Officials on Friday afternoon turned the sod for a modern US$4.9 million College of Medical Sciences building, which will be constructed at the University of Guyana (UG).

The facility will include a lecture theatre to accommodate 200 students, a fully-furnished skills laboratory and various specialized labs, such as anatomy, biochemistry, histology, and hematology.

The college is being built by Chinese company, Shandong Hi-Speed Dejian Group Co and will be supervised by E&A Consultants with funds from the World Bank and the Ministry of Finance. The entire construction process will be live-streamed and will last for some 15 months.

The building will not only serve to allow more persons to study medicine but also provide assurance for the accreditation of the MBBS programme.

This state-of-art building was meticulously designed to offer modern education to train doctors.

Vice Chancellor of UG, Dr Paloma Mohammed-Martin highlighted the critical need, noting that the university rejects eligible medical students annually due to insufficient space.

“It is always heartbreaking to us to have to turn away large numbers of students who are eligible but we don’t have the space, so this building is going to solve one of those problems.

“This project has been long in the making,” the Vice Chancellor added, explaining that the project went through a long design and highly consultative and redesign process.

Education Minister Priya Manickchand echoed similar sentiments and emphasised its timeliness.

She said once completed, the college will not only cater to prospective doctors but also enhance the country’s healthcare sector.

“I would like personally, as a citizen, to be able to rely on the health services in my country and to be able to rely on the training of those who will sit with a stethoscope and tell me what is wrong with me and how I should fix it,” Minister Manickchand said.

She further noted that anything that can be done to improve education and retain more persons in the country, should be “exploited, explored and implemented.”

Meanwhile, Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony said the government has been rapidly expanding healthcare in Guyana and in order to do that more persons need to be trained.

Despite challenges in retaining healthcare workers, he mentioned plans to further expand the system in the next three to four years, including the construction of several hospitals across the country.

Source: https://newsroom.gy/2023/11/25/sod-turned-for-us4-9-million-modern-college-of-medical-sciences/

The distribution of the ‘Because We Care’ cash grants is more than 90 per cent completed and according to the Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, the process went “very smoothly.”

“It was a very, very smooth process…It was very easy,” Manickchand told reporters on Friday.

However, she pointed out that there were a few instances whereby some parents could not have collected the money because of various reasons.

As a result, a final day will be announced to accommodate them.

“Everywhere and in every region there were people who couldn’t make it for various reasons. Somebody is in the hospital, somebody died, and so on and so we have one final day in every region where there is a central point where people can go to pick this up,” Manickchand said.

The rest of the grant, Manickchand said is for far-flung areas, and measures are being put in place for it to be distributed soon.

“We still have some far-flung places…We attempted to go to Eteringbang yesterday (Thursday) and that was a disaster because of the weather. So they actually got there and had to turn back,” Manickchand said.

“…Some place…we have to get a particular type of aircraft…permission (to go in) and escort in and out. So we have a few places left. We are not neglecting those, we just have to work on them,” she noted.

The distribution of the grant commenced on June 5 with $40,000 being handed out to each child registered in the school system – public or private.

A total of $8.6 billion was budgeted for the grants this year.

Manickchand described the activity as a “hallmark” of the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C).

“…This was something we promised while in Opposition, that we would have continued the programme which we had started and as soon as we came into office, we began to implement and fulfill that promise,” she said.

Source: https://newsroom.gy/2023/06/10/over-90-of-cash-grants-distributed-process-was-smooth-manickchand/

Initially set for completion by May 2023, the new St. Rose’s High School is now expected to be handed over to the Ministry of Education in August.

“I just came from there (the construction site). I was told that it should be finished by mid-August,” Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand told the News Room during a telephone interview on Wednesday.

“I don’t know how they will finish all that they have to finish in two weeks but they promised to give it to us in two weeks,” she added.

Among the reasons cited by the contractor for the delay in construction is poor weather, Manickchand said.

“…My interest right now is to get it before September frankly,” she said.

The $515M contract for the construction of the St Rose’s High School, which was awarded to Shandong Dejian International, was signed in September 2021.

The initial deadline was 19 months with a defects period of one year. The project was therefore supposed to be completed in May 2023. But this was not done.

In June this year, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Alfred King told members of the media that the project has faced slight delays.

And to address the delay, King said a shift system has been put in place by the contractors.

