No politics behind 1st District Homework Programme – Hon Andrew A. Fahie
“To those in the Bambelela Programme, I want you to know that the Bambelela Programme was not started for political reasons, although I am a politician,” he stressed at the annual First District Back to School Motivational Session for First District Youth held at the Abraham Leonard Community Centre in Carrot Bay yesterday August 30, 2015.
“It was started because I wanted to make sure that the children that are struggling, that cannot afford tutorial help, or even if they could have afforded it but their schedule was not fitting tutorial help, they can come into the programme and get the help that they needed,” said Honourable Fahie, a senior member of the Virgin Islands Party (VIP) who recently steamrolled his National Democratic Party (NDP) counterpart Shaina M. Smith at the polls for the First District seat.
“I wanted to know that the children would not suffer the fate of someone that I know who did not have the help when they were growing up and was very weak in English and some other subjects too and had to fight it through until…some teachers took interest in this person, which happens to be your Representative here today,” said Honourable Fahie.
“I vowed that as long as I live I will make sure that any child that I could help to get the chance for a better education that I would do so. And that is what the programme was about."
Noting the importance of education, the First District Representative said he might not have given the district a heap of roads and walls but he knows that more than 120 persons now have secondary, tertiary or vocational education as a result of his representation.
He said he knew people who did not make it and was eliminated because of the status quo back then which said if you did not come from a named family you could not go to school and get a scholarship.
“We had to break that mould…so I understand sometimes when I am not popular in certain areas, but I want to make sure what is due to you, you get it, which is an opportunity. Because the currency that you have now is your education and you could spend that anywhere worldwide without any limitation or preapproval from anyone,” he said.
“You are limitless with what you can do with your education and boundary-less,” he said.
Bambelela a proven success
Honourable Fahie said there is not one child who attended the after school programme regularly who failed.
The children visit the Abraham Leonard Community Centre from 5.30 pm to 7.30 pm daily where they are given assistance with preparing for exams and the completion of school projects.
According to the staff of the programme, they never produced a project that did not earn an A plus. Students who were never on the honour roll have started being featured on the honour roll as a result of the programme, which is free and also includes free transportation home.
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