LINSTEAD, St. Catherine:
THREE TEACHERS who have given a combined 83 years of service to Dinthill Technical High School were honoured during a dinner at the school last week.
Honoured were Mrs. Joyce McKenzie, Mrs. Cynthia Lewis and the Rev. Dr. Renaldo Braham. Mrs. McKenzie taught at the school for 35 years, Mrs. Lewis for 24 years and the Rev. Dr. Braham spent 24 years as chaplain and guidance counsellor at the school.
Dr. Braham is also the founder of the Linstead Men's Fraternal, a combined Christian organisation of church pastors, who have sought to offer Christian guidance to the communities of Northwest St. Catherine.
Guest speaker was Mrs. Hyacinth Bennett, a vice-president and Spokesperson on Education for the National Democratic Movement (NDM).
Mrs. Bennett told the honourees they have left behind a remarkable legacy for the Dinthill Technical High School, one in which the nation could be justly proud. She said the three "great Jamaicans" must possess sound judgement and integrity. Noting that they have moulded the lives of many of the nation's children, Mrs. Bennett said for that task so well done the children of this nation would arise and call themselves blessed.
Continuing, Mrs. Bennett said it was a difficult task, particularly at this time, to contribute to education and that it took a deep, abiding faith in Jesus Christ Himself.
Mrs. Bennett said it was to the teacher that Jamaica entrusted the lives of its children, asking, "how in God's name can anyone say at this point in time we do not need so many teachers?"
Referring to a recent decision by the Ministry of Education to sack 300 of the island's teachers, Mrs. Bennett said the NDM would fight to the end to keep teachers in the classroom of the nation.
She said there were many social burdens in the island's schools today with which teachers have to contend, including poverty, teenage pregnancies, drugs and a breakdown in moral standards.
It may be true, Mrs. Bennett said, that many children are aggressive and rude, but education must civilise them to love and not to hate, to build and not to tear down and to become responsible citizens as education is all about building people.
Mrs. Bennett declared that education would emancipate the children from mental slavery, but teachers alone could not do this.
The vote of thanks was given by the Rev. Dr. Braham who expressed gratitude to Dinthill Technical High School for having given those being honoured the opportunity to serve their country and their nation.
Gifts and citations were presented to the honourees while students performed songs and dances.