The school is among several others which are currently being built and are expected to be ready for the next school term in September.

Source: https://newsroom.gy/2023/07/26/st-roses-high-school-should-be-ready-in-two-weeks-manickchand/

Less than one month after Christ Church Secondary School was destroyed by fire, Minister of Education Priya Manickchand on Tuesday announced that a new building would be constructed even as she accused the opposition of double-standards on free university education.

“The Christ Church Secondary School that was just destroyed by fire…,” she said in listing a number of new secondary schools that would be rebuilt in Georgetown as part of efforts to get Guyana “closer to universal secondary education.”

Ms Manickchand later told Demerara Waves Online News that if the Ministry of Education finds better land space, the building would be constructed there and would retain the same name, Christ Church. Otherwise, she said the school would be rebuilt at Camp and Middle Streets, Georgetown.

The Guyana Fire Service said the fire that destroyed the wooden and concrete Christ Church Secondary School on January 12, 2023 was maliciously set on several chairs.  Classes for the more than 400 students and 39 teachers have since resumed at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) complex, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown.

Other schools in Georgetown that would be either completed or commence are the St Rose’s High would be completed St Mary’s Secondary, St George’s Secondary and North Ruimveldt Multilateral School. The St Winifred’s and East Ruimveldt Secondary Schools are to be extended.

Other secondary schools that would be built at Hosororo, Kwebanna, Waramuri and Mabaruma where that building was destroyed by arsonists, Abram Zuil Secondary; two new schools at Tuschen and West Bank Demerara, the Yarrowkabra Secondary, Good Hope Secondary Schools, Orealla, Jawalla, and Karasabai. With World Bank funding, she said all of the multilateral schools would be rehabilitated. Teachers quarters and dorms are being built or expanded.

Touching on free university tuition, she conceded that the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) introduced fees due to an unspecified “reason” but she noted that the now opposition coalition had increased  tuition fees in 2017 for degrees in education, law, medicine, pharmacy and several other disciplines. “Where were you tears then? How much you loved these university students then?,” she said.

Both the opposition A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change and the incumbent People’s Progressive Party (PPP) had promised in the 2020 election campaign to scrap university tuition fees.

APNU+AFC parliamentarian Amanza Walton-Desir on Monday said she expected the PPP to use the removal of tuition fees as a 2025 election campaign gimmick, but Ms Manickchand on Tuesday said her administration would keep its campaign promise and would so within its current five year term. “We said very clearly that we are going to find a pathway to remove the debt that students had already incurred – former students and current students- and we are going to make the university free in the first five years. Do you know why people are not worried? Because every other promise we made has been fulfilled and so political parties have to stand with some amount of credibility when they speak,” she said.

Source: https://demerarawaves.com/2023/01/24/christ-church-secondary-to-be-rebuilt-free-university-education-promise-wont-be-broken-manickchand/

A protest ensued outside the Fort Wellington Secondary School on Tuesday, one day after a teacher was attacked and beaten by a student and his uncle.

Education Minister Priya Manickchand took to her Facebook page to offer full support to the affected teacher and all those aggrieved.

“… as soon as I had heard, I spoke to teacher Marlon Daniels of the Fort Wellington Secondary to find out what had happened.

“Upon learning of the details I offered my and the Ministry’s full support,” Manickchand said.

Daniels, a teacher at the Fort Wellington Secondary School in Region Five, was the victim of the alleged verbal attack and subsequent assault.

According to reports, the attack stemmed from a Grade 10 student using indecent language at the teacher which he then reported to the Headteacher.

The student walked out of the office and school, threatening to involve his uncle.

He was waiting at a copy center nearby with his uncle and a few of his uncle’s friends.

When the opportunity presented itself, the uncle allegedly restrained the teacher while the student beat him with a stick.

“There can be no reason offered that would be accepted as to why students or their relatives would beat a teacher. I expect the Guyana Police Force to act swiftly,” Manickchand said.

During the protest, the aggrieved teachers called for better security arrangements at schools.

Source: https://newsroom.gy/2023/03/14/manickchand-offers-full-support-as-protest-ensues-over-assault-of-teacher-at-fort-wellington/

Minister of Education Priya Manickchand on Wednesday said the government is working towards ensuring that all secondary school dormitories are equipped with adequate facilities and tools, backed by enough staff to guarantee students’ safety.

