EDUCATION Minister Priya Manickchand announced, yesterday, that Rosignol and Bygeval secondaries in Region 5 (Mahaica/Berbice) have been promoted to ‘List A’ schools, from September 2013.

She told a press conference, in the boardroom of the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD), at Kingston, Georgetown, that the listing speaks to the quality of the schools as opposed to their size.
According to her, an assessment was undertaken to ascertain what needs to be done to put those two schools in that category and she has absolute confidence that the things can be accomplished by September, with the implementation process continuing over the next year.
Ms. Manickchand explained that some of the work required for the purpose, includes the appointment of a teacher at Rosignol to teach either Spanish or French; refurbishing the Information Technology and Science laboratories, as well as ensuring that the schools are, generally, properly staffed.
The minister indicated that, with the exception of Region 5, each education district along the coastal plain has at least two category ‘A’ secondary schools.
She said this results in the better performing students from every grade six group in Region 5, who cannot be placed in a senior secondary school, be put in an ‘A’ school in Regions 4 (Demerara/Mahaica) or 6 (East Berbice/Corentyne).
Manickchand noted that this has been causing great hardships for both the parents and children of Region 5 and she is very pleased that the new batch of National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) students are going to be the first to access the facilities as new entrants.
She pointed out that the students who, currently, attend these schools, which have very large numbers on roll, will also benefit a great deal.