Rosignol Secondary was on Tuesday officially declared an `A’ List school with the unveiling of a plaque after more than $45M was spent to upgrade it.

There were promises that the school would produce students who would be among the top in the country at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate examination.

Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand said that the fruit of the investment would be seen and known when the students start performing at their maximum.

She said while all of the other regions had ‘A’ list schools, high achievers had to leave Region Five and travel far distances or stay at relatives’ homes to attend a top school.She promised to ensure that Region Five would not be left behind and said that the students are now in a position to top the country.

To bring it to the standard of an ‘A’ list school, certain infrastructure and facilities had to be put in place.

The students have also been provided with the required text books.

The school currently has 35 teachers but needs one more and the ministry is in the process of hiring the other teacher. Eighteen of them are trained and seven are graduates.

Four new teachers were added last year, resulting in the school now offering six new subjects, including Biology, Physics, Building Technology and Spanish.

It will soon offer Mechanical Engineering, Technology and Visual Arts. In all, the school would be delivering 25 subjects and is about to add two more, matching schools in Georgetown.

A block had to be constructed to accommodate two science labs that were stocked with materials and resources such as tools and equipment.

The old lab had to be converted into five classrooms to provide more space and prevent overcrowding.

Major rehabilitation works were also done including painting and electrical work.

Twenty-one computer systems were also added to the information technology lab so that during a session each student could have individual access. The ministry also stocked and enhanced the home economics department.

The minister urged parents to check with their children and visit the schools to ensure they complete their School Based Assessments on time.

Students who have supportive parents, she said, are the ones who have performed well.

Regional Education Officer (acting), Annesta Douglas said her department is “committed to supervise, monitor and enhance the learning environment and improve the quality, affordability and accessibility of education in this school…”

Acting headmistress, Cheryl Ferguson outlined the history of the school while Regional chairman of Region Five, Bindrabhan Bisnauth and chairman of the Parent-Teachers’ Association, Shinwell Mohabir also gave brief remarks.

Source: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2013/news/guyana/11/14/rosignol-secondary-list-45m-refurbishing/

GOVERNMENT has spent $45M on improving the Rosignol Secondary school in Region 5 to an A List School. The money was expended on text books, chemical and laboratory equipment, physical rehabilitation, computers and furniture to bring it to A List level.

And on Tuesday, Education Minister, Priya Manickchand commissioned the upgraded school.
The school, which was offering 16 subjects, has now added six others. These are Biology, Physics, Economics, Building Technology, Technical Drawing and Spanish, and soon Visual Arts and Mechanical Engineering Technology will be added.
To bring Rosignol Secondary to an A List school, a block was built to house two science labs, and the old labs were converted into five classrooms. Major renovation work was done, while 21 computers were installed for Information Technology and materials and equipment bought for Home Economics.
The Industrial Technology labs were renovated and equipped with furniture and materials while space was created for an agricultural science lab.
In the area of sport, a tarmac was constructed to facilitate games, and sports gear was bought.

Each child has the recommended text in the following 15 subjects – Mathematics, English A, English B, Social Studies, Integrated Science, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Food and Nutrition, Home Economics Management, Clothing and Textiles, Principles Of Accounts, Principles Of Business, Office Administration and Economics.
There are class sets for the following four subjects – Physical Education, Agricultural Science, History and Geography.
For Grades 7 to 9, each child has the recommended text for English, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies. There are also class sets for the following subjects – Agricultural Science, Home Economics and Spanish.

Rosignol Secondary requires a cadre of 36 teachers, but now has one less. Eighteen of them are trained, with seven being graduates. Four additional trained teachers were appointed to this school this year, to teach Biology, Physics, Spanish, English A and Mathematics.
Meanwhile, Minister Manickchand, speaking at the commissioning, said , “Education is the only tool that could change your life…the only way we can secure the future of our children is by giving them an education, the only thing you can give a child and no one can take it away from them.”

The minister said that the only way to ensure that the country’s children are equal is to put the necessary infrastructure and human resources in place, and the PPP/C Government understands that; and it is for this reason that the education sector takes up a large chunk of the national budget annually.
This investment, Minister Manickchand said, has produced results, in that today, because of access to education, poverty has been cut in half, which is significant, and 80% of secondary age children have access to secondary schools, 70% of the teachers are trained, and Guyana has been able to attain universal primary education. Government is now working to achieve universal secondary education in keeping with the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) Number 2.

