-as gov’t continues to work towards universal access to education

TABATINGA, a village located on the outskirts of Lethem in Region Nine, is set to get its first secondary school with President Dr Irfaan Ali turning the sod for its construction on Sunday.

The construction of this school is in keeping with the government’s vision to bring universal access to education across the country.

During the sod-turning ceremony, President Dr Irfaan Ali highlighted that outside of constructing new schools in communities which have not had those in the past, the government has set a baseline for what these schools must have.

Included in this baseline are proper washroom facilities, an all-purpose tarmac for children to engage in recreational activities and proper furniture.

Against this backdrop, the Head of State indicated that his government has made significant investments in education through infrastructure, grants, meals and the provision of learning materials across the country including textbooks.

Further, he noted that the implementation of the school grant which provides teachers with essential supplies for their classrooms has seen schools in Region Nine receiving some $275 million in grants in this regard.

Additionally, looking at new schools and the maintenance programme, more than $3.3 billion has been spent in the region to ensure that there is better infrastructure.

Meanwhile, Education Minister Priya Manickchand said that the new secondary school at Tabatinga is one of five that will be constructed in the region.

She added that these will bring some 2,500 more seats for secondary students in Region Nine.

“What does it mean when I say there are 2,500 seats that we are going to be giving to students in this region? It means that before, these 2,500 children went without access to secondary schools and Irfaan Ali said that is not acceptable and he’s not going to run a government where children cannot access secondary schools and that is why five secondary schools are going up here in Region Nine,” the education minister expressed.

These schools, she said will bring universal access to education in Region Nine.

However, she added that with the construction of schools, the President has given the directive that once those educational institutions are constructed, students must be able to access a high quality of education.

With this, she indicated that they have been working to ensure that trained teachers exist to teach children across the country.

Meanwhile, Manickchand said that this new school at Tabatinga will cater for some 800 children thus easing the overflow at the St Ignatius Secondary School, ensuring there is equal access to quality education in the region.