan, all 10, of Bath Settlement. Darshanee won the first prize for attending the library regularly, borrowing the most books and performing outstanding at the computers courses offered by the foundation while Vashti came second.
The five students were given medals, awards and trophies. They were also part of a reading and spelling bee competition.
They were excited with their prizes and told this newspaper that they have been motivated to visit the library more often and to read more books as well as to perform better at the computer courses.
Darshanee thanked the Aditya Foundation on behalf of the other students for offering the services to them.
The services at the library and resource centre are provided free of cost.
Members of the library also performed dances, skits, poetry, Indian fashion display and tassa drumming at a talent show held during the award ceremony.
Mohan told this newspaper he was so impressed with the performance of the tassa drummers that he has decided to form a tassa group through the foundation and he would be providing sponsorship for them. He said what was more fascinating about the youths was that they borrowed the tassa equipment to perform.
He felt that if the youths were not given the opportunity to perform their hidden talents would not have been discovered. He added that his organisation was not focusing on education and sports alone but promoting cultural talents as well.
With regards to sports, he said the foundation has sponsored West Berbice cricketer Andrew Dennis of the Achievers Cricket Club for the third year and he was happy the youth has been selected to represent Guyana at the under-19 team in Trinidad. Meanwhile, Mohan pledged continued support to the community and encouraged parents to support their children’s educational development.
