Creating beams of light
Published:Sunday | April 20, 2014 | 12:00 AM
Jody-Anne Lawrence, Lifestyle Reporter
After being at the same institution for almost 30 years, Mackran Singh still loves what he does. "There is so much to like about teaching. The great challenge is leading a child to discover that gleam that will become a bright flame, so that the flame can become a light," explains Singh of the philosophy he believes the institution has engraved on his heart.
Singh is the first male to gain the post of principal at Convent of Mercy Academy (Alpha Academy). After being at the institution for approximately 18 years, he got the role in 2001. Though it was something that he was grateful for and excited about, he had a few reservations about following in the footsteps of two competent and talented predecessors.
"My immediate predecessors are the late Sis Mary Bernadette Little and Grace Baston, who are both charismatic and talented. Those are two high heels to follow in. Over the years, however, I have managed to grow comfortably," Singh told Outlook.
"As a male principal, I felt I have a duty to show love to my girls," he explained of his role as principal of an all-girls institution. He believes that it was his mission because so many successful women in society are not recognised. He encourages the girls to use the gift that God has given them to follow the path that He has designed for them.
It is no surprise where his fatherly instinct and care for these girls come from - him being the father of two girls that he had before leaving Guyana in 1983.
Before he left his native island, he taught for 10 years after receiving a master's in literature at the University of Bordeaux. Singh also has under his belt a bachelor's in English and French minor with distinction from the University of Guyana, and a postgraduate diploma in education. However, it was while in high school at Berbice High that he knew that teaching was what he wanted to do.
Skilled and passionate
"I had a good education at Berbice. The teachers were very skilled and passionate and that was something to emulate. I wanted to serve children as my teachers had served me," he explained. He notes that his idea of teaching was a ministry. "A good teacher will tell you that teaching is more of a ministry than a job," says Singh who believes that it was through education that the Caribbean countries took control of their freedom after independence.
Leaving his native country was a transition for Singh that was not without its stumbling blocks. "The fact that we were all former colonies of England, the education system was the same." He was familiar with Jamaica through lecturers at his university and, at that time, the countries were very close and thus he had been familiar with our culture, music and literature. Upon arriving in Jamaica, he fell in love with the landscape. "The coastal area of Guyana is flat. So when I came to Jamaica, I just fell in love with the hills and mountains and, to this day, I am still fascinated with the landscape of this beautiful country."
He made the move to Jamaica after being recruited by the then principal Sis Bernadette Little to teach English and French at the academy. It has been three decades, and Singh now considers Alpha his home. He compliments the sisters on their hospitality and support over the years. Still, there has been no greater support than that of his adoring wife, Bibi, who has been an executive secretary at Alpha Academy since 1984. He told Outlook that she has been with him through thick and thin and bore him up whenever he felt down.
Singh's two daughters have appeared to be chips off the old block as they have both done some teaching and have been affiliated with Alpha in some way or another over the years. His older daughter, Maya Singh-Ali, a past student of Campion College, taught at Alpha Academy for two years and is currently a training officer at Morgan Stanley in New York. His younger daughter, Rhiya, is a past student of the institution and is doing her master's in education at the University of Toronto.
His passion for teaching has not dwindled since he has received the post of principal, as he still teaches English to some fifth-form students, as well as literature to sixth formers.
"A teacher is an authentic messenger, someone that teaches morals and patriotism, and that is the kind of teaching that builds nation," notes the principal. Building a great nation is definitely his mission as his hope for Alpha is that all his girls are able to pass with five or more CXCs, in addition to English and mathematics. Last year, 92 per cent of the girls passed with five or more with English and 74 per cent with English and maths.
Improvements
He would also like to increase the number of technical and vocational classes offered by the institution, as he believes this is important. They are also working to equip teachers with more resources to assist them. While academics are important, Singh believes in a rounded child and adult. Therefore, he wants to see improvements in the school's extra-curricular activities facilities.
"We came ninth overall in Girls' Championships. We have young talent like Kiara Grant who was a double sprint medallist in Class Four this year. We would like to improve the facilities so that we can properly train and motivate our athletes," Singh says.
His passion for teaching is also coupled with a love for reading. His favourite poets are Derek Walcott and Rabindranath Tagore and, when it comes to prose, he holds Earl Lovelace and V.S. Naipaul in very high regard. Singh, who used to play cricket, still has some love for the sport, though he had a greater love for it when the West Indies was the Brazil of cricket.
When he retires, Singh is not sure if he will return home to Guyana. "Time teaches us patience. Sometimes the answer to these questions is a whisper. So you just wait and listen. One thing I can say, however, Alpha has been the centre of my life for the past three decades and I should always be available to Alpha."