THE Regional Executive Officer (REO) of Region Nine, Karl Singh, during a recent meeting with residents of Maruranau Village, emphasised the government’s prioritisation of education and its importance as a key driver of development in hinterland communities.

According to the office of the REO, during the outreach, REO Singh reminded residents about the ongoing construction of the Maruranau Secondary school, which is set for completion by September 2025.

It was stated that the compound of the school will include separate buildings such as a dormitory for students and multiple teachers’ quarters.

In addition to education, REO Singh expressed pride in seeing individuals from the Rupununi area assuming prominent roles, especially within the health sector.

During the meeting, he encouraged villagers to take advantage of the various training opportunities in the health sector and urged those already employed in the field to utilise these programmes for skill enhancement.

He emphasised that health facilities will be continuously upgraded to better serve communities and he highlighted the need for additional human resources with specialised skills to support these improvements.

Furthermore, the REO’s office stated that the residents raised their concerns regarding upgrading and enhancing existing facilities as well as other minor issues which were addressed.

It was mentioned that the team will follow up to ensure that these requests are addressed in a timely manner.

Additionally, REO Singh informed residents that several health outreaches to each sub-district are on this year’s agenda.

The REO also the opportunity to urge residents to ensure there is accountability and transparency when utilising grants that are allocated to the village, making a clear distinction between needs and wants, and urged residents to actively participate in village meetings to ensure they are aware of the

projects that the council will be executing.