Managing Director of Professional Secretarial Institute (PSI) Camille Crichton is very pleased with the results that her students produced at this year’s Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) Examinations. {{more}}
But according to Crichton, six out of the enrolled 13 students failed to pay their school fees, and this is causing a big problem. Crichton said that the school fee set-up is the only form of income that the school has and it is currently failing to sustain the school as almost half of the students are not paying or cannot afford to pay. The Professional Secretarial Institute is being partly supported by its sister company the Professional Secretarial and Consultancy Services and Crichton’s personal funds.
“We have to pay teachers, pay the rent and buy supplies,” stressed Crichton who explained that her school is structured to help persons that may have fallen short in the area of education. Students at PSI include persons who may have become pregnant during school, dropped out of school for whatever reason and in some instances may never have been to school at all.
“This aspect of my work can now be considered as mainly a community service; the kind of students that are accepted by PSI are not accepted anywhere else but when you see the results you get a good feeling even though at times you are not appreciated,” said Crichton.
At this year’s CXC Exams, 13 persons from PSI took subjects, all at the general proficiency level. According to Crichton, only two students did not get any of the subjects they sat. She said that one student sat four subjects and got all, this included two ones. Another student who dropped out of school in form three received three passes and another student who had only managed to reach form one got three subjects although she did not attend her classes at PSI regularly.
On calculating the results, Crichton noted that the school recorded and 80% pass rate at Office Practice (two students got ones) while Principles of Accounts (POA) saw a 78% pass rate with three students getting grade ones. English Language saw the most improvement with 60% passes and doing Principles of Business for the first time, PSI got a 75% pass rate. The school is still awaiting some of the computing and typing results but the Managing Director said that so far there are three first class passes in both areas. Mathematics continues to suffer, revealed Crichton.
“I am quite pleased with the results but some people were not working hard enough and I think that parents need to pay a more important role in the lives of their children,” she stressed.
Crichton also spoke highly of her teachers. She said that despite the many challenges they faced, they tried their best and their success is evident in the results.