The Education Ministry is committed to ensuring the students, teachers and ancillary staff of the Christ Church Secondary School are adequately accommodated in the shortest possible time following Thursday’s devastating fire.
Subject Minister, Priya Manickchand and senior officers of the Ministry on Friday met with the teachers at the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD) where discussions were had on the way forward.
Minister Manickchand stated that the List A school has performed well over the years and commended the teachers for their dedication to raising the standard of the school.
Teachers and staff of the Christ Church Secondary School
She further said that the decisions taken will have to be guided by what is in the best interests in the students enrolled. Manickchand expressed that the ideal preference would be to house all the students in one location.
During the meeting, various options were explored for the placement of students and teachers, however, there were no definite decisions made by the end of the meeting.
As such, