Director's KEYNOTE ADDRESS

And now to you the students and parents: As parents and teachers we are living our lives now, and there are things that we did in the past that we simply have to accept because there is nothing we can do about it. Some of these things are good and others are not so good, but many of them arise from choices that we made in our school days. As for them, this is the time to shape their future. The choices we make now to support them will in many ways determine their future.

What your parents and teachers are doing is to support you to build a future for yourself. You must therefore begin to take responsibility for your life at an early stage. While your teachers and parents will be very pleased when you succeed in life, it is you who will have to live with the consequences of the actions of your school days, and you will live with these consequences as an individual not as a mob.

So, our advice to you is to take advantage of the guidance given by your parents and teachers and aim to be the very best that you can. Remember that the world has become very competitive, so you need to achieve good grades in order to access the few opportunities available for further education and training.

English, Kiswahili and Mathematical activities are expected in any career they choose. So, when the language teachers encourage them to communicate in English and Kiswahili while in school, it is because they know that this is the only way to build their proficiency in these languages. They must also get into the habit of reading widely so that they can enhance their language skills. In Mathematical Activities, it is not enough to just do the exercises given by the teacher in class or as homework. They need to find time for more practice so that they can fully grasp the concepts that have been taught.

As for Sciences, remember that they are the foundation of technology that has become so essential in many areas of our lives. Some of us parents could have lived full lives without being computer literate, but our children cannot. The only way to make sure that they are not left behind by the technology wave is to help  them be well grounded in these key learning areas. Remember also to always keep a positive attitude. Environmental and Religious Educational Activities are aimed at inculcating this.

Allow me to say something about character. Please remember that virtues such as honesty, humility, kindness, courage, patience etc. never go out of fashion. So, as they work towards success, help them remember that they will not get very far if they do not also strive to be a person of good character. 

As I said earlier, they will eventually have to face their own life, alone, when the rest of the mob has gone. The time to shape their future is now. Teach them to be wise when choosing their friends or in the way they spend their time. Help them avoid laziness at all costs because a lost opportunity can never be recovered.

Allow me to talk to the girls: Boys are not better than you, unless you want it. And to the boys, you are not being sacrificed! Compete for your rightful space – the opportunity is for all to be their best. whether male or female. What the other can do, you can do even better. Throughout my working life, I have had to compete for opportunities with both women and men. There are millions of women who are my superiors, and so are the many men. It’s the space I have defined for myself that matters, not my being male or female.

To all of us, allow me to finish by talking about success. Those who succeed are called winners, and winners share the following:

1. Winners believe they can succeed.

Unless you have a firm belief and confidence in your potential you will be neither successful nor happy. Everywhere we encounter people who are emasculated by fear; who withdraw from taking reasonable risks, who are plagued by a deep sense of inadequacy and who will, as a consequence, never venture towards their ideals. If you don’t believe you can succeed, are negative towards your own abilities, you will find it senseless to expend time and energy in activities that would benefit you. You will call those that read bookworms, and ‘swots’ , when others work well you will call them work alcoholics and show- offs – just to discourage them. If a person believes he can do something which is important, he will find a way to do it. If it means acquiring special skills, then he will acquire them; if it means going the extra mile then he will go two. Whatever it is he needs to do he will do, but first he must believe he can.

2. Winners know themselves.

Truly successful people know themselves; they know their strengths and their weaknesses. They are honest with themselves and because they do not defend their shortcomings and mistakes they are able to learn from their errors and thus enjoy a continual process of growth and renewal.

Success should never be measured by wealth and power. You can have both and walk around an empty shell. The route to wealth is critical to a settled conscience. People who have amassed fortunes because they have made great contributions in sound and honorable practices are happy; it is the reward for having done what they do best and their work has enriched the lives of others. Their lives are balanced and rewarding.

3. Winners know what they want.

Unless we know where we are going and what we want to achieve, our lives will tend to have no direction and little meaning. The people who have taken the time and trouble to decide a destination, will sail across the oceans of life. They know where they are going and they reach one port after another, achieving more in a few short years than most achieve in a lifetime. Isn’t that so true? If we don’t know where we are going, any road will take us there and we will probably end up where we don’t want to be.

4. Winners persistently motivate themselves especially in the face of adversity.

Winners are self-motivated people; they refuse to quit when confronted with problems or difficult situations. The truly successful person takes responsibility for oneself.  He does not wait for someone to push him in the right direction.

Neither does he wait for circumstances to be ideal. Instead he creates the conditions which he desires by purposeful action.

It is important to realize that anyone who strives for something which is meaningful will face problems. Just as a baby will fall many times before he learns to walk, so must we of necessity overcome adversity before you can succeed.

Parents let’s challenge our children, to begin believing that they can succeed; Help them determine what they want and go for it ; and persistently motivate them to overcome obstacles.

Finally, there are many people from around here or from other parts of the world who would be willing to donate their time and resources to come and share their experiences with teachers and students – to make Bookpoint Springs Academy a haven of winners.

Such encounters will be helpful in focusing on possible career choices or tackling life issues such as HIV /AIDS, Covid 19 pandemic which are a reality that every person, young or old, needs to know something about.

With the strong foundation Bookpoint Academy expects to give them, I am sure they will succeed in their respective studies.

My congratulations and best wishes and all the best.

John  Nyawaka