–combines virtual oversight with hands-on inspection
EDUCATION Minister, Sonia Parag, combined virtual oversight with hands-on inspection on Wednesday, as the Ministry of Education pressed ahead with efforts to ensure that every school across Guyana is in a state of complete readiness for the reopening of the new academic year.
Early in the day, Minister Parag met virtually with all Regional Executive Officers (REOs) and their teams, directing that every school be physically inspected and that the ongoing preparations satisfy a checklist developed at an earlier multi-stakeholder meeting.
That meeting had brought together government ministers Kwame McCoy, Pauline Sukhai and Vikash Ramkissoon, along with Members of Parliament Suresh Singh and Sonia Latchman.\
“We must not have any complaints when schools are reopened,” Minister Parag told the REOs during the virtual session, a directive that appeared to set the tone for the rest of the day’s activities.
Also present for the virtual meeting were Permanent Secretary, Shannielle Hoosein-Outar; Chief Planning Officer, Mischka White-Griffith; Deputy Chief Education Officer – Admin, Tiffany Harvey; and Assistant Chief Education Officer – Secondary, Sherwyn Blackman.
Later in the day, the minister took her oversight from the screen to the schoolyard. In addition to activating a multi-stakeholder task force and requiring regional and school officials to submit photographs of every school, Minister Parag travelled to Region Five, visiting West End Nursery, Mahaicony Primary and Mahaicony Secondary, along with the latter’s adjacent dormitory, to see conditions for herself.
At each stop, she engaged directly with teachers, cleaners and the contractors carrying out extension works at the schools, pressing to ensure that children will return to classrooms that are clean, conducive and safe.
She was accompanied by Regional Executive Officer, Mary Samaroo, and Regional Education Officer, Selestine LaRose.
Wednesday’s dual-track push comes with the Christmas Term officially set to begin on August 31, and mirrors readiness efforts already underway in other regions.
