By George Henry, Gleaner WriterSPALDINGS, Clarendon:
WITH A combined 616 years in the classroom, 19 basic school teachers from North West Clarendon were on Wednesday honoured for long and dedicated service to early childhood education in that section of the parish.
The teachers were honoured at a function put on by Richard Azan, the Member of Parliament for the constituency. Governor-General Sir Howard Cooke was also in attendance at the function which was held in front of a packed audience at the Spaldings United Church Hall.
The Governor-General, who delivered the main address, lauded the teachers for their "significant contribution to Jamaica's education."
He noted that the country's early childhood system had come a far way, and praised the Government for taking steps to improve the sector.
SIGNIFICANT CHANGES
"Sometimes people were using parts of their kitchen and under trees to teach students at the early childhood level, but the Government has made significant changes, and now schools have been built for millions of dollars to have children educated at the basic school level," said the Governor-General.
He paid tribute to the teachers for the "great work" they had accomplished over the years in educating the nation's children and hailed them as 'good Samaritans' for the many years they have spent nurturing their students.
Essenett Edwards, the longest serving teacher to be honoured at the function, said her 52 years spent teaching at the early childhood level was done out of love for Jamaica's children.
LOVE FOR CHILDREN
Mrs. Edwards, mother of three, said she taught for many years without getting a stipend, noting that the love she had for the children were enough to keep her going until she started to receive payment from the Government.
"I taught for free for over 20 years. Although I was told that I could charge the parents a fee I did not, because they could not afford it in the early days when I started, but I still continued to teach their children," Mrs. Edwards said.
She revealed that she had wanted to teach from the time she was a young girl in primary school and by age 19 she had started to teach almost all the children in her community at Peckham, Clarendon.
