Guidebook launched to create good citizens

Some of the partners instrumental in developing ‘Me, Myself and TCEye’, a teachers’ and students’ handbook intended to create good citizens. National Youth Director Angela Musgrove, TCI Community College chair Candice Malcolm, Crimestoppers president Ian McLeod, Education Director Edgar Howell, Scotiabank’s director Cecil Arnold, Claire Parrish and Ashcroft School’s principal David O’Connell.
TODAY’S children are tomorrow’s future - this is the sentiment shared by the creators of the ‘Me, Myself and TCEye’ teachers’ and students’ handbook aimed at nurturing and developing good citizenship. 

The guidebook, constructed through a collaborative effort between Crimestoppers, the Ministry of Health and Education, and Scotiabank, was introduced in a press conference last Wednesday and will be delivered through supplementary lessons to be taught in schools.

Crimestoppers president Ian McLeod, said that the idea originated several years ago from a similar ‘Me, Myself and I’ Crimestoppers Trust UK programme and was carefully tailored by education professionals to make its content relevant to the TCI.

The project will begin as a trial in three primary schools with participating students from grade one through six.

The schools that will be involved in the pilot programme are Enid Capron Primary and Ashcroft School on Providenciales and Charles Hubert James Primary on North Caicos.

McLeod said that the objective of the programme is to create good citizens "and hopefully have no crime or very little crime”.

"We believe that good citizens will not commit crime,” he said.

The curriculum development members whose tasks comprised of creating the lesson plans included former primary educator and TCI Community College chair, Candice Malcolm; social worker, Social Development and Gender Affairs, Tanza Bain; Community Police Officer Nigel Couch; National Youth Director, Angela Musgrove and Ashcroft School principal, David O’Connell.

Malcolm explained that the handbook was designed to integrate easily in the already existing social studies syllabus. 

"The new programme will go hand in hand with the curriculum that the teachers are already using in the schools but we decided to focus more on citizenship and civics…to compliment the curriculum...not to give the teachers an additional subject or much additional material,” she said.

"Because it’s a pilot programme we will have to go back into the schools and evaluate the programme and make improvements.”

To make the assessment and enhancement of the programme easy, the students will be required to keep a portfolio containing a compilation of all the assignments.

After the trial programme is completed and adjustments have been made to the handbook, it will be available to primary schools throughout the islands.

The team hopes to make this possible by the beginning of the next school year.

Ashcroft School principal, David O’Connell praises the handbook’s wide perspective from which it was constructed. 

He said, "What the programme brings to the community is perspective of government, public and private schools, it brings the perspective of international style schools and different teaching styles and put all of those strengths together.” 

The attractive programme includes stimulating practical lessons on what makes good citizens, values, living in a diverse world, respect, dangerous drugs and the cost of crime.

Scotibank’s managing director, Cecil Arnold expressed his delight in the being a partner in the project saying he is proud of "the great partnership between the public and private sector in making something very useful for the citizenship of this island, particularly the young people in the schools”.

Director of Education Edgar Howell emphasised that "the idea is to have in a few years and successive generations of Turks and Caicos Islands, young people and residents who care for their country and will help the adults to build a solid and firm county through their actions and attitudes.”