WHEN the government commissions the state-of-the-art Massara and Nappi Secondary Schools in Region Nine this week, hundreds of students will no longer have to travel long distances to receive a secondary education.

Minister of Education Priya Manickchand announced the opening of the learning facilities at the commissioning of the Tuschen Secondary School in Region Three last Wednesday.

The $215 million school at Nappi will be called the George Tancredo Nappi Secondary and will cater to students from Hiawa, Nappi and Parishara, eliminating the need for them to travel all the way to St Ignatius Secondary for their education.

In the new year, Region Nine will have nine new secondary schools, which will ease overcrowding and boost access to learning.

Minister Manickchand also revealed that Nismes Secondary on the West Bank of Demerara will be commissioned in October, while construction on the Crane Secondary in Region Three will be completed next year.

By 2026, Region Three alone will have five state-of-the-art secondary schools, providing high-quality education to thousands of students.

“And next year, once you give him [President Ali] the chance, he will be commissioning the Cotton Field Secondary [in Region Two].”

In February, sod was turned for the reconstruction of the Cotton Field Secondary, which is estimated to cost $1.7 billion. The 18-month project was awarded to Builders Hardware, General Supplies and Construction. The school will benefit over 600 students when completed.

In three and a half years, the government has constructed 67 nursery schools, 45 primary and has built or is building 42 secondary schools countrywide.

Secondary schools are under construction in almost every region. Since August 2020, the government has commissioned about 13 secondary schools across Guyana.

With the construction, expansion, and modernisation of secondary schools, all children, regardless of where they live, will have access to a secondary school closer to their homes by 2026. (DPI)