SIGNIFICANT advancements have been made recently to provide better access to education for persons with special education needs and those living with disabilities.

This was disclosed recently as the Ministry of Education and Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) launched several programmes.

As part of the efforts to advance Special Education Needs and Disabilities or SEND as it is referred to in the Education Ministry, the sod was recently turned at the site for the first deaf school in Guyana at Cummings Lodge.

Added to this, Minister of Education Priya Manickchand said that right at the CPCE campus, a diagnostic and treatment facility for SEND students has been established.

She indicated that the ministry has had the pleasure of working with Assistant Chief Education Officer, Dr Keon Cheong who heads SEND efforts along with other education officers and this is a testament to the focus being placed on these efforts.

“That is telling you the direction we are taking SEND… this is special enough for us to pay attention in a way that has never had attention before,” she said.

With this, Minister Manickchand revealed that the ministry is currently in the designing phase for a new autism school.

As such she added, “As you may know this cannot be just buildings, they have peculiar features that we have to get expert advice for. We’re looking at making sure as you see we train teachers to go into the classroom.”
The education minister further disclosed that they have also already established SEND classrooms across the country where they have the ability to treat with SEND children in clusters.

To this end, Manickchand indicated that they will announce shortly where all of these classrooms are and further ensure that they are all equipped with everything that is needed to provide quality education.