–Education Minister says Region Two will soon have more trained teachers, school boats

AS she joined residents on Friday to celebrate Anna Regina Secondary School being declared the CSEC ‘School of the Year’ by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), Minister of Education Priya Manickchand emphasised the government’s commitment to ensuring all children have access to a world-class education.

She assured those at the function that all the necessary resources, including more trained teachers and boats to transport learners and educators, will soon be available in the region.

Minister Manickchand was at the time addressing students, teachers, parents and proud residents at a ceremony which was held on the school’s lawns.

As part of the celebrations, several streets in the township and the school’s compound were decorated with Guyana flags, and tassa drumming could be heard as the minister and the top performers made their way into the venue.

Outam Heeralall was declared the Most Outstanding Overall Student at the 2022 CSEC examination. He, along with Ramoll Baboolall, Daniel Dowding, Chavelle Solomon, Eshika Singh and Manisha Bhrimranie, were the highlight of the celebrations.

In her comments, Minister Manickchand said that the government, under the leadership of President Dr. Irfaan Ali, is aiming to ensure that resources are distributed “equitably” among all the regions.

She then emphasised that in order for this to become a reality, the government is continuing to invest in education.

“This government has consciously invested in schools across the country to make sure wherever you are living, or whoever your parents are, the children of this country will be given an equal opportunity; regardless of your colour or how you pray, we want all of you to do well,” Minister Manickchand said.

She added that President Ali is passionate about delivering world-class education. Noting that this is not a cliché, the minister said that there is a deep understanding within the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government that resources must be provided to boost education delivery in the country.

The education minister informed the gathering that more teachers are currently being trained and will be deployed to the region.

She assured her audience that this year, the Pomeroon-Supenaam region will attain universal secondary education.

Meanwhile, she said that the region’s education department through the Ministry of Education will be procuring more than 15 boats to add to the current fleet in the region.

She said that currently more than 700 children and 34 teachers are travelling to school by boat.

According to her, with additional boats, buses and schools, the ministry will be able to ensure that more children attend school.

She used the opportunity to urged parents to make the necessary provisions and to utilise the resources provided by government to ensure their children are in the classroom.

Further, she congratulated the parents who worked with their children during the CSEC examination period.

Regional Education Officer Shondelle Hercules during her remarks said that the moment was historic for the region.

“Special congratulations to the hard working headteacher, Lalljeet Ruplall and his dedicated hard working staff, the school’s Board of Governors, the PTA and the students,” Hercules said.

Region Two Chairperson and former student, Vilma De Silva, was beaming with pride.

She said the region is proud of the children’s achievement and she congratulated the teachers and parents for their dedication.

Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall who has responsibility for the Pomeroon-Supenaam region, was also present for the celebrations.

He too said he was proud of the school and the students.

Aside from focusing on increasing the number of trained teachers, he said government is ensuring that the region benefits from massive development so that residents can have a better quality of life.

Heeralall, a resident of Affiance, is currently making arrangements to pursue study overseas. He said he felt proud of himself since it was always his dream to top the Caribbean.