ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY children will be the beneficiaries of a new nursery school which is to be constructed at E Field Sophia, Cummings Park to the tune of $30.8M.
The school, which is scheduled to be completed by December 30, will be equipped with classrooms, a kitchenette and sick bay, head teacher’s office, a storage area, two rooms for students with disabilities and five washrooms, water facility, and an access bridge and guard hut.Minister of Education Priya Manickchand recently met and interacted with parents at the Cummings Park, Community Centre, to establish where the school will be built because there was an issue with regard to land space.
Initially, the school was slated to be built obliquely opposite the Communitycentre, however, that land was deemed too small. Minister Manickchand said that already 118 students have registered, and expansion of the school must be taken into consideration because it is anticipated that more children will be starting school in the coming years. It was agreed that the school will be built on the northern side of the Community Centre where there is more space.
The contract for the construction of the school was awarded to R. Kissoon Contracting Services, and works will be supervised by the Education Ministry’s, Engineering Department.
Minister Manickchand called on the parents to collaborate with the ministry to ensure that the contractor delivers not only in a timely manner, but also ensures that all materials expected for the construction of the school are used.
“We don’t want you to take your children very far, we want them close to home…that is why we are constructing this school, and we are consulting with parents because we need your support so as to ensure quality work is executed by the contractor,” Minister Manickchand told the parents. She suggested that they form themselves into a committee to assist in overlooking the project.
The Minister also took the opportunity to enlighten the parents on the $10,000 cash grant which is expected to be disbursed in September. The residents said that they preferred the money to be disbursed through the bank or Western Union. Minister Manickchand said that while the consultation on the distribution of the grant is ongoing, the ministry still has to consult with some financial agencies in this regard.
This initiative was introduced this year by Government which will see the sum of $10,000 being allocated to every child in the public system. The initiative is expected to benefit 188,406 families of the students of nursery, primary, and secondary schools, and will cost a total of $2 B.
Meanwhile, Roxanne Burnham Nursery School will benefit from an expansion costing $14M while Friendship will also benefit from a new school.
These initiatives complement Government’s commitment to ensure every child is provided with the necessary infrastructure and resources needed for them to receive quality education