“Beautiful, purpose-built facility for your children” – Minister on 1st nursery school at Mashabo

The riverine Indigenous village of Mashabo, located in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), on Tuesday celebrated the commissioning of its first-ever nursery school, giving its youngest learners their own dedicated, child-friendly space for the first time. This school, which was constructed at a cost of $23,751,960, will have two teachers with a total enrolment of 35 students and also employs four part-time workers and two Government-sourced 10-day service workers.
Speaking at the commissioning, Education Minister Priya Manickchand said that the Mashabo Nursery School is one of 67 nursery schools constructed across Guyana in the last three and a half years – the most ever built in a single five-year term.

This achievement, she stressed, is even more significant given the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in the Government’s first two years in office.
Manickchand pointed out that the new Mashabo Nursery School is a far cry from the makeshift spaces that once housed the village’s youngest learners. She said this is not an old kitchen converted into a classroom, nor a rented building, but a beautiful, purpose-built facility designed with the right space for nursery children.
The Minister explained that having a dedicated nursery school means pupils now have an environment that is more suitable for their learning and development. She further noted that the shift has also freed up space in the Mashabo Primary School, creating a better environment for primary students as well. According to her, this one investment benefits all the children of Mashabo from nursery through to primary by providing proper classrooms, reducing overcrowding, and ensuring that every age group has an appropriate place to learn.

“Now you have a brand-new nursery school… not an old kitchen converted into a classroom, not a rented building but a beautiful, purpose-built facility with the right space for your children. This also means that the primary school now has more room for its pupils, so all children in Mashabo benefit from this building,” Minister Manickchand said.
Manickchand also highlighted other ongoing developments in the community, including the establishment of an information and communications technology (ICT) hub, ecotourism projects, fish-farming ventures, and teacher-training programmes. She reaffirmed that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government is committed to ensuring that essential services reach even the most remote communities.
“The PPP/C knows where you are, and we make sure whatever service is available, you will get, whether you are in the heart of the city, up a mountain, down a riverbank, or here in Mashabo,” she asserted.
She further reminded residents of the Administration’s track record in keeping its education promises, such as restoring and increasing the “Because We Care” cash grant to $55,000 per child, providing free textbooks, and expanding the school feeding programme to include breakfast. She contrasted this with the previous Government’s removal of the grant in 2015, stressing that the PPP/C has delivered on every education-related commitment it made.

“Opening the doors to opportunity”
Assistant Chief Education Officer (CEO) for Nursery, Devindra Persaud, thanked the Ministry of Education for the new school while echoing the Minister’s sentiments, describing the school’s commissioning as “opening the doors to opportunity” for Mashabo’s children. “This school stands as living proof that development in Guyana is not limited to areas with large populations or bustling activity. Our Government promised that infrastructure would follow wherever people live, in the city or the quietest remote region, and today, that promise is fulfilled,” Persaud stated.
He added that with the new facility, nursery pupils will no longer have to share space in the primary school, allowing for more suitable learning environments for both age groups. Meanwhile, Toshao of Mashabo, Henry Hendricks, expressed his gratitude and happiness at the commissioning of the village’s first nursery school. He said the facility marks a significant step forward for the community, as it will provide the youngest learners with a proper environment to start their education.
Hendricks noted that having such an investment in Mashabo shows the value placed on the village’s development and its children’s future. The commissioning ceremony was also attended by Regional Chairperson Vilma De Silva, Regional Education Officer (REO) Shondelle Hercules, teachers and residents, all of whom hailed the new school as a demonstration of the Government’s commitment to equitable access to education.