Minister Manickchand said that Region 5 has already achieved universal secondary education, and complimented the region for the work it has been doing to sustain the quality of education delivered.
She said that even as the ministry is looking at building schools in some other areas, there is need to improve the quality of education delivered. “It’s not we alone, all around the world this conversation is happening, how we make sure the children get a proper education…government has ensured that we dedicate a large amount on education to ensure that happened”.

One of the criticisms, she said, is that children have to go to extra lessons, and the ministry will be looking into that issue. However, she said that this will not be possible without the partnership of the parents, teachers and the regional administration.
She urged the regional educational officers to be stern and ensure that the school curriculum is completed, and the teachers, to be the very best they can, and ensure they deliver the quality of education that is expected.
Minister Manickchand said that parents also have a major role to play. “When you check all the children that are doing well, they have parents that are very supportive, not rich or educated, but they go to the PTAs and stay up and study with their children,” she said.

Minister Manickchand also charged the students to make full use of the opportunity that have been given them, and to work hard so that in less than five years the school can produce the best in the Caribbean at all levels.
Region 5 Chairman, Bindrabhan Bisnauth, expressed pleasure at the school being made an A List institution, and very soon Bygeval Secondary school will be converted as well.
Bisnauth promised that the regional administration will continue to support the school’s programme, and make representation when necessary. He said that the region will continue to ensure that it becomes one of the best in the country.

Recently, a new wing was commissioned at the Fort Wellington Secondary School, also in Region 5, to accommodate 150 Grade 7 students.

Other schools in Region 5 to be commissioned include Novar Primary (extension), new Woodley Park Secondary School, and the Bygeval Secondary School as an A- List School.

Source: http://guyanachronicle.com/2013/11/13/45m-spent-on-upgrading-rosignol-secondary-to-a-list-school

Rosignol Secondary School in West Berbice has joined the group of A-List schools in Guyana.
Minister of Education, Ms. Priya Manickchand yesterday made the declaration before a large gathering of parents, teachers, and Ministry of Education (MoE) senior officials. Prior to the commissioning, every coastal region in Guyana, except Region 5 had A-List schools, which meant that students from that region had to traverse to other regions in order to access more subject areas and educational opportunities.

Ms. Manickchand met with the school administrators in her office a few months ago and a decision was made to disperse $45M towards upgrading the educational institution to match those five other A-List schools in Guyana.
A block was constructed to accommodate two science labs while the old labs were converted to classrooms. Major rehabilitation works, inclusive of painting and electrical works were also done. Two Science labs were furnished with furniture and chemicals, tools, equipment and other resources and the school can now offer the separate Sciences as subject areas.

Twenty-one additional computers were installed in the computer lab and adequate Home Economics materials purchased. The Industrial Technology labs were rehabilitated, painted and stocked with the relevant tools and materials. Space was created to establish an Agricultural Science lab stocked with adequate materials. And a tarmac was built specially to facilitate the delivery of the Sport and Physical Education Curriculum and for the playing of volleyball and football. The necessary sport gears and materials were also purchased to boost that curriculum.
Being an A-List school, Rosignol Secondary now offers a whopping 25 subject areas to students, a major accomplishment, according to the Minister. Very soon, the school will offer Mechanical Engineering Technology and Visual Arts. It has 35 teachers, 18 of whom are trained and 7 of whom are graduates from the University of Guyana.
Ms. Manickchand in delivering the Feature Address underscored the value of education and the places one can go in life if one were to embrace his or her education. “Education if the only tool that can help you to equalize your life,” she added.

She praised the initiative of the MoE, in that “your children who performed very well—if their parents could afford it—they had to send them to Region 6 or to Georgetown, to a relative to stay…you know the story.”
Students had to opt for schools, she said, which “did not match their academic aptitude because they couldn’t afford to send them to the other regions and we robbed those children.”
“We will never leave Region 5 behind and I have every interest in making sure that the people of Region 5 get the best.” She added that the choice to make Rosignol an A-List School was not “like waving a wand.”
“We had to make sure the facilities were in this school that would allow your children to be the very best they can be.”

The Minister then urged the teachers to give more and teach more effectively now that the school had been upgraded among the elite A-List schools across Guyana.
Students, now too, have the top recommended textbooks to ensure their studies are boosted. Region 5 Chairman, Mr. Bindraban Bisnauth; PTA Chairman, Mr. Shinwell Mohabir; Headmistress, Ms. J. Moore and Education Officer of Region 5, Ms. Anesta Douglas in place of Regional Education Officer, Mr. Owen Pollard, all spoke at the ceremony. Also present were Deputy Chief Education Officer, Ms. Doodmattie Singh and Assistant Chief Education Officer (secondary) Ms. Melcita Bovell.

