$14M nursery school commissioned at Kokshebai, Region 9

…no more long walks through rough terrain to attend school

Young children of the Amerindian village of Kokshebai, South Pakaraimas in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) no longer have to walk miles through rough terrain to attend school as the Ministry of Education built a new nursery school in the community.

During a visit to the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo region, Education Minister Priya Manickchand and Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Nigel Dharamlall travelled to the community to officially commission Kokshebai Nursery School on Tuesday.
The brand-new school was constructed by Osbert Rebeiro at a cost of $14 million.
According to the Education Ministry, the pupils previously had to manoeuvre the rough terrain for more than five miles as they travelled to Taushida, a neighbouring village, to receive an education.
Minister Manickchand, during her remarks, stated that ensuring each child receives an education regardless of their geographic location remains a top priority for the People’s Progressive Party/Civic Government. She also told parents that the Government firmly believes that once given the resources, the children of the hinterland can achieve the same success as those on the coastland.
The Education Minister further stated that constructing a school is only part of giving children a strong education, the other part is ensuring there are trained teachers in each classroom. In addition, she highlighted that the Ministry’s breakfast programme will also be extended to the village, textbooks will be given to each pupil and in July, each school-aged child will receive $40,000 through the “Because We Care” cash grant programme.
Meanwhile, Minister Dharamlall noted that the establishment of this new school in the hinterland community is part of the Government’s agenda to ensure every citizen benefits from the rapid development taking place.
While in the village, Ministers Manickchand and Dharamlall also commissioned a health facility. This will ease the villagers’ burden of travelling to other neighbouring villages to access basic healthcare.
Also during the visit, the Government Ministers turned the sod for the construction of a modern secondary school at Karasabai – a $1.7 billion investment that will transform education delivery in Region Nine.
The construction of the facility is being undertaken by Avinash Contracting and is scheduled to be completed in two years.

According to the Education Ministry, this project will be instrumental in providing more educational opportunities for students in the region and will transform the quality of their lives. The modern school complex is fitted with 10 buildings. These include the main teaching block and allied lecturing facilities, modern science laboratory for physics, chemistry and biology, TVET centres, combined home economics and cafeteria area, teachers’ quarters and an outdoor sitting forecourt.
The designs of the buildings were completed in November 2022 after a series of consultations.
Once completed, the facility will house and will cater for 500 students in the classroom, and 250 students in the dormitories.
Like those from Kokshebai, students will no longer have to traverse rough terrain daily to receive an education. The new secondary school will facilitate students from Karasabai and all other neighbouring villages.
Students in the Karasabai subdistrict from communities such as Tiger Pond, Cracrana, Tsushima, Kokshebai and Yurong Paru are currently either not receiving a secondary education or are being educated in primary tops, a secondary department in a primary school.
Minister Manickchand said that the construction of the secondary school is one step closer towards achieving universal education in the region. She noted that the school is intended to deliver a first-class education to students in Region Nine. (G8)