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/