The Education Ministry (MoE) hosted its annual rally at D’Urban Park, in commemoration of Education Month 2016, observed under the theme “Each Child Matters: Stakeholders Unite for the Enhancement of Education”.
The students who attended the rally were surprised when President David Granger declared the second Friday of September, as of 2017, National Education Day in honour of the students of Guyana.
Students at D’Urban Park, MoE rally
The Education Month rally kicked off at the Stabroek Market Square and proceeded along Brickdam, into D’Urban Park; participants came out in their numbers from several primary and secondary schools, including the Carnegie School of Home Economics.
The march was led by the Education Ministry, with Education Minister, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine leading the band.
Dr Roopnaraine, in his address to the students, underscored the importance of “getting education right”.
“We believe that it is extremely important that we get education right… if we fail to get education right then nothing will be right. Education is at the centre of everything we do,” he stated.
The Minister praised the teachers for their continuous work,while he acknowledged their work is often underestimated and unrecognised.
President Granger made reference to William Ralph Inge who said “The proper time to influence the character of a child is about one hundred years before he is born.”
The Head of State explained that whatever children are exposed to at home and in their communities will have an influence on their performance in school, since education is not just about what goes on in the classroom.
He stressed that only through a collaborative effort can the nation’s children reach their fullest potential.
“Each one of you is important… There are 250,000 of you and each one of you is an individual, each of you matters, each one of you has a right to education. Education under our Constitution is an entitlement and we want to make sure that every child in Guyana goes to primary school and goes to secondary school and has a full education,” the President said.
He said too that the State has a responsibility to ensure that each student is provided with a place in school and that each school is equipped with the resources and facilities to ensure the delivery of quality education.
He further encouraged the students to work for success, since success does not come without constant practice. He made mention of the recently concluded Olympics in Brazil, where many sportsmen and women were successful. He pointed out that they did not become successful overnight but achieved their success through years of practice.
He therefore urged the students to partake in the sporting activities held at their school.
Chief Education Officer (ag), Marcel Hutson said the rally is symbolic of the Ministry’s desire to forge collaboration among all stakeholders for the enhancement of education. He posited that the time has come for Guyanese to focus on education, not as an event confined to a month, but as a movement.
“Events come and go, but a movement speaks of a drive, a passion and it focuses on continuity. Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education… Education has the ability to propel the individual and the nation out of a state of economic and moral decadence,” Hutson declared.
