Nursery schools for Parikwaranau and Tabatinga
─ occupation of Tabatinga school to start in new school term
─ construction costs in excess of $14M
─ construction of Parikwaranau in excess of $13M Parikwaranau
─ enhanced learning facility
DPI, Guyana, Saturday, February 16, 2019
As the Education Ministry continues to work towards enhancing the quality of education being delivered to the nation’s students, the Minister of Education, Dr. Nicolette Henry, on February 15, commissioned a new nursery school in Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo, Region 9.
Young learners of Parikwaranau, located 14 miles outside of the township of Lethem, now have access to a new facility to that will improve their learning outcomes at the Parikwaranau Nursery School. This was made possible through the efforts of Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Regional Democratic Council (RDC), Region 9.
Regional Chairman, Brian Allicock, underscored the importance of education.
“Without education, we are lost. If we have a population without education we will go nowhere, we have to have our children take in the education. There are so many new things being introduced to our children these days,” Allicock noted.
The old building that housed the students was temporarily closed a few years ago due to a lack of teachers.
Minster of Education, Dr. Nicolette Henry highlighted the ministry’s commitment to education in the region.
“This morning is important to us not only as a Government but as parents and residents of this community. We have a brand-new school which I believe when properly utilized will serve for the development of the children who are currently attending and those that will come after…given where we are today, we need to have environments conducive to learning… As a Government, we are interested in the development of all of our people and therefore we will continue to upgrade facilities, build new facilities and modernize education in each and every region in this country,” Minister Henry said.
Construction of the school began in April 2018 and was completed in August of the same year. Students were able to begin school at the new facility for the beginning of the 2018-2019 academic year.
New Tabatinga Nursery
Meanwhile, residents of Tabatinga, also in Region 9 now have access to a newly constructed Nursery School which will ease the cost and burden previously associated with travelling to Central Lethem for school.
The school, which serves as the Tabatinga Annexe to the Arapaima Nursery School can comfortably house 80 students and 4 teachers.
Minister of Education, Dr. Nicolette Henry also commissioned the school on February 15 and underscored the importance of learning conducive environments for a child’s educational development.
“The community had made certain requests, there was a need for another school. It is really important that we not only recognise the gaps but that as a Government we step up to our obligation and fill those gaps. We know that education is important,” Minister Henry noted.
Previously, parents had to walk a few miles to the Arapaima primary School which is an overcrowded facility. Two parents spoke to the Department of Public Information (DPI) about how their children will benefit from the school’s construction.
Agatha Bernard, a parent said, “I’m so happy that the nursery school has been built for my children. It will benefit me a lot because I will not have to walk that far distance to go to Arapaima.
Karen Bernard, a parent said “I feel like the school is going to benefit a lot of the children not only my child because of the distance most children have to go over into Lethem, transportation-wise, especially for the teachers too, it gives the teachers more focus on the children.”
The Ministry of Education, in addressing the problem, constructed an annexe in the new housing scheme to better cater to parents and learners living in the Tabatinga area.
The school is equipped with spacious classrooms, and indoor washroom facilities to replace the outdoor washrooms children were made to use. The construction and commissioning of this facility will directly further the ministry’s goal of providing equitable learning opportunities and an enhanced quality of education.
Minister Henry and her colleagues are part of a larger ministerial outreach that is currently being conducted in Region 9 this weekend to meet the residents and listen to their concerns and to create solutions.
Nateshia Isaacs
Images: Keno George