Anita Arjoon —— mother and teacher

Prior to entering the public teaching service, Arjoon taught at several private secondary schools, including the St Pierre Composite in Carenage. She was later assigned to the Belmont Junior Secondary where she taught English Language and Literature. She entered Corinth in 2004.

The mother of two said taking care of her family and attending school full time were certainly a challenge, but she stuck to her motto “with God all things are possible” and was able to succeed.

She said the honour is a “tangible reward for not only my sacrifices but also those of my family. On another level I will have to adopt an attitude in and out of the classroom that will honour all those who have been in the cycle.”

She believes that teaching is “the most challenging career where there is little room for error.”

She says when a teacher makes an error it ends up in society, and one of her greatest challenges is bringing parents to a point where they recognise they are important stakeholders in their children’s education. Arjoon says she has encountered parents who see their children’s education as a triangle which only involves the child, the Ministry of Education and the teacher.

“They fail to realise those children who get the support of parents are more likely to enjoy school and be successful in their endeavours.” As for the state of the education system in Trinidad and Tobago, Arjoon says she recognises many changes are being made in a bid to adopt an inquiry approach to learning, but while it “is applaudable in reality there are many classrooms which are too crowded and lack facilities to allow individual attention. It is therefore less successful and pupils suffer.”

She suggests moves be taken to reduce the number of students per teacher, upgrade all schools, as well as putting mechanisms in place for the early diagnosis of pupils with special needs, in addition to increasing the number of special teachers at schools.

Arjoon plans to pursue further studies in special education, stressing “there is room for growth in this area and I believe it holds the key to many ills in society.”