Inaugural Arrival Day village launched

…aims to boost exam readiness, celebrate cultural diversity

The Education Ministry has launched its first Arrival Day Village at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre in Georgetown—an initiative aimed at equipping Grades 5 and 6 students with the knowledge needed for their upcoming exams Grade 5 National Annual Assessment and the National Grade 6 Assessment.
This two-day event offers an engaging experience that aligns with their curriculum.
Students are encouraged to engage actively, ask questions, and gain firsthand knowledge about Guyana’s rich cultural diversity.

The village features exhibitors showcasing traditional foods, textiles, and other cultural artifacts, highlighting the uniqueness of each ethnicity.
Education Minister Priya Manickchand, speaking at the launch, emphasized that this exhibition is part of the government’s ongoing efforts to promote cultural appreciation and understanding among students.
“This morning, it gives me great pleasure to declare the inaugural Ministry of Education’s Arrival Day Village. This is something you will see over and over again. To all parents, this village is made up of the social studies content required for your children’s learning, for them to be successful at various exams, including the NGSA and CXC social studies and history, I encourage you to send your children to this village over the next two days.”
Meanwhile, the minister used the platform to reaffirm the government’s commitment to continuing their efforts through ongoing development initiatives.
“I want you all to know whether you’re in Grade Four, or Grade Five, or Grade Six, or high school, that our ancestors—the little ones, the old ones, the people who came before us—all of them withstood very harsh conditions to get here, and all of them struggled in very harsh conditions to stay here and build a better life for you. And that is what we in the government are committed to doing—building a better Guyana day by day so that you could thrive here, whether you live in Region 1 or Region 6.” She added that Guyanese persons owe their ancestors who came here. “We owe them the duty to look after this country so that all persons can be better.”
The minister also reminded students of the importance of promoting unity. She stressed for them not to go down the path of becoming a bigot in any way, shape, or form, in their school or in their community.
“You are not going to be a bigot in any way, shape, or form, in your school or out of your school, in your community, on social media—whether it be Facebook, or Instagram, or TikTok, or whatever else they have—you are not going to be a bigot because you are bright, young Guyanese children aiming to grow up in a land that is full of love and unity and togetherness, a land that thrives where the government is committed to giving each and every one of you equal opportunities.”
On that note, the minister further urged students to show their ancestors that Guyanese students are willing to do good work to continue their ancestral legacy.
Meanwhile, the minister lent her perspective to the use of technology, on which she highlighted that it should only be used for positive works.
“This smartphone gives you a lot of freedom. You have information old people like me could only get if we walked into a library and equally, you can send information easier than any other generation in the history of the world. And recently, I have been seeing on the internet people who are using that tool that is supposed to make you better, more advanced, more evolved, more informed in a way that portrays them and evidences them as proving them to be unintelligent and backward and you must never fall into that category.”
She mentioned that students must never believe that they are anonymous because their voice is behind a device where people cannot see them. She further added that if one wants to make remarks online, they must ensure that they can say it in front of cameras or to the public; if not, then it should be regarded by that person as unsayable.
“So if you cannot stand in front of all these cameras and say whatever bad information, then don’t write it on the internet or else you’ll get caught. You understand what I’m saying? This smartphone has also come with the evolution of smartness of humans to be able to track who is saying what. And we must resolve here that we will use these devices only to spread good information, to spread love, to promote unity, to make sure that the people who struggled and came here didn’t waste their time by producing offspring and generations of people who are backward. We owe our ancestors who came here.”