–a first in over two decades

THE construction of a nursery and two primary schools are just three of the capital projects on the agenda for Region Ten (Upper Demerara-Berbice)’s education sector.
The construction of the Bamia Nursery School has already commenced, and the demolition of the Christianburg Primary School has been completed.

Construction of the latter facility is expected to start in a matter of weeks, while the procurement process for the construction of the Bamia Primary School has begun with the advertisement for a consultant.
This is the first time in over two decades that three new schools will be constructed in the Region.

ANSWERED PRAYERS
The coming of a primary as well as a secondary school to Bamia, which facilities are expected to serve pupils and students residing in the developing housing schemes in Amelia’s Ward, is like the answer to a prayer for Bamia Primary’s headmistress Denise Piggot, as well as the many teachers who serve under her.

For many years, what passes for school in the community has been held in a multi-purpose centre, and under some very trying conditions.

As Piggot explained, the present building lacks such basic amenities as a reading room, computer room, library, adequate classroom space and other necessary facilities needed in a school. These inadequacies, she said, often cause teachers to have difficulty presenting their lessons, due largely to the lack of privacy, as well as sound-proofing mechanisms.
What is however, encouraging, she said, is that despite the many challenges, the school has, for the first time in the 17 years she has been there, achieved 100 % passes at the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) this year, with top student Priya Ramnana securing a place at St. Roses High.

The call for a new school in Christianburg has also been answered, with construction slated to begin just as soon as the old building has been demolished.

A decision was made to rebuild the school at its current location. The school has been closed for some time, and students are presently accommodated at the St. Aiden’s Primary School. Parents pleaded with Ministry of Education officials to have the school reopened, since it was a burden on them to provide the additional transportation cost.
The new school will be a one-storey building catering for approximately 100 students residing in the Christianburg community.

TVET BOOST
Technical and vocational education in the region will not only benefit students residing in Linden, but those in the outlying and riverine communities as well. Construction of the Linden Technical Institute’s dorm is in its second phase, and is expected to be completed by 2021. The multi-million- dollar state-of-the-art complex will consist of four dormitories, a study hall, and an administrative building.

The Ministry of Education is of the belief that a dorm is better suited to the needs of the region, after learning of the plight children residing in these outlying communities face so they might continue their education after secondary school.

Due to financial constraints, many of them are forced to return to their communities with little or no hope of ever pursuing a tertiary education. Students residing in Rock Stone, Kwakwani, Ituni, Riversview and riverine communities in the Upper Berbice and Demerara Rivers will benefit from accommodation at the dorm.

With the advent of the oil-and-gas industry, the provision of resources for vocational studies is paramount to the APNU-AFC Coalition, so that youths can become equipped with the requisite skills they need to become employable. These resources will not only be available in Georgetown, but throughout the country’s ten administrative regions.

At Linden’s Freedom Fest Celebration, Director-General of the Ministry of the Presidency Joseph Harmon revealed that one of the 11 modern vocational centres that will be built across Guyana will be constructed in Linden. These centres will cater for youths who are not academically inclined, and have not completed secondary school. They will be used as an intervention mechanism to enable those students to get another shot at acquiring an education.

Linden students are also now better exposed to vocational studies, with the establishment of vocational CAPE courses at the Christianburg-Wismar Secondary School. At its inaugural sitting, the school recorded a 92% pass rate. The first batch of 11 students are now pursuing UNIT 11 of those subjects, which include electricity and electronics, integrated mathematics, environmental science, Caribbean Studies and Communication Studies.

SPORTS DEVELOPMENT
Teachers, students and regional officials have welcomed these developments, which no doubt project better academic performances in the upcoming years. What has been more welcoming, however, is the move by the government to ensure that students are not only blooming academically, but at extra-curricular activities as well. It’s no secret that a well-rounded student contributes more significantly to society. Tangible evidence of the government’s care for students’ progression, particularly in sports, which forms part of the schools’ curriculum, is the construction of the state-of-the-art synthetic track. The $179M eight-lane track, located at the Bayroc Community Centre Ground, is currently in its third phase of construction, and will have all the necessary amenities for all the field events, while the middle will be developed into a world-class football field.

ENHANCEMENT PROJECTS
For 2019, existing nursery, primary and secondary schools have been rehabilitated and enhanced. And, for the first time, purified water systems have been installed at the Mackenzie High School and the Watooka Day Primary School. Nursery schools in riverine areas such as the Kwakwani Waterfront were enhanced with playgrounds. The teacher shortage that was affecting the sub-region district has also been significantly improved, with adequate teachers now being posted to those schools.

These developments have manifested excellent performance from both students and teachers, as seen at this year’s NGSA and CSEC results. For the first time in history, schools that were deemed low-performing, secured places in the region’s top ten for CSEC.
Linden Foundation Secondary School’s (LFSS) top student Isaiah Farrell secured seven Grade Ones, three Grade Twos, and one Grade Three. The Agriculture student said he felt elated that he was able to bring recognition to his school, knowing the negative stigma that was attached to it for so long.

Taliyah Gill, the top student of the New Silver City Secondary School (NSSS), also brought recognition to the school with her record-breaking performance of seven Grade Ones, two Grade Twos and one Grade Three. Knowing that her school normally does not produce such outstanding performances to secure a spot in the region’s top ten, her results came as a surprise, but then she reminisced on how hard she worked, and was therefore filled with enthusiasm to push on to do even better in future.

While her results brought her individual gratification, it was raising the school’s name that mattered most to her. “I feel really great about bringing the school’s name into the top ten. You know, there is always this stigma attached to it; that it is not such a good school, and to know this is the first time it did so well, I feel really great,” Taliyah said. The high- acheiver gave extra credit to Head of the school’s Business Department Ms Keisha Garraway, for pushing the students extra hard, and helping them to realise their true potential. “She was a very optimistic person,” Taliyah said, adding: “She really pushed us, especially with our SBAs, which were packed with words. Even if we didn’t understand something, she took the time and made us understand. The teachers really pushed us; we had lessons day and night. We had to go in to school for six in the morning.”
What can also be credited for the school’s improved performance is the Public Education Transportation System (PETS) and the President’s 5Bs initiative. Since the project was first implemented, Region Ten benefited from three buses, three boats, bicycles and the breakfast programmes.

With the return of the APNU-AFC Coalition to office, education will continue to be placed first on its list. President David Granger recently posited that during the 2020-2029 Decade of Development, education will be given priority.

“Education is the gateway to equality, and this Decade of Development, when you are educated… what matters is that you are a citizen; you have the knowledge and the skills and the talent to transform your lives and the lives of your family and also your country,” he said to residents of Port Kaituma. The Coalition’s plan to provide free university education to qualified students will also be realised in 2020.