LONG before Ronaldhino Brown entered college to become a teacher, he had already created a classroom of his own. He was about 10 years old. His classroom was the backyard of his home in Church, Bog Walk. Beneath a mango tree, tree stumps became seats, old books provided material for lessons, and loose sheets of paper served as lesson notes.

About seven children from the community would gather there for help with their schoolwork. Brown, who was preparing for his own literacy and numeracy examinations at the time, would teach them what he knew. At the end of each session, he would announce, with the confidence of a young teacher already settling into his role: “Class dismissed!”

More than a decade later, Brown is still teaching, while working hard to complete an education his family has had to make sacrifices to support. Now 22, he is preparing to enter his final year at Moneague College, where he is pursuing a Bachelor of Education in Secondary Education with a double specialisation in computer science. Reaching this point has taken determination.