ENTERPRISE Primary School, in D’Urban Backlands, Georgetown, received a donation of a brand new six-burner gas stove, books and other gifts from the United States (U.S.) Embassy last Friday. The Ambassador, Mr. Brendt Hardt, at the handing over, said the school has a special relationship with his Embassy, which began under a former Chief of Mission and he is happy to rekindle.
Headmistress Williams expressed heartfelt gratitude and said the items will go a long way towards assisting the school’s feeding and literacy programme.
She added that the stove will be used to teach culinary arts and provide hot meals for pupils while the teaching of science and literacy skills will be enhanced by the reading materials.
Hardt said, too, that he is pleased the donation will help children and adults develop life skills.
He said the Education Ministry’s School Feeding Programme is an excellent initiative. It currently supplies milk and biscuits to children attending nursery and primary schools. However, there are some challenges that impact on its success.
According to the diplomat, many schools lack access to safe water, devices to heat it for mixing the milk and general kitchen facilities and utensils.

CHALLENGES
As a result, a variety of donors and, in many cases, the schools, themselves, have stepped in to address these challenges, he observed.
Hardt said he knows that the Ministry encourages community alliances that can join together to find solutions to problems that the schools and community are facing and such alliances can help with the expansion of school programmes, better infrastructure and buildings, better management of educational assets in the community and other joint efforts in the pursuit of quality education.
Enterprise, through its Parent Teachers Association (PTA), will also offer Home Economics classes to parents and teachers who want to learn or improve their cooking skills.  
The donation of reading materials include books that speak of the importance of being a good citizen, keeping the environment clean and others that describe aspects of the U.S.
Also present on the occasion was the Education Ministry  National Literacy Coordinator, Mr. Murray Greenidge, who described the donation as an added incentive for the sector, despite the challenges that the Ministry faces in providing children with everything they need.
He said that, through collaboration, great things can be achieved and praised the ambassador and his embassy for the gifts.