On Saturday, President Christine Kangaloo highlighted the importance of national unity as she attended the Tackveeyatul Islamic Association’s 100th Year Anniversary of Islamic Service.

In her feature address, she applauded the association’s commitment to educating future generations of this country.

She noted that the TIA was the first non-Christian body in the country to receive state aid for education and now has five primary schools and two early-childhood care centres.

She commended its students for their discipline, confidence and character.

“TIA schools teach children more than facts. They teach them how to think critically, how to serve, how to respect themselves, and how to recognize the dignity of others. An examination result measures one moment. Character shapes a lifetime. For its sustained contribution to the education and development of our young people, TIA deserves the nation’s gratitude.”

President Kangaloo said the milestone underscores the importance of service to the country, which can be achieved through unity and meaningful partnerships.

“A centenary, therefore, gives TIA much to celebrate, but a centenary also entrusts with it a sacred responsibility to the future, to continue to form young people who unite conviction with compassion, achievement with responsibility, and faith with service, and to remind Trinidad and Tobago that unity does not ask us to surrender identity. It asks us to bring the best of who we are to the service of a shared homeland.”

At the event, the Association paid tribute to its past founders and pioneers who laid the foundation for what it has become. It also thanked its board members, parents, teachers and students for their commitment to excellence.