MINISTER of Education, Priya Manickchand, has announced that a total of 54 nursery schools have been constructed across Guyana over the last four years, as part of the Government’s ongoing efforts to expand access to early childhood education.

She made the disclosure last Friday during the commissioning ceremony of the newly constructed Non-Pareil Nursery School on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD).
The project forms part of a broader strategy by the Ministry of Education to provide conducive and equitable learning spaces for children aged three and above.

While addressing a gathering of parents, teachers, regional officials, and residents, Minister Manickchand emphasised the Government’s commitment to ensuring that every child, regardless of their geographic location or socio-economic background, has access to quality nursery education. “In the last four and a half years, we have built 54 new nursery schools across the country. We have reconstructed 13 nursery schools, and we have extended 39 nursery schools in this country… in the last four and a half years,” Minister Manickchand stated.
She said the construction of 54 nursery schools in just four years is unprecedented and reflects a deliberate and strategic approach to improving the education system, particularly at the foundational level.

While nursery education is not mandatory in Guyana, she noted that many parents are choosing to send their children to nursery school to provide them with the best possible start in life.
She added: “Nursery education is not compulsory in Guyana. You can choose to keep your children home until primary, and it is compulsory from primary until the completion of secondary.”
“Although we do not have compulsory nursery education, more than 90 percent of that age cohort are registered and attending a nursery school, and that is the highest for the Commonwealth Caribbean. That tells you how much of an appetite our parents and grandparents have for education.”

The newly commissioned Non-Pareil Nursery School boasts large classrooms, washroom facilities, an administrative area, and a fenced outdoor play area.
Minister Manickchand also stressed that beyond infrastructure, the Ministry is actively working to ensure trained teachers, and age-appropriate curriculum materials.
“This school has four teachers for 40 children—that means 10 children per teacher. Most nursery schools have 15 to 20 children per teacher, so you have fewer children here, where more attention can be given to each child. All four of the teachers are trained teachers,” Manickchand explained.

“We have reformed the curriculum completely, so that at nursery, we are not just coming in here and doing what we did 30 and 20 years ago. We now have a far more interactive, hands-on approach to teaching literacy and numeracy skills, and making sure that they have the motor and life skills that they need at that age,” she added.
Minister Manickchand said the Government wants to ensure that every child in Guyana can read, write, and understand what they are reading by the time they reach Grade Four.
She referenced a new national programme that will be launched this month, aimed at equipping learners with core literacy and numeracy skills by the end of Grade Four.
According to her, this initiative forms part of the Ministry’s broader commitment to improving foundational learning outcomes across the education system.

She encouraged parents to take an active role in their children’s education, emphasising that the government’s efforts must be supported at home in order to be truly effective.
“We want to ensure that nobody is being left behind, and we can only do that with your support and partnership,” Minister Manickchand told parents and guardians.

Before the commissioning of the Non-Pareil Nursery School, parents in the community had to send their children to nursery schools in Enterprise or Melanie along the East Coast of Demerara.
The commissioning of the Non-Pareil Nursery School adds to a growing list of educational investments made under the current administration, which has also prioritised textbooks for every child, school feeding programmes, and the return of the “Because We Care” cash grant.