St. Joseph's Class 10

The girls from class 10. They are staying in a Community hall owned by the Mother Theresa Sisters, in Kalimpong, during their Board Examinations

2010 This is the first Class 10 to be completed at St. Joseph's School Gitdubling. From this stage the pupils sit their Board Examinations. These are set by an external Examination Board and the pupils travel to a Central Examination Hall to sit the Exams.

Whilst I was in Gitdubling, in Jan/ Feb of this year, I worked with the pupils who were able to attend the holiday classes, helping them to prepare for their exams. Prior to their departure for Kalimpong, where their exam centre was, there was talk that the Exams would be cancelled due to the strike action., ( see previous entry of 6/4/2011). however the strike organisers relented and allowed the pupils to travel to Kalimpong and also allowed the examinations to take place, beginning on the 23/02/2011.

Thank heavens, as the pupils were geared up to preforming , as well as they possibly could, to say "thank you" to all who had helped to educate them to this stage. Prior to 2010, many of the pupils were unable to progress past Grade 9 in 2009, Grade8 in 2008 and Grade7 in 2007, as the school was expanding its grading year by year. When they move from St. Joseph's to a School which provides education to a higher grade, than at ST. Joseph's, the parent can often not afford to pay the school and hostel fees, which are necessary as the pupils would have too far to travel to commute daily. Leaving school at 15/16 yrs of age, often led to unplanned pregnancies and young marriages. Also unemployment is rife in the Hill Region and the family plots of land small and unable to sustain extra mouths to feed.

Expanding the School to accommodate pupils to Grade 10 has involved a lot of extra expense: the building of a new primary section. the employment of suitably qualified teachers and all the equipment and materials necessary to qualify as a School registered to educate pupils to Grade 10

This year , hopefully all the pupils from last year's Class 10 ,will progress to Classes 11 and 12 in other schools. Many of the pupils are being sponsored. There was only 23 pupils in Class 10 in 2010, there are many more this year.

HCET is now supporting 5 teachers in the Infant Department of St. Joseph's as well as the 7 teachers of St. Mary's Tribal School, Nok Dara.

We also gave £1050 towards purchasing books for a library in 2010. Prior to this the teachers and pupils had no access to any books other than their school text books.

Hopefully we will continue to be able to support St. Joseph's and St. Mary's for a few more years.

I am very grateful to all those who have helped in so many ways since HCET was set up in August 2007.

Yours Gratefully,

Pauline MacInnes