THE United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Guyana donated 1,944 face shields to the Ministry of Education (MoE), on Tuesday.

This gesture forms part of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) project to which the Education Ministry is a part, and in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. This donation also came at a time when MoE is in the process of planning the reopening of schools across the country.

The face shields are also part and parcel of a plan for a total of 35,000 pieces, including masks and other protective gears to be handed over to support measures to treat with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The items were handed over to the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Alfred King, and was done during a simple ceremony in the Ministry’s 26 Brickdam Compound.

In his remarks, King said he saw the donation as another effort to support continued learning in a safe and secured environment, as the ministry works out plans for the eventual opening of schools.

It has been more than four months of operation in the COVID-19 environment and King expressed the Ministry’s gratitude for the support towards the safety of educators, students and other stakeholders.

Further, while iterating the proactive safety measures employed by the Ministry, King noted that “We have to continue to be very careful to ensure a healthy and safe environment and these shields will assist greatly”.

The evidence of the resolve for continued engagement for National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) and the ongoing CSEC and CAPE was also noted.

The PS commended educators for using their own resources to plan and prepare for the major examinations.

UNICEF Resident Representative, Ms Sylvie Fouet, noted the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the education sector. It is for this reason, according to Fouet, that her organisation saw the need to assist with the shields.

She said that the provision of the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is a critical element for the return to a safe and protected environment for students when schools eventually open.

Additionally, Fouet said that the work the MoE has undertaken so far is commendable. She committed to working ‘side by side’ with the Education Ministry to make the opening of schools safe and a top priority.

UNICEF has been a developmental partner with the Ministry for many years and proposes to continue in the same vein, the Resident Representative assured.

Also in attendance was the MoE’s Chief Planning Officer (CPO) Nicola Johnson, Director of NCERD, Jennifer Cumberbatch, Project Coordinator, Quenita Walrond-Lewis, Technical Officer to the PS, Karen Burchsmith, Unicef Deputy Resident Representative, Irfan Aktar and UNICEF’s Robbie Rambarran.