She made the remarks while responding to queries about the $918 million supplementary allocation her ministry requested for secondary schools. This forms part of a larger $2 billion request by her ministry for supplementary funding.

And that request was approved by the Committee of Supply of the National Assembly on Wednesday.

According to the Education Minister, Cabinet took a decision to upgrade all dormitories so that they will each have functional, adequate washroom facilities; adequate beds and enough house parents and security staff.

Additionally, she said efforts are underway to ensure that all of the dormitories are also outfitted with adequate fire prevention and fire fighting tools and materials in keeping with advice from the Guyana Fire Service.

The Education Ministry is working alongside regional officials and the Ministries of Local Government and Home Affairs to assess what gaps need to be filled at soonest.

“We are looking to fill those gaps before September… they should all be implemented fully before September 4 [when school reopens],” Manickchand said.

In the aftermath of the devastating fire at the female dormitory of the Mahdia Secondary School that claimed 20 lives in May, Manickchand told reporters in June that the government is now moving to implement several measures across all schools and dorms to make them safer.

Source: https://newsroom.gy/2023/08/10/all-dorms-to-have-adequate-house-parents-security-fire-prevention-tools-manickchand/

The Ministry of Education is to establish a secondary school in Jawalla, Region Seven.

Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand and other senior officers within the Ministry of Education on Tuesday visited the community to determine a possible location for the school. 

A release from the ministry stated that Manickchand said the new secondary school will be the second of its kind in the Upper Mazaruni District. It will help to ease the overcrowding at the DC Caesar Fox Secondary School in Waramadong.

She noted that it will provide students in other communities such as Kamarang and Phillipai with the opportunity to receive a sound secondary education. These students are currently either not receiving a secondary education or are being educated in primary tops, a secondary department in a primary school.

Manickchand said that with the establishment of the secondary school, the Ministry of Education will be able to close the primary tops in Phillipai, Wax Creek, Chinoweing, Imbaimadai, Jawalla, Quebanang, Kako and Kamarang.

The school will house 500 students in the classroom and 400 students in the dormitories.

Once completed, the new school will be equipped with Chemistry, Biology, Physics and Information Technology, Techni-cal and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) laboratories, a Home Economics room, library space and spacious classrooms.

Last week, Manickchand announced that a secondary school will be built at Kopinang in Region Eight.

Source: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2023/03/30/news/guyana/jawalla-to-have-secondary-school-ministry/

Candace Smith, who hails from the Cinderella County of Essequibo, faced difficulties continuing her studies after completing high school because of the death of her mother.

Now, she is graduating as the valedictorian of the GROW scholarship 2021/2022 Programme – a story of triumph that has inspired many.

Smith gave a heartfelt speech during her graduation ceremony at the National Cultural Centre on Tuesday as she reflected on her journey to this achievement.

The young woman said she graduated from the Aurora Secondary School as the best student in Principle of Business and she intended to pursue her tertiary education at a university.

Like many students living in Region Two, she decided to relocate to Georgetown but before she could move forward with her tertiary level studies, her mother died.

“The death of my mother was very painful but God’s mercy kept me.

“…then came my changed season. When I decided that I was in a better place, the government did a great thing,” she said.

Smith took up the opportunity to benefit from one of the 20,000 scholarships that were offered by the government.

“There was no excuse, so I took up my mantle and applied for the Business Management programme in 2021,” she said.

Smith constantly reminded herself that she could complete a degree programme. As such, she completed the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) Level 6 diploma from the Jain University, in India.

Six months later, she embarked on her journey to acquire her Bachelor’s Degree in Business and Hospitality. She offered special thanks to President Dr Irfaan Ali and by extension the Government of Guyana for making her dreams a reality and also thanked her family and friends for their support.

Meanwhile, the valedictorian for the class of 2022/2023, Africa McPherson also shared words of encouragement to her fellow graduates, calling on them to pursue higher education.

According to McPherson, all the graduates endured countless late nights studying and still had to go to their work and repeat that  daily routine for six months. She believes the graduates deserve to be proud of their achievement.

