The long wait is over! After eight years of sacrifice, patience and hope, the doors of Swaha Hindu College, Sangre Grande, were finally flung open to students and staff. At a most impressive ceremony held on November 17, in the school’s courtyard, Minister of Education Esther Le Gendre unveiled a plaque that marked the completion of construction by the Education Facilities Company Ltd (EFCL), and handed over the keys to the building and user manual to the school’s principal, Pt Balram Persad. The entire school population was in attendance to greet the many dignitaries who attended the proceedings. Among them were Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education Angella Jack; CEO of Education Facilities Company Ltd Paul Taylor; Member of Parliament for Cumuto/Manzanilla Harry Partap; and His Holiness Paramacharya Pundit Hardeo Persad, the Spiritual Head of Swaha, the denominational board under whose purview the school functions.
Le Gendre expressed great pride, on behalf of the Ministry of Education, in handing over the college. She reiterated the Government’s position of maintaining relationships with denominational boards, of supporting these schools in various ways and of celebrating such partnerships. The result, she said, is improved student performance. In her address, she thanked the principal for his patience over the years and appealed to the staff and students to maintain the facilities at the school. Paramacharya, in his address, commended EFCL and the Ministry of Education for providing the facilities for the students of the area. As he traced the history of the school’s construction, he expressed gratitude to the former Ministers of Education, Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Hazel Manning, as well as Le Gendre, all women, and all of whom played key roles in the school’s development. This, he said, was quite significant, as Swaha itself stands for “mother.”
He also emphasised the necessity of education for all since it endows man with the power to succeed. “Knowledge is power,” he reminded all, “and an uneducated person finds it extremely difficult to fit comfortably into society. “Providing institutions such as the Swaha Hindu College is one way that the organisation is fulfilling its mandate of recognising the four-fold nature of man and making its input in developing and serving society.” Director of EFCL Lorcan Camps applauded Swaha for its vision of establishing educational institutions. He expressed great pride in being part of a project that promotes meditation, vegetarianism and high standards of discipline, all of which are practised at the school. He urged staff and students to make maximum use of the facilities provided to them at the institution.
Persad thanked the visionaries, his parents Shankaracharya Pt Hari Persad and Mataji Chandrawatie Persad, as well as all others who were directly involved in the school’s building from its inception. He heaped praises on the Ministry and EFCL for the provision of facilities at the school, and expressed the hope that continuing upgrades will be done. Just before the official cutting of the ribbon, unveiling of the plaque and the handing-over of the keys, guests were treated to a most impressive ensemble of music and dance by students of the school. After a scintillating dance item, students brought down the house with an exquisite rendition of locally-composed songs, blending smoothly the steel-pan, the harmonium and dholak. A most positive sign indeed, for all stakeholders of Swaha Hindu College, a school whose emphasis is on discipline, academic excellence, family values, character development, sports and patriotism.
Published in The Trinidad Guardian
http://guardian.co.tt/features/life/2009/11/29/swaha-praised-its-vision