THE Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha (GHDS) on Monday ceremonially turned the sod signalling the commencement of the construction of two new schools at Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara.

The organisation will be building its Dharmic Rama Krishna Primary and Secondary School to the tune of $260 million. The school will be located just next door to the Giftland Mall parking lot. The venture marks an expansion to the organisation’s already-existing primary school, located in Barr Street Kitty, which has been in operation for almost 20 years. “We have come to the point where we want to expand because we are strapped for space. And the students’ performance is excellent. We have students who come in the top 10 at the Grade Six examinations, so we don’t want to deny any child the opportunity of having access to the kind of education we provide. Also we’re moving into a new venture – our secondary school,” explained GHDS President, Dr. Vindhya Persaud.

Once completed, the schools are expected to accommodate some 400 – 500 students each. Aside from focusing on academics, the school will be placing particular emphasis on the cultural arts. “I believe young people need to come out, not just for the academics, but for the extra-curricular activities. So when someone leaves the Dharmic Rama Krishna Primary and Secondary Schools, they will be a well-rounded child; we want to develop young people who will contribute positively to Guyana,” Persaud said.

“We believe that some emphasis needs to be placed on the arts, I’m very passionate about that. We will be having additional features that will complement the national curriculum, adding things like yoga, Hindi, dance, drama, and public speaking. So it will be a full national curriculum along with all the other complementary subjects. We will have a block that will be a performance venue. It will be an indoor outdoor type of arena. We’re looking at a very beautiful design, nothing Guyana has seen before. They can also do indoor sports. There will also be a play field behind the school.”

Persaud said the construction is scheduled to be completed late 2019 or early 2020, with the school scheduled to be opened September 2020. While the school will be a religious one, Persaud shared that it will be opened to all. Being a private school, parents will be required to pay tuition; however, Persaud noted that the fee will be nominal compared to what obtains at other institutions.