16 steel pans for Belladrum Secondary School
─ students urged to utilise them well
─ teachers elated with ministry’s quick response to their needs
─ students already learning to play
─ other needs of the school to be addressed
DPI, Guyana, Friday, February 8, 2019
Hundreds of Students at the Belladrum Secondary School benefited from sixteen (16) new steel pans priced at $1.67 Million, compliments of the Ministry of Education.
Delivering on her promise to the students and teachers of the school, the Minister of Education, Dr. Nicolette Henry visited the institution on Thursday to officially commission the items. The visit was a follow-up to an initial visit in December, to ascertain the school’s needs. During that visit, the Headteacher of the Belladrum Secondary School indicated the need for the steel pans.
“We want to ensure that we have well-rounded students, not only in Math and English and Science and Technology, but certainly in terms of the culture and the music,” Minister Henry said as she delivered on her promise.
She further urged the students to care the items and to utilise them well. The steel pans are expected to provide an environment conducive to expansive learning and are an enriching staple of Guyanese culture.
The minister has committed to taking a more hands-on approach to improving facilities within the nation’s schools.
“I will come back and continue to work to improve the facilities of the school. I do have a concern about the science area, I am also going to be checking out the computer lab because I want to know that our students are exposed to nothing less than the best,” Minister Henry added.
Belladrum Village is located in West Coast Berbice in Region 5. It is the hope of the ministry and the stakeholders of the school, that it can eventually compete competitively in national competitions using the steel pans.
The visit to the Belladrum Secondary was among other items on the minister’s agenda to visit various schools in Regions Five and Six addressing improved learning initiatives and programmes, several projects, and listening to the concerns of parents and teachers alike.
Nateshia Isaacs.
Images: Marceano Narine.