Source: https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2013/11/13/rosignol-secondary-declared-a-list-school/ 

Minister of Education Priya Manickchand has assured that 90 per cent of the Information Technology (IT) laboratories in schools throughout Guyana are in use, with functional computers.

The Minister was responding to questions posed in Parliament by Opposition Chief Whip and Member of Parliament (M.P) Amna Ally over the functionality of Information Technology (IT) equipment given to secondary schools across the country.

In a written question, Ally asked the Education Minister to provide the National Assembly with the requisite information pertaining to the functionality of IT equipment in secondary schools, a list of those schools where the equipment are non functional, and how soon they would be fixed?
The Education Minister in a written response said that “IT equipment was provided to 95 secondary schools between 2010 and 2013. It is virtually impossible to say at any specific moment that all the equipment are in use and functional. However, based on feedback received from the regions and visits, over 90% of the IT labs are in use with functioning computers.”

The Minister pointed out that the responsibility lies with the various departments of Education to rectify the problems of non functionality. “Once the computers are installed and certified as functional in the schools, it is the responsibility of the various Departments of Education to budget for repairs and maintenance and even replacement of equipment. The Management Information System (MIS) Unit does not have the staff to service hundred of schools throughout Guyana, though it may assist from time to time.” Manickchand posited.
The Education Minister furnished a list of 93 Secondary Schools in Regions One to Ten which are equipped with IT departments, both functional and non functional.

According to the list provided, 75 of the Secondary Schools have functional IT equipment while the remaining twenty -three were deemed non functional.

However, thirteen of those twenty -three schools recently received IT labs and works are presently ongoing to them up and running.

Meanwhile, two schools; Central High and Kinston Secondary are slated to be outfitted with IT labs in 2014.
The IT labs in the remaining seven schools were listed as non functional due to electrical/power issues and network instillation problems which are being rectified by the respective institutions according to the Minister.

Source: https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2013/11/12/majority-of-it-labs-in-secondary-schools-functional-minister/

Minister of Education Priya Manickchand has warned contractors against “skimming off” of government’s monies. The Minister went on to further urge them to do quality work and finish on time, especially those who are contracted to her Ministry.
She was speaking at the commissioning of the new wing of the Fort Wellington Secondary School in Region Five recently.
“The government has the greatest intention and we match that intention with political will and we match that will with financial investment,” she stated.

Manickchand went on to say that some contractors come along and don’t believe that they have the duty to “be a good citizen and finish the buildings on time and it inconveniences everybody.”
At the end of the day, she noted, the buck has to stop somewhere and the government and MoE are called to account for the actions.

“Presently, we are building and expanding and making sure that children are comfortable. We call on all contractors to do that which you sign on to do…so make sure you finish these buildings on time and make sure you do it to the kind of quality that you’d like to have your own children enjoy, and make sure you don’t skim off government’s money and try to make as much as you can on the contracts, so you give us poor materials and poor work.”
The Minister stated that the MoE has completed a lot of rehabilitation and repair works to various schools across the country over the past August holidays.

“I don’t believe all contractors are wicked…we did an enormous amount of work over the school holidays…we repaired and renovated or built a large number of schools.”
She reiterated that bad contractors will have their contracts terminated from the education bracket and persons that can deliver quality works will be given the contracts.

Source: (Leon Suseran) https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2013/11/04/dont-skim-off-of-governments-monies/

Education Minister Priya Manickchand extended felicitations to the outstanding performers at this year’s local and regional examinations, and to their parents and teachers, asserting that the ministry itself cannot create successful students but it depends on partnerships with parents, teachers and communities.

“These top students being celebrated here today are really representations of the new Guyana that we have before us, that we can justly celebrate,” she said in her address at the National Awards Ceremony held yesterday at the National Cultural Centre.

“You are at an extremely exciting point in the country’s history. Guyana is just ready for takeoff. We are poised for so many good things. We are positioned to have so much happen. You are the children, the people of tomorrow. You can take our country and fashion it in the way you would like to see it. You get to decide what Guyana’s tomorrow looks like. You get to decide what Guyana looks like in 20 years,” she said in her charge to the students.

