Dear Editor,

THIS is an open letter to the Minister of Education and his senior education officers. I returned to Guyana for the Jubilee celebrations, and had reason to visit two schools – one I attended as a primary school, i.e. L’Aventure Primary (Secondary), and one I worked at briefly, i.e. Central High School.Their condition in this modern era is mind-boggling, and leaves much to be desired. Even more surprisingly, the part of the school housing the person I wished to see was maybe four miles away down a desolate Canal No.1 road.

Transportation to get to and from Two Brothers School, which is where L’Aventure (Annex) is, was a horror story. Why the school is split is also a mystery to me. I mean, come on, this is the 21st Century!

Fast forward to the Brickdam Secondary fiasco, and among other things, one can clearly recognise a lack of proper proactive planning; and this is the same for Central High, which has as its only redeeming feature that it is easily accessible.

I was reliably informed by a teacher, a Ministry of Education Region 3 staffer, and an RDC engineer that there is a plan to build a Parfaite Harmonie Secondary School to replace L’Aventure.

L’Aventure was never built to be a secondary school, so basic amenities are non-existent: library, staff room, craft rooms, Home Economics Lab, adequate toilets, lockers, storage rooms, auditorium, lunch room, recreation room, canteen, even a playground, the school doesn’t have those. It is only after one travels that one realizes how many things we take for granted are relics – outmoded.

My very respectful suggestion is that whoever is spearheading this new school should do due diligence and create a school that fits with the non-academic standards for secondary schools.

We considered opening a private school in Guyana so we checked the requirements. Ideally, the multilateral school layout is still the best for our local situation.

Honourable Minister, kindly consider this suggestion: The multilateral model blueprint would produce an edifice worthy of the kind of educational standards we wish to promote. Build it big – with projections for population growth, so ugly and impractical additions after a few years are rendered unnecessary.

The current school can then be converted into a PIC for youths on the West Bank.

NB: Several of us are forming ourselves into an organization to assist the school, so we will get some stuff to the school on a regular basis, mainly stationery-type items that can be directly given to the students. In the new school, we will commit to equipping a computer laboratory.

Yours faithfully,
ANONYMOUS