THE Education Ministry, in keeping with its quest to increase access to education in all communities countrywide, last Thursday, commissioned the Martindale Primary School (annex) in Pomeroon, Region Two. The $8M school, accessible by boat, is located on the bank of the Nunes Canal, an estuary of the Pomeroon River, and less than a mile from the main building on the bank of the Pomeroon River.
The new annex, equipped with modern amenities, can accommodate some 30 pupils. Education Minister Shaik Baksh, who attended the commissioning, said the facility represents the fulfilment of a promise by government to Pomeroon residents a few years ago.
Baksh told the gathering of parents, pupils and teachers that the construction of the school is in keeping with government’s commitment to make education accessible to all, and to ensure that no child is left behind.
Guyana has already achieved Universal Access to Primary Education, and is on the verge of achieving Universal Access to Secondary Education. Enrolment at the pre-primary levels stands around 85 per cent. Under the new education legislation currently at the Attorney General’s Chambers, pre-primary education has been made compulsory. Parents will be required to send their children who have attained the age of three years, nine months, to school, or risk being placed before the court.
Baksh said the move dovetails with the ministry’s drive to build a solid foundation at the pre-primary level that will allow pupils to make a smooth transition to primary school.
The goal at the primary level, he explained, is to get pupils to learn to read before they enter Grade Three, and master the basics in literacy and numeracy before they leave the primary cycle.
On this note, Baksh said that parents have a role to play in the process, noting that they must ensure that their children attend school every day, and are given the attention they deserve at home.
He said that education is the vehicle that will take poor families out of poverty, and the government is doing all within its means to enable students to acquire a sound secondary education,thereby enabling them to make  meaningful contributions to the development of Guyana.
Those students who have dropped out of school because of varying circumstances, he said, cannot be neglected, and he stressed that the government is building technical and vocational training centres throughout the country to cater for them.
Currently, a new technical and vocational training centre at Leonora, Region 3, and another at Mahaicony, Region 5, are almost complete. The Education Ministry is also in the process of establishing a skills training centre in Lethem, Region 9.
These new institutes complement those in Georgetown and in Region 9, and provide students with skills that will make them employable and lead constructive and productive lives.
At the commissioning, Region 2 Vice Chairman, Vishnu Samaroo, said education is one of the success stories of the region, pointing out that students’ performances at the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) and the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) have been improving over the years.
Apart from this, he said more teachers in the region are being trained through the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) satellite training centre at Anna Regina. In addition, new student dorms are being built and others renovated to cater for students in riverine communities.
Samaroo said too that some 500 Amerindian scholarship students from the region are attending top secondary schools in Georgetown, while some have been awarded scholarships to study medicine and engineering in Cuba. Some of these students have completed their studies and are serving the region.
The parents who were part of the commissioning ceremony expressed gratitude to the government for delivering on its promise, and made a commitment to maintain the building.