EDUCATION Minister Priya Manickchand has said that her ministry is currently determining the distribution of the additional students who will be entering the nursery level as a result of the implementation of the new age for entry into nursery school, which will become effective September, 2014.

She had announced earlier this year that students will be able to enter nursery schools when they become three by June 30 of that year, as opposed to the current date of March 31.
Speaking to the media yesterday, Manickchand indicated that come next September, there should be about 2000-3000 more children in the school system at the nursery age than previously.
According to her, they are in the process of checking to see how these students will be distributed and try to ensure that they have catered for that distribution with respect to adequate furniture and teachers.
Manickchand, in her announcement of this change earlier this year, had said that as a result of this change, children would then be three years- three months upon entry into the nursery school in September, and three years six months at the end of the year.
She had explained that the ministry would need time to implement this change to determine the furniture needs, acquire more books, manipulative toys and resource materials, and also provide more teachers.
Additionally, parents would have to be told nationally about the change and teachers as well as placement officers and children would have to be prepared for this, she said.
According to her, the readiness of children at an earlier age is demonstrated by the children themselves who know far more and are far more advanced that their peers of yesteryear.
She had noted, however, that they have some professional concerns that a child who is younger than 3 years-three months may not be ready for the school environment, or to receive the kind of instruction that happens in nursery level one.
Children in Guyana usually enter the formal education system at nursery school, and 85% of the relevant age group is attending nursery school, which is the highest percentage in the Commonwealth Caribbean.