As the Holy Trinity Primary School intensifies preparations for its 100th anniversary, National Youth Ambassadors and parliamentarians are already in celebration mode. They recently visited the sister isle donating books and other items to the historic institution. Among the quartet was Ezekiel Francois.
He’s no stranger, but let me introduce him to you. Ezekiel was born in Barbuda in 2000 to Michal and Clifton Francois. He started his academic journey at the Holy Trinity Primary School.
Principal Charlene Harris told YouthZone: “We are tremendously proud of Ezekiel. He was always a focused and well-rounded student who balanced and displayed excellence in both academic and extracurricular activities.”
Referring to Ezekiel as “the energy behind the house,” the principal noted that, “while he was winning his races, he motivated his teammates to excel as well. Role model leadership was evident since Ezekiel was small and he was not afraid to use his voice for positive things”.
In 2011, Ezekiel was the lone Barbudan in the Top 100 who got the opportunity to attend his “dream school”—the Antigua Grammar School (AGS). The youth ambassador pointed out that during his tenure, he participated in every and anything, from basketball to debate, and was even elected Student Body President.
After AGS, Ezekiel moved on to the Antigua State College, where he attained an Associate Degree in Accounting. Then it was time for higher education at the University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus. Ezekiel said, “I was entrusted by the students to be the first ever Guild Vice President. Along with our dedicated [cohort], we were able to lay a foundation for the future success at the campus. I was privileged to be a part of the first graduating class at the UWI Five Islands Campus, majoring in Accounting.” Since then, Ezekiel was also afforded the opportunity to be both a Youth MP and National Youth Ambassador.
Those are just a few things about Ezekiel Francois who told YouthZone “the truth is I really am not a fan of speaking about myself, because when I look among my peers in Barbuda I feel different”. So why does Ezekiel feel different? “A lot of young people in Barbuda aren’t easily afforded the same opportunities to further their education as I have,” he said.
“It is expensive for us, because although Antigua and Barbuda are one, it is still a completely different island for us. The added stress and cost of travelling and daily maintenance have been tremendous deterrents for study,” Ezekiel asserted. “Added to that is also the lack of educational resources that we have, such as adequate teachers for subjects, sufficient computers, etc. It allows us to feel as though it is hopeless as we cannot measure up to our Antiguan counterparts, so why try?”
However, the youth ambassador is not despondent. “I truly think that a mindset overhaul is needed for Barbuda,” he said. “Very often when the topic of Barbuda and Barbudans [is] brought up, it is often only about our land, therefore our human resources are left in the dust. Sadly, many view Barbuda as the family member that has a problem with everyone and as such you get treated differently, asked a lot of dumb questions and sometimes just plain out humiliated. I’ve experienced this and so have many other Barbudans,” Ezekiel declared.
The youth ambassador proclaimed: “In order for transformative change to occur, Antiguans and Barbudans should first see each other as equals. After this is achieved then I do believe that more investments should be given to Barbuda. Our Primary School celebrates 100 years this year; it would be nice for there to be an overhaul of our classrooms so our students have the necessities to strive. I would love for the corporate community to also invest, not only in our land, but also in our people; provide Barbudans with more scholarships and opportunities to advance in their careers so that we can diversify our growing economy.”
The 2021 National Youth Policy of Antigua and Barbuda highlighted the academic plight of the sister isle, including the lack of science teachers for core subjects like Biology, Physics, and Chemistry at Sir McChesney George Secondary School and absence of full-time access to special education and youth skill programmes.
Despite the challenges, Ezekiel and his team will continue to do their part. They plan to partner with the Holy Trinity Primary School in a gardening initiative to promote environmental sustainability. Ezekiel noted: “Each class will be given crops to plant and take care of. We also plan to donate a banner to the school to commemorate the 100 years, along with many more initiatives to come. Although I am one person, I believe change needs to start somewhere. Therefore, I am imploring anyone reading this to join the battle and let’s not forget our Barbudan counterparts.”