–all options being explored to find adequate accommodation in the shortest possible time, Education Minister says

MINISTER of Education Priya Manickchand has urged Christ Church Secondary School teachers to engage students online until a definitive decision is made regarding the plans for recovery after a fire destroyed the facility on Thursday.

Minister Manickchand and senior officials of the ministry, on Friday met privately with teachers and ancillary staff in the boardroom of the National Centre for Education Resource Development (NCERD).

The engagement was to discuss the way forward for the students, teachers and parents, as investigations continue into the fire that ravaged the structure of the secondary school, which has a deep history of over 60 years.

It was stated in a press release: “The Ministry of Education is committed to ensuring the students, teachers and ancillary staff of Christ Church Secondary School are adequately accommodated in the shortest possible time following last [Thursday] evening’s devastating fire.”

According to the release, Minister Manickchand said that the List ‘A’ school has performed well over the years and commended the teachers for their dedication to raising the standard of the school.

She further said that a decision will have to be guided by what is in the best interest of the students enrolled.
The Education Minister continued by saying that the ideal preference would be to house all the students in one location.
During the meeting, various options were explored for the placement of students and teachers; however, there were no definite decisions.

Minister Manickchand said that the ministry will have to meet with the parents and students to discuss the matter further. It was also noted that the school’s enrolment records, which were saved as softcopies, will guide the process forward.

While at the scene on Thursday evening the Minister of Education said: “We have problems with SBAs. We are talking with CXC right now about what options we can have to make sure that the children whose SBAs got destroyed or their lab books, that we could put them in the best position possible for the sitting of their exams in a few months’ time and to have them have the benefit of the work that they did.”

She went on to say: “These are blows that really could put us back, but we are already talking about where we could put these children and it’s not going to be easy, but we’re going to try the best we can. To the students of Christ Church, I say this: let’s stand together, this is your chance to show the world, to show everyone that the fire is not going to stop you.

“Put your heads down for the next few months. Those of you who are in fifth form, those of you who are in fourth form, put your heads down, concentrate on your work and let’s rise up from this together because we can do it. We want you to know that you are going to get all the support that you need from us, both materially as well as emotionally.”

Christ Church Secondary School is the third school that has been destroyed by fire within the last year, and this was the second fire within a week at the said school. The first fire took place on Wednesday, January 4, 2023, but it was successfully contained by the Guyana Fire Service.

The school housed over 500 students, 39 teachers, nine ancillary staff, a canteen, a science, food and nutrition lab and a library.