The national awards ceremony recognises the achievements of students who have excelled in the following areas of assessment and institutions: National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA), Carib-bean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC), Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE), Guyana Technical Education Examination (GTEE), Carnegie School of Home Economics (CSHE) and the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE), the ministry said in a press release. The minister was also quick to point out that there is much more work to be done by the ministry to enhance the quality of education delivered.

“Even as we celebrate, we are deeply conscious at the MOE that we have much more work yet to be done in making sure our teachers are the very best they can be. We will not be complacent. We will be working even harder. We are going to stay committed and reenergize ourselves to make sure we deliver the best education that is possible at this time in Guyana,” she said.

Manickchand also expressed her disappointment with the Opposition leaders for not making time to congratulate and celebrate the success of “our Guyanese sons and daughters.”

“We got the Best Overall Performance, Most Outstanding Performance in Science, Most Outstanding Award in Business Education, Most Outstanding Performance in Humanities, and Most Outstanding Performance in Technical and Vocational Education. We got five of the eight awards the CXC offers. Other countries are celebrating us, blogging about us and writing editorials about us. It is absolutely shameful and disgraceful that not one single leader from the opposition has found it appropriate to congratulate our children, to celebrate the teachers that they often criticize, to say thank you to the hard working parents they go to for votes every five years,” she said.

Meanwhile, in his feature address Prime Minister Samuel Hinds congratulated the students for their outstanding performances, saying that government is vindicated by their success after investing heavily in the education sector.

Awards

The recipients of awards for National Grade Sex Assessment 2013 are Salma Majeed from the ISA Islamic Academy with 548 marks, followed by the Christian Pile and Navindra Persaud from Mae’s Under 12, with 547 and 545 marks respectively.

Best Junior Secondary School Performers (CSEC)

The Best Junior Secondary School performers at the CSEC level are Zimeena Rasheed with 18 grade ones and two grade twos and Yogeeta Persaud with 18 grade ones, both from the from the Anna Regina Secondary School. Rafena Mustapha   and Parmeshwarie Seodat both of the Saraswati Vidya Niketan, both secured 15 grade ones.

Best Senior Secondary School Performers (CSEC)

The Best Senior Secondary School performers at the CSEC level were all from Queen’s College. They are Cecil Cox, 16 grade ones; Phillipe Walker, 17 grade ones; Akeila Wiltshire, 16 grade ones and one grade two and Akash Jairam, 16 grade ones, one grade two and one grade three.

Carnegie School of Home Economics (CSHE) 

Six students from Carnegie were honoured for their outstanding work. They are Luis Field for Garment Construction, Kimberly Baker for Commercial Food Preparation, Johnel Bourne for Catering and Hospitality, Carlyn Grahame  and Alicia Mc Calman for General Cosmetology and Kamalita Heeralall for Visual Arts in the Craft Production and Design Division.

Guyana Technical Education Examinations
Five students from the Government Technical Institute (GTI) received awards for their outstanding performances. They are Javin Armstrong who gained an Elementary Certificate in Telecommuni-cations; Michael Hunte with a Techni-cian’s Certificate in Electrical Engineering Part II; Colin Quintyn with a Technician Diploma in Building and Civil Engineering; Shaneza Moore with an Ordinary Diploma in Commerce and David Duncan who gained an Ordinary Diploma in Science.

Khemraj Ramcharran of the Essequibo Technical Institute was honoured for excelling in the Basic Craft Certificate in Automotive Studies. Two students from the New Amsterdam Technical Institute were honoured for their performance:  Tejpaul Thakoordine with a Craft Certificate in Electrical Installation and Rashana Henry with a Diploma in Computer Science.

For the individual awards, Cecil Cox of Queen’s College was awarded the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate for Best Science Performer while the award for the overall Best Performer at the CSEC level went to Yogeeta Persaud of Anna Regina Secondary School.

The best performers at the 2013 Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) are Auradha Dev, Dewattie Narine, Prashat Shivas, Keleshwar Singh, Benedict Sukra, and Melodie Lowe, all from Queen’s College and Shalita Appadu from President’s College. The overall best performer at CAPE was awarded to Jonelle James of Queen’s College.

The award for The Most Improved Primary School was given to Cumberland Primary while Tutorial High School was awarded The Most Improved Junior Secondary School. The Most Improved Senior Secondary School is St Joseph High School. In addition, Veronica Jeffrey, from the Turkeyen Centre (Early Childhood), won the award for the Best Graduating Student from CPCE.

