Senior Advisor to the Minister of Education, Dr Franklin Johnston is urging students to ensure they master the English language, as this is one skill which demonstrates their competence in many areas.

"It is extremely important to your future that each of you masters English, because you are not just going to remain here, you're going to go right up to the top of some organisation ... you're going to go abroad, and one of the things that will always serve you well is if you know your English well, you speak it well, and you can do it well," he said.

Dr Johnston was speaking at the annual Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) awards function of the National Security Employees Co-op Credit Union, at its Cross Roads location, in Kingston, recently.

The senior advisor shared with the students that he has worked in many countries around the world and English "is one thing that takes me through, because no matter what your skill or expertise, you have to be able to communicate with people".

He noted, however, that having a command of English does not mean they cannot speak all the other languages, including Jamaican creole, "but what it means is that you want to know you have one thing that you do well, because it opens doors for you."

In the meantime, Dr Johnston congratulated the scholarship awardees on their achievement and encouraged them to enter this new phase of their lives with a sense of purpose. He also reminded them to have faith, work hard, and continue to strive for success.