Secondary school students of St Stephen’s Community College Pamua have been encouraged to enrol in Rural Training Centres (RTC) if they drop out of the formal education system.
Anglican Church of Melanesia (ACOM) assistant education secretary, Desmond Waita gave the encouragement during Pamua’s graduation ceremony last Friday.
Church owned Pamua, apart from its primary and secondary strands, also has a vocational strand which offers electrical, mechanic, carpentry and life skills qualifications.
“Many people became successful in life with little education because they learnt a trade.
“I’am therefore encouraging you to value learning some trade skills,” Mr Waita told the graduating students.
ACOM owns a few vocational schools around the country and students were been urged to apply to them.
“You will benefit in life if you possess some skills and prepare yourself to earn a living through those skills,” Mr Waita said.
He said there are so many young people who have dropped out of school and gave up hope so easily and fall into the trap of roaming around with aimless young people drinking, doing drugs and getting into all sorts of criminal activities.
“I think this is the easy way out.
“Think about it, are you going to be like this for the rest of your life?
“Do something good for yourself and learn some trade,” Mr Waita said.
75 second year students graduated from Pamua’s vocational strand last Friday all with required qualification in carpentry, electrical, mechanic and life skills.
BY PHILIP LILOMO
In Makira