“My fellow graduates, we have our own story of our struggles and successes. Whatever we accomplish has a permanent mark on us. For the past months we struggled with late nights and studying… you gave your best in everything,” she said. (Lazeena Yearwood)

Source: https://newsroom.gy/2023/04/25/despite-the-death-of-her-mother-ebo-woman-triumphs-to-become-valedictorian/

A three-day education fair, focused on science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (S.T.E.A.M) was declared open by Education Minister, Priya Manickchand on Monday in the compound of the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE).

It came with an earnest encouragement from Manickchand for parents, teachers and students to take full advantage of the innovations and creativity on display, with 177 projects up for judging.

The Education Minister said the government was pushing forward with attaining universal access to education at both the primary and secondary levels and ensuring that 100 per cent of all teachers are trained.

These efforts, along with infrastructural improvements for learning institutions, are geared towards the development of well-rounded students.

Manickchand envisions each child leaving school academically sound but also having been exposed to at least one instrument, one sport, one foreign language and a strong sense of voluntarism.

“This is an extremely exciting time to be a teacher, an extremely exciting time to be a student, an extremely exciting time to lead the Ministry of Education and to look on at the kind of product we are putting out,” the minister told those gathered in the auditorium at CPCE.

“I invite you to go booth to booth, take time off from work and bring the children to the fair,” she added.

The fair wraps up on Wednesday but brings together students at the nursery, primary, secondary and tertiary levels to showcase the ongoing transformation of the education sector through innovation and S.T.E.A.M.

The last such fair was hosted five years ago and it affords students to opportunity to share experiences and make oral presentations.

“Today is all about S.T.E.A.M but what is S.T.E.A.M… S.T.E.A.M is everything education, how the world functions, how we will be.

“Science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics is a very short word for just about everything we are expected to do,” Manickchand reasoned.

She believes the fair is a demonstration that available locally, are all the resources needed to make the education system first class.

Manickchand projects a more resilient education system in the future, characterised by a continuation of students doing well and consequent unprecedented statistics for the country.

Source: https://newsroom.gy/2023/04/03/manickchand-spotlights-plan-for-developing-rounded-students-as-steam-fair-opens/

Education Minister Priya Manickchand on Tuesday highlighted how difficult learning and engagement has been in some overpopulated schools but she promised relief is forthcoming with the construction of several new schools.

The ministry is building new schools, reconstructing schools damaged or destroyed by fire and extending some schools to accommodate more learners.

And by the end of this year, at least another 11 secondary schools should be opened and ready for use.

“With those secondary schools being built, we should be able to accommodate children all across the country,” she said during a contract signing ceremony for the construction of the new St. Mary’s Secondary School at Brickdam, Georgetown.

Getting more schools to accommodate learners is part of the ministry’s plans to improve access to education across the country. Manickchand believes that with several new secondary schools, Guyana would inch closer to achieving universal secondary education.

Opening these schools is also helping to solve current overpopulation woes.

The Education Minister said in some schools, children only attend classes for half day or for half the school week because they are on rotation. At the Queenstown Secondary School in Georgetown, for example, the students only go to school for half of the week.

These measures were implemented to help accommodate children displaced by fire or in response to a growing population. And Manickchand acknowledged that these arrangements impact students’ learning.

“Right now we are struggling, CXC is finishing and we are sweating about placing children in Region Three but with the advent of the Tuschen (Secondary School), once that’s finished within a year, it is going to be significantly different.

Asked if secondary school students have been unable to complete their curricula because of these arrangements, Manickchand said, “It’s been really, really rough.”

Already, the St. Rose’s High School, the Good Hope Secondary School and the Abram Zuil Secondary School are completed or near completion.

The St George’s High School, Christ Church Secondary School, North Ruimveldt Secondary School and North West Secondary School are currently being rebuilt after they were ravaged by fires.

Further new schools will be built at Hosororo, Kwebana, and Waramuri in Region One (Barima -Waini); two new schools will be built in Region Three (Essequibo Islands- West Demerara); one secondary school will be built in Orealla, Region Six (East Berbice- Corentyne); and in Region Seven (Cuyuni- Mazaruni) there will be a school at Jawalla in the Upper Mazaruni area.

In Region Eight (Potaro- Siparuni), the dormitories at Paramakatoi and Kato will be extended. Schools in Georgetown like Queen’s College and the Bishop’s High School are being extended.

Source: https://newsroom.gy/2023/06/21/its-been-rough-manickchand-says-children-affected-by-overpopulated-schools/