THE Ministry of Communities under its Green Generation Guyana (#3G) Sanitation Programme on Wednesday launched its ‘Model Green School’ Project (GSP) at the Yarrowkabra Primary School, Soesdyke-Linden Highway.

The project is aimed at creating a model of greening at the newly constructed school, that can be replicated at other primary schools across the country.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Education, a number of items including waste disposal bins, garden tools, wall posters, composters, life-size posters and soap dispensers were gifted to the school.

The disposal bins are of two types, one to accommodate organic waste and the other that accepts inorganic waste, the ministry stated. The items were handed over to the school on Wednesday, in the presence of students, parents, teachers, officials of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Communities, the Regional Democratic Council and the Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF).

It is expected that the organic waste can be transformed into compost material, which can be used to provide additional nutrients to garden plants in the school’s compound and trees are to be planted following a tree-planting exercise. This will serve to reduce the amount of waste that is disposed of, which can be otherwise utilised.

Meanwhile, Regional Education Officer (ag), Tiffany Favourite-Harvey, said that although the Green School Project will be piloted at the Yarrowkabra Primary School, efforts will be made to have other schools be part of the project.

She said in the long run, it is important to have all the schools on board, since the message of ‘Going Green’ can be taught to the 33,198 learners within Region Four.

Project Manager of the BNTF, Dikedemma Utoh, said that the Yarrowkabra Primary School was completed in February 2017 and noted that during construction of the school, a number of ‘green’ interventions were used, such as translucent sheets to bring in natural light, thereby reducing the use of electricity.

In addition, a small system was installed on the school’s roof to power security lights at night. Utoh said that the school was built in the BNTF’s Seventh Cycle and since the BNTF is entering its ninth cycle, plans are afoot to return to the school to install an even larger solar component, so that in the day, the school can opt to use solar electricity or that which is being supplied by the national grid.

After the brief handing-over ceremony, the students were shown live demonstrations as to how they should use the new tools and the benefits of each item. The demonstrations addressed waste separation, composting, tree-planting and hand-washing.