Students urged to be more creative

GOVERNMENT’S vision is to “empower our citizens to be productive,  to think and to be creative.” Yvonne Ramsey, Schools Supervisor, Port-of-Spain and Environs Education District, said these words while addressing the annual presentation function of the Mental Mathematics Marathon,  held at the Rudranath Capildeo Learning Resource Centre, Mc Bean, Couva on Wednesday afternoon. She was convinced that the Mental Marathon sessions at the various schools in the country helped “students to sharpen their thinking skills clearly and be creative” and added that “all you have to do now is to transfer these skills into your everyday affairs to become more productive.”

She urged  students to make “thinking and creativity a part of everything that you do, whether it is your schoolwork, your chores at home, or even when you play. Do not let the last couple of months in traning go to waste as you have at this early age developed disciplined habits.” She reminded the audience of the great philosopher Rene Descartes  who said “I think, therefore, I am.” “Our school curriculum, both primary and secondary, supports the development of creative thinking skills through child centred learning and in this approach  learning begins with the learner  who constructs his/her own knowledge in an environment rich in stimuli,” she added. The first three places in the 2004 Mental Marathon went to — 1.Alexia Mae Garcia (Atwell’s Educational Institution); 2. Divij Maraj  (Tulsa Trace Hindu); 3. Reinessa Geoffroy (Rio Claro Hindu).