Meet the needs, face the challenges in education sector

The burgeoning local housing sector has resulted in scores of new housing schemes being established throughout the country and thousands receiving house lots and realising their dreams of owning their homes. But as with every development, this has brought new challenges and demands including an increased demand for new education facilities.
This is a logical outcome of wherever development takes place and therefore, there has to be adequate policies and plans designed to fulfil these new demands.
And this government has been responding most positively to these new demands and challenges. As such, nearly every new housing area has new schools, particularly nursery and primary schools.
This is another demonstration of the government’s commitment towards improving the lives of people and providing the opportunity for our children to have an education, which is a most fundamental human right.
Education is also essential for the exercise of all other human rights. It promotes individual freedom and empowerment and yields important development benefits. Yet millions of children and adults remain deprived of educational opportunities, many as a result of poverty.
Normative instruments of the United Nations and UNESCO lay down international legal obligations for the right to education.
These instruments promote and develop the right of every person to enjoy access to education of good quality, without discrimination or exclusion.
These instruments bear witness to the great importance that member states and the international community attach to normative action for realising the right to education. It is for governments to fulfil their obligations, both legal and political, with regard to providing education of good quality for all and to implement and monitor more effectively education strategies.
Education is a powerful tool by which economically and socially marginalised adults and children can lift themselves out of poverty and participate fully as citizens.
The Government of Guyana, undoubtedly, is striving in a very focused and committed way, towards ensuring an education for all, and in this regard, there is now universal education at the nursery and primary levels, while at the secondary level, this should be achieved in another couple of years.
The most recent example of the continuous effort by the government towards an education for all is the opening of the Diamond Primary School on the East Bank of Demerara. As most should be aware, the new Diamond Housing Scheme is one of the largest in Guyana and therefore has a big population. The community already boasts a secondary school.
The new school will house a library, sick bay, computer lab and canteen, among other facilities. The registration process for Grade One students coming from nursery schools, as well as for Grade Two-Six students from schools outside the community, began Sunday right after the face-the-community meeting. In addition, representatives from the Ministry of Education were present to assist with transfers.
At the opening ceremony Education Minister, Ms. Priya Manickchand advised that the new school will be a model for other new schools to be measured against.
“We want the children coming out of this school to excel because we have done all that we could do in the ministry to make this a school of excellence. Not that we’re going to sacrifice other schools along the bank or anywhere else in the country, but we’re saying from now on, when we open schools, they must open from the beginning being schools of excellence,” she said.
This is a very important mandate announced by the minister because in the past many new schools with modern facilities failed to produce the desired standards and, therefore, it would be hoped that the staff, parents and education officials will put their shoulders to the wheel to ensure that this new educational facility becomes an institution of excellence indeed.

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