Dear Editor,
In 2013 my son started a training course at a technical institute (name given) and for an entire week he was told how good his training would be and how valuable and powerful the certificate was in terms of his future, more especially because he was desirous of working in the Caribbean islands. The impression given to him at the time was that the certificate would be the key to ending his work worries.
Every student in his class was told the same thing; they were further told that they would not fail and that they would finish at the end of the year. At the end of the year my son had not completed the training. I blamed no one but my son; I blamed him for poor commitment and lack of interest. I then decided to allow him to complete the programme because at a meeting the school held in late 2014 I was assured it would only take a couple of months. It turned out the period was for more than six months, and he was not making much progress from my observation, so I encouraged him to simply find a job where he would be paid to learn. So he did so and was working.
After more than half a year parents and students were again asked to attend another meeting in relation to completing the training. In excitement after another false reassurance I again encouraged my son to quit his job and complete his training, since we were assured that the certificate that would be awarded would be recognized and accepted anywhere in Caricom; that it was authentic and was awarded by Caricom. He finally completed his training in 2015 and graduated in November.
We were informed during the graduation arrangements that he should collect his certificate in December, but this did not happen. He finally got his certificate at the end of January and to his disappointment he found out that it was the same cheap, certificate which the schools usually print themselves and which are not recognized. Over the past few years many individuals have mentioned that is very easy to acquire one if the price is right.
Owing to this I feel I have failed my child as a parent. I have wasted precious years of my child’s life and now I am certain that he has lost trust and faith in me. I have also invested a lot of my income to ensure that my child completed his training. Entrance fees for this school are probably the highest in Berbice. Since my son uplifted his not-so-useful certificate he has been calling and visiting the school in the hope that he would be given some reassuring news about the certificate, but after numerous attempts he was finally informed that he would have to return to the school to train again for the certificate he desires.
Editor, I plead for someone in authority to remedy this situation so that no other parent or child suffers.
Yours faithfully,
Nasir Hoosein
Editor’s note
We are sending a copy of this letter
to Mr Olato Sam, the Chief
Education Officer, for any comment
he might wish to make.
