THE Ministry of Education yesterday commissioned a $26M extension to the St. Agnes Primary School, which will now be able to house 210 students. 

Speaking at the ceremony, Assistant Chief Education Officer (Primary), Marcel Hutson remarked that the existence of this new building will definitely contribute to the effective delivery of primary education, “which we as a ministry have always advocated for.” Hutson explained that St Agnes has a rich history of producing quality pupils, and “I therefore implore the management not to lose focus of this school’s rich history.” Many persons saw it fit to have their children enrolled into this school and the ministry saw the need for more space if “we were to fulfil our mandate,” he noted.
The process to acquire the land that now houses the extension saw discussions being conducted with the Catholic sisters of the church, Hutson related. He explained that some of the pupils were relocated due to the construction and these were from grades 3, 4 and 5.
“Learning to read is one of the most important skills in modern society because reading serves as the foundation of the school- based society. As a ministry we are determined to raise the performance of our pupils to a greater level and if this is going to be realised, the role of the parents are [sic] critical to this process,” Hutson reiterated .As he reverted to the theme of the National Literacy Action Plan, “Literate by Grade 4 through consistent home, school and community involvement,” he urged yet again the involvement of parents and guardians in their children’s school life: “You need to pay more attention to all aspects of your children’s school lives.” He further explained that there are simple things that parents can do to assist their children in reading, “Like reading to their children or having them read to you, telling stories, helping with homework among others.”
During the delivery of the feature address, Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, noted that “This morning makes a great day both for us in the ministry as well as the students we will serve, as we commission this brand new extension to your school.” She explained that since her accession to office in 2011, she was told of the space problem at St Agnes and realised that “this space problem was becoming a little over bearing.” The Education Minister related that the ministry understood that the blind institution was also housed in this same compound and hence they “have been relocated to an entirely discreet and independent building where our children are much better served and the teachers are getting the freedom and space to work.
“And this morning we will commission a brand new building which will house 210 students and see the construction of the new building serving more than 1500 students that will be more comfortable now,” Manickchand said.
The Minister also reiterated the need for parents to get more involved in their children’s schooling, explaining that, “Guyana has attained universal primary education which means every child at primary school age can have access to a primary education regardless if you live in the hinterland region, [the] Essequibo Coast or Georgetown and this as a country we should celebrate.”

(Rebecca Ganesh-Ally)