SPECIAL-needs children of Region Three, Essequibo Islands-West Demerara, will soon benefit from a modern special -needs school in the region.

The new facility constructed at a cost of $28.5Million, features a building with four special-needs classrooms, a modernised sickbay, staff room for teachers, headteacher’s office, kitchen, four wheelchair-accessible lavatory facilities, two wheelchair-accessible bathrooms, three entrance and exit ramps and a teacher’s lavatory. Also completed are a guard hut, external lavatory facility and a completely landfilled yard at a cost of $3.5Million.

In an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI), Regional Executive Officer Denis Jaikaran noted that the construction was done as a result of the recognition that there exists a demand for special education in the region.

“Our former Regional Education Officer (REDO) Penelope Mc Intosh is really responsible for this project. Under her watch studies were conducted and have shown that Region Three needs to put measures in place for our special-needs children and being cognisant of that, we have provided the facility. It is now in the hands of the Education Department to operationalise the complex at the earliest and provide quality services to our children,” Jaikaran said.

Meanwhile, Regional Education Officer Annesta Douglas said that the recently established Special Education Needs Unit of the department is focused on getting the administrative and logistical works done so that the school can become functional. “We are right now putting all the paperwork in order for an early start and once that hurdle is crossed, the school, which will cater for special-needs children, will become accessible to the public. Our recently formed SEN unit has that mandate to ensure the school opens its doors soonest and tentatively we are looking at a January start-up time,” noted Douglas.

According to the Regional Engineer, Vaughn Solomon, the region will soon explore the option of providing transportation for the students who will be attending the school for the simple reason of ensuring that education becomes easily accessible to all and sundry. The complex was constructed by S and K Consultancy and Construction Company. (DPI)