The Special Award for Most Outstanding Performances at the CSEC 2013 was presented to Yogeeta Persaud (Anna Regina Secondary School) – Best Overall Performance; Cecil Cox (Queen’s College) – Most Outstanding Performance in Science; Sasha Woodroffe (Queen’s College) – Most Outstanding Award in Business Education; Rafena Mustapha (Saraswati Vidya Niketan) – Most Outstanding Performance in Humanities and Zimeena Rasheed (Anna Regina Secondary School) – Most Outstanding Performance in Technical and Vocational Education.

Source: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2013/news/guyana/11/01/success-education-resulted-partnership/

The political opposition came in for a verbal bashing yesterday for its failure to acknowledge Guyana’s outstanding performances at this year’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination.
According to Minister of Education Priya Manickchand, although Guyana copped five of the eight outstanding awards from the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), the opposition has remained silent.
“It is absolutely disgraceful, shameful…with all we have to celebrate. Eight days ago we announced to this nation that five of our Guyanese sons and daughters topped the Region, the whole Caribbean…other countries are celebrating us and blogging about us and writing editorials about us…so it is absolutely shameful and disgraceful that not one single leader of the opposition as yet has found it appropriate to congratulate our children,” the Minister asserted.

This is the second time since the announcement of the CXC awards that officials within the Government have sought to highlight the non-acknowledgement of the parliamentary opposition of Guyana’s 2013 CSEC performance.
The Minister, who was at the time delivering brief remarks at the Ministry of Education’s 17th National Award Ceremony for Outstanding Performance held at the National Cultural Centre, emphasised too that the opposition has failed to even recognise the teachers who are often criticised. These teachers, according to the Minister, were in fact instrumental in preparing the students for their outstanding accomplishments.
According to the Minister, the “shameful and disgraceful” occurrence “should never happen and we expect to see this reversed. When our children do well we must celebrate them, when the system needs ‘pulling-up’ we must say that; we are at a place in the Ministry of Education where we are saying congratulations parents, teachers, students”.
She further insisted that the Ministry will continue to do what is necessary to ensure that the outstanding performances are maintained, adding that “you can count on us, because we are not going to get complacent; we will continue to work hard and do even better, but we do recognise we have some weaknesses”.

Guyana was able to not only claim the CXC award for Overall Outstanding Performance, which was claimed by Yogeeta Persaud of the Anna Regina Multilateral School with 18 grade one passes, but also those for the Most Outstanding in Science, Business, Humanities and Technical Vocation. The latter awards were secured by Cecil Cox of Queen’s College with 16 grade one passes; Sasha Woodroffe, also of Queen’s College, with 14 grade one passes; Rafena Mustapha of the Saraswati Vidya Niketan Hindu School with 15 grade one passes, and Zimeena Rasheed of Anna Regina Multilateral School with 18 grade one passes and two grade two passes, respectively.
CXC will present the Most Outstanding awards to the top performers at a ceremony slated to be held at the National Cultural Centre in December.

Of the Most Outstanding CSEC top performers, three were drawn from Junior Secondary Schools – Anna Regina Multilateral and the Saraswati Vidya Niketan Hindu School.
They, along with other top CSEC performers: including Parmeshwarie Seodat of the Saraswati Vidya Niketan and Phillipe Walker, Akeila Wiltshire, Akash Jairam, all of Queen’s College, were among those duly awarded yesterday by the Education Ministry.

Also sharing the outstanding spotlight were the top performers of the 2013 Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) including: Shalita Appadu of President’s College, Anuradha Dev, Deowattie Narine, Prashat Shivdas, Keleshwar Singh, Benedict Sukra, Melodie Lowe and Jonelle James, all of Queen’s College.

Also receiving awards were National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) top performers – Salma Majeed, Christian Pile and Navindra Persaud – as were those who excelled at the Carnegie School of Home Economics, the country’s Technical Institutes and the Best Graduating 2010-2013 Student of the Cyril Potter College of Education, Veronica Jeffrey.

The performances of schools at the various levels were also recognised yesterday with Cumberland Primary School being labelled the Most Improved Primary, while Tutorial High was named Most Improved Junior Secondary and St Joseph High, the Most Improved Senior Secondary School.

And of course the award ceremony yesterday was filled with well executed cultural items including a poetry recital by pupils of Success Elementary School, a dance by students of Zeeburg Secondary School and soulful songs from the all-male singing group ‘the Messenger’, all of whom ensured that the audience was kept entertained.
The ceremony was also graced by Prime Minister Samuel Hinds who amplified that Government has been doing a great deal to improve the social sector, particularly as it relates to the delivery of education. His remarks yesterday were premised on the theme, “learn from our best performance, to improve performance across the board and all around.”

Source: https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2013/11/01/opposition-criticised-at-education-ministrys-natl-awards-ceremony/

THE Education Ministry, yesterday, at the National Cultural Center (NCC) held its 17th Annual National Award Ceremony where students were awarded for outstanding performance at the various levels of the education system. 

The awardees were best performers at the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA), Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate Examination (CSEC), Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE), Guyana Technical Education Examination (GTEE), Carnegie School of Home Economics (CSHE), and Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE), as well as most improved schools.

TORCH BEARERS OF EXCELLENCE
Delivering the feature address at the award ceremony, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds declared that the Government of Guyana feels rewarded and vindicated by the success of these students. He said persons should learn from these best performances in order to improve performance across the board.
“You are our torch bearers of excellence and today we pay tribute to you…your country salutes your achievements,” Prime Minister Hinds told the awardees.
According to him, it is necessary and important to celebrate those who excel and their successes should be made to challenge, inspire and encourage others to reach for similar higher standards.
“The progress of growth and development of our country requires each of us to be ever striving to do better, each of us becoming a more capable, productive and better person, it demands a commitment to excellence,” he asserted.
Hinds indicated that the awardees epitomise that commitment and everyone is proud of them, including the educational institutions to which they belong, the education ministry, the government, their parents, relatives and friends.
He extended best wishes to the students that they will all go on to attain great glory in the service of their fellow citizens and their country. However, he cautioned that no fame or wealth that they achieve can compare with what their parents, guardians and teachers have given to them.
“You are where you are today because of their love and sacrifice,” he declared.
Hinds acknowledged that many parents sacrifice their personal goals and ambitions and “do without” to ensure that their children receive opportunities that they never had.

APPRECIATION TO TEACHERS
The Prime Minister also urged the students to show appreciation to their teachers without whose efforts they would not have attained the heights which they have reached.
“Teachers are often unsung heroes and heroines in our society,” he noted.
Hinds also noted that since the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has been in office, they have deliberately committed to making the investments that have brought about the successes that Guyana now enjoys.

This, he said, has been by no means an easy task and they have to make a little go a long way, adding that Guyana was not ever and is still far from being a rich country.
Hinds emphasised that the PPP favours and advocates growth from the widest base possible, and he has been gratified by seeing the improved opportunities and developments taking place all across Guyana.

EQUITABLE MANNER

He indicated that the government remains steadfast in their belief that they have the duty to provide services to all Guyanese in an equitable manner, regardless of geographic location, ethnicity or religion.
“This belief manifests itself in the commitment and in the strong and deliberate policies and programmes that will give effect tangibly to that belief,” he stated.
Hinds observed also that there are ingredients needed for the students to perform well or to the best of their ability such as child-friendly buildings, relevant materials such as textbooks, trained and committed teachers, committed parents, and disciplined students.
He said further that the government also seeks to ensure the equitable delivery of education across Guyana, even as he acknowledged that some regions have more trained teachers than others and they would like to see this replicated in the other regions and they are working to make this happen.

The prime minister declared that they are seeing the fruits of their equitable delivery in the education sector through the excellent performances of students not only in Georgetown, but also in some remote areas of the country.
Hinds pointed out that even as they celebrate the achievements of the students, they must also recognise areas in which they need to improve and the government trusts the entire nation would give wholehearted support to the education ministry as it rolls out initiatives to address this.
He maintained that the government would like to see all relevant stakeholders involved in the task of improving educational performances and the celebrations of excellent performances should hearten them to redouble their efforts so that the excellent performance becomes their standard performance in the not so distant future.
Hinds assured that the government will continue to place emphasis within the framework of a balanced budget to teacher training and remuneration, improved infrastructure, and access to educational resources.
With this approach, he said, they expect continued gains within the education sector and he is optimistic about education in Guyana.
Hinds also encouraged awardees to keep on striving for additional success and, in so doing, to continue to make their country, schools and families proud and take along other students with them.

MINISTER DOING AN EXCELLENT JOB
He also took the opportunity to thank Education Minister Priya Manickchand for the excellent work she has been doing at the ministry and also expressed congratulations to the students on behalf of President Donald Ramotar, the entire nation and on his own behalf.
Meanwhile, delivering remarks at the ceremony, Minister Manickchand said that while they celebrate the named top performers, they are really representations of the new Guyana that we have before us.
Addressing the awardees, Manickchand told them that they are at an extremely exciting part in Guyana’s history where the country is poised for so many good things and they are the people who can take the country and fashion it the way they would like to see it.
Tomorrow’s Guyana

“You get to decide what Guyana’s tomorrow looks like,” she declared.
According to her, they are far more fortunate that they are in a developing country and not a developed country where it has been shaped and defined for them, and they get almost a blank canvas to work with in Guyana.
She urged the students to think consciously about what they would like to see Guyana become and how she treats and caters to her people and work towards fashioning her in that way, including speaking up when necessary, and helping to influence those around them to make the right choices.

Manickchand indicated that while they expect many of them to leave the country to make themselves specialists in their respective fields, they also expect them to feel the need and the desire to come back to shape Guyana.
“Wherever you go you will be a contribution to the world but we would like to see you come back here and make Guyana into the place that you dream of,” she maintained.

Manickchand took the opportunity to note that every time persons see the individual top performers, they should celebrate them as well as all persons who contributed to their success.
These persons, she said, include the ministry, parents and other relatives, teachers from all levels of their life in the education system up to this point, all of whom put their best foot forward to allow the students to be the best that they can be.
She expressed gratitude to all these persons who played their part and contributed to the success of these children, and also stated that they should reflect on the effort put into bringing students to this point.
Manickchand assured that even as they celebrate the achievements gained, they are deeply conscious that there is more work to be done such as bringing more students along, while ensuring that the teachers are the best that they can be.

Emphasising that they will not be complacent, Manickchand said that they will work even harder to have more to celebrate since they have already seen what they have the potential to achieve.
She then extended warmest congratulations to all of the awardees at the event as well as those students and teachers and parents who were not there but have worked very hard to see the children to that point of excellence.
The award ceremony also included dances, steel pan renditions, musical renditions and songs.

Most Improved School
The award for Most Improved Primary School went to Cumberland Primary School; Most Improved Junior Secondary School, Tutorial High School; and Most Improved Senior Secondary School, St Joseph High School.

Source: Written By Chriseana Ramrekha; http://guyanachronicle.com/2013/10/31/torch-bearers-of-excellence-best-performers-awarded-at-various-levels-of-education-system-at-education-ministrys-17th-annual-national-award-ceremony

THE Government of Guyana, with funding from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) under the Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF), commissioned the Beterverwagting and Diamond nursery schools on Thursday.

Clearly reflected

Each of the two was constructed at a cost of $64.5M and have the individual capacity to accommodate 120 pupils.
Both schools are located in Region 4 (Demerara/ Mahaica), with Beterverwagting Nursery in Granville Park, Beterverwagting, East Coast Demerara and the Diamond Nursery in 14th Street, Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara.
The BNTF programme, which is currently in its seventh cycle, provides resources to poor communities in order to improve access to basic public services and enhance employability which could reduce beneficiaries’ economic and social vulnerability to risks that impact on income and wellbeing.
Delivering remarks at the Beterverwagting commissioning, Finance Minister and Chairman of the Board of Governors of the CDB, Dr. Ashni Singh reaffirmed the Guyana Government’s belief that there is no investment more important than in the country’s people, particularly young people.

He said this is clearly reflected in the Government’s policy choices, with the education sector allocated $28.7 billon, representing the largest sectoral share of resources in the 2013 National Budget.
Singh also pointed out that, last year, the education sector spent $26.5 billion, or 14 percent of the 2012 National Budget, while noting that, in just the same way parents make conscious and responsible decisions everyday at the micro level, regarding their children, the Government makes those choices at the macro level.
He explained that the decisions, about this large investment in the education sector over the years, are made even in the face of competing demands, since they have to find the optimal balance between competing calls on finite resources in areas such as maintaining and delivering existing services and constructing, rehabilitating and maintaining community roads.

“But our Government has been resolving its conviction that, amongst all very legitimate competing demands for resources, there is no better investment to make than in education and in educating the young people of our country,” he reiterated.
Singh assured that the Government will continue to embrace this conviction and there will be no greater priority than in ensuring that the young people of Guyana are properly prepared for the future.
According to him, it is no accident that Guyana has achieved universal primary education, since the Government set a target that no child in Guyana shall be denied the opportunity to access and complete primary education.

Challenging circumstances

He indicated that, to achieve this goal, they ensured that primary schools throughout the country were built, equipped and staffed, often times in very challenging circumstances, given the remoteness of some areas.
“But, notwithstanding the remoteness of those villages, we don’t enjoy the luxury, as a country, of saying that remoteness is an excuse for lack of access,” the minister asserted.
He also made reference to efforts at achieving universal secondary education in which the portfolio ministry has had to be innovative in crafting solutions and mobilising resources to finance those solutions.
Singh revealed that they are currently in the advanced stages of designing a US$10M project, which, once implemented, will see Guyana achieving universal secondary education, where every Guyanese child will have access to and will complete secondary education.

The Finance Minister said he is also aware of the ministry’s efforts to encourage universal nursery education and, notwithstanding that nursery education is not compulsory, they have seen the value of it and are encouraging the widest possible participation in this regard.
He said actions by the Government to ensure a well educated population does not end there but, recognising the need for alternative pathways to technical and vocational education, the Government has embarked on a TVET training programme, building new TVET centres where they did not exist and equipping and expanding those in existence.

Minister Singh spoke, too, about the Government’s investments in university education, highlighting that the University of Guyana (UG) has been serving the nation and moreover the world for 50 years and, apart from the Turkeyen Campus, a Tain Campus was established in Berbice.
He disclosed that, in the 2013 Budget, there is a special allocation of $50M, with which UG is encouraged to develop online programmes with the aim of providing a university education to persons who would not otherwise be able to acquire it.
He alluded, as well, to the Government’s nationwide Information and Communication Technology (ICT) programme, which has many elements, such as legislation to liberalise the telecommunication sector, delivery of e-governance services, access to ICT, such as the one laptop per family (OLPF) programme and ICT education.
The Finance Minister pointed out that the benefits of ICT are not exclusive to young persons and, just as basic literacy was seen as an indispensable prerequisite 50 years ago, ICT has become equally so in Guyana and more widely the world over.

“The vastest of opportunities that are unleashed by access to information and communication technology provide a strong enough incentive for every young person of our country and every young person of the world to want to equip themselves with those skills,” he observed.
Speaking at the Diamond function, Singh said the rapid development which is taking place in Guyana is not always obvious to persons, while stating that Diamond is a good example of prosperity.

Thriving community

He said Diamond is a thriving community which includes three banking facilities, a regional hospital, a secondary school, fire station and Police station.
Singh recognised that persons who would not have previously been able to own their own homes can now do so, since, within the last 15 to 20 years, the Government has given out almost 100,000 house lots.
He acknowledged that the struggle for improvement of the human condition is ongoing and never ending and that is a good thing, because persons must always want to improve their conditions.
Singh said the Government wants a Guyana where every Guyanese can realise their aspirations and get as well educated as possible and persons need to be able to recognise that national projects will contribute to the capacity of the Government to meet the needs of the citizens better.

In her speech at Beterverwagting, Education Minister Priya Manickchand declared that the nursery sector is at the best place it has ever been and more widely the entire education sector.
She said, while nursery education is not compulsory, 85 percent nursery age children are in school and this represents the highest in the Commonwealth Caribbean.
Manickchand said 69 per cent of nursery teachers are trained and there is one headmistress and six teachers at the Beterverwagting school, all of whom were trained.
She said, while untrained teachers can provide children with a good education, the pupils at the school are more likely to get the best when taught by trained teachers.

The Minister emphasised that Guyana has moved from having 30 percent trained teachers to boasting more than 70 percent trained teachers and this is as a result of the Government’s conscious action to ensure that a large number of teachers are trained.
Addressing the parents gathered for the ceremony, she said that, while the Government remains committed to ensuring that all children get the best education possible, they also need parents to play an active role in the process of educating their children.

She called on fathers to be more involved in their children’s lives and for all parents to engage in this partnership to assure the success of their children.
Manickchand told the Diamond gathering that the conversation has moved from getting children in schools to ensuring the delivery of quality education in the classrooms.
Diamond Nursery has a headmistress and seven teachers and the Minister said, except for one teacher who is in college, all of the other teachers are trained.

She advised the parents that they need to challenge themselves to bring out the best in their children and get them to make the best of their environment.

Source: By Chriseana Ramrekah; https://guyanachronicle.com/2013/10/27/at-beterverwagting-diamond-ministers-emphasise-nursery-education-at-commissioning-of-schools

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Source: http://www.education.gov.gy/web/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=673:ministry-of-education-launches-portuguese-curriculum-for-schools&Itemid=537

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