Education Minister Priya Manickchand commissions new De Willem Secondary School
The $93 million De Willem Secondary School, Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) was officially commissioned on Friday, now allowing primary top students attending Saraswati Primary School the opportunity to receive a complete secondary education from a discrete secondary school come Monday.
This new facility is expected to accommodate over 350 learners, and is one of several moves the Education Ministry is making to ensure students countrywide receive secondary-level education that shifts away from “primary tops” or attending secondary classes in a primary school.
During the commissioning ceremony, Education Minister Priya Manickchand noted that either next week or the following week, students in Lanaballi, Saxacalli, Omorashi and Lower and Upper Bonasika who have all been enrolled in primary tops will be able to attend Leonora Secondary School to attain a discrete secondary education as well.
Those students will be housed in dormitories that have been built and are now ready to accommodate students.
“So, when we say getting a secondary education is important, it’s more than just words. When we say to you that we believe education is important, you will see our actions accompanying that building out of schools, training teachers, helping parents get their kids into school, giving textbooks, giving school grants. You will see that in our action,” Manickchand said.
In addition to De Willem Secondary School, new secondary schools will be built at Crane, Tuschen and Nismes to accommodate all of the secondary-aged learners in the region.
Only last week, the Ministry had also commissioned the Victoria Lily Primary School in Tuschen, aimed to address the space constraints schools in the region have long been tackling.
In addition to the construction of new schools, Minister Manickchand noted that the Ministry is also distributing necessary textbooks and newly-designed exercise books to students and is addressing the need to equip each classroom with a trained teacher.
She explained that before 2021, the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) accepted about 530 teachers but now accepts a few thousand teachers into the college that currently offers both online and in-person instruction.
Due to this online offering, Manickchand said that 2500 students will graduate from CPCE for the first time.
Regional Vice-Chairperson Omesh Satyanand expressed the Regional Democratic Council’s excitement at this growth in education, particularly in this region where more children attend school.
He further commended the National School Feeding Programme, which includes the National Breakfast Programme and the Juice and Biscuit Programme.
“[The Ministry, along with its officers and teachers in the classroom] are doing a great job and that is why we are partnering with you to ensure that education delivery is second to none in this country,” Satyanand said.
Also present at the school commissioning ceremony were Regional Executive Officer, Jagnarine Somwar, Regional Education Officer, Akbar Chindu, Assistant Chief Education Officer (Secondary), Tiffany Harvey and Assistant Chief Education Officer (Primary), Rabindra Singh. (G13)
