POINTE BLANCHE--Forty inmates of the Pointe Blanche prison received their certificates for the various courses they followed and successfully completed, during a graduation ceremony held at the prison on Friday.
Certificates were awarded to the graduates in the fields of music, Christian education, preparations for general education diploma (GED), mathematics, computer classes and the English and Dutch languages.
Among the invited guests were Minister of Justice Rafael Boasman, Shermina Powell representing the Minister of Education, members of the commission of supervision of the prison Johannes Schols, Ludwina Hodge and Wilfred Manning, Miss Lalie Centre Coordinator of Education Lenrich Wilson and Public Relations Officer for the Minister of Justice Fernando Clark.
The ceremony began at 9:30am with an opening prayer by Pastor Elfreda Lake followed by the words of welcome and inspiration to the graduates by Prison Directors Steven Carty and Wilfred Williams.
Minister of Justice Rafael Boasman addressed the, graduates urging them to make the right choices in life. He pointed out that he too had made choices in life, some good and some not so good, and had to live with the consequences. He encouraged the graduates to look towards the future and not to linger on the negative choices made in the past.
Before receiving their certificates, some of the graduates displayed their talents with poetry, a musical performance and a display of projects learned in computer classes.
Together with the Minister of Education’s representative and the prison directors, the proud instructors handed out to the graduates the certificates for the subjects covered.
The team of seven external instructors at the prison consists of Pastor Elfreda Lake, Bernard Hollis, Oswald Francis, Joan Sharplis, Vernon Illidge, Sheena Romney, and Julian Grill, while Leo de Windt and Les Brown serve as the prison’s internal instructors. The instructors are supported by mentors Concincion, Williams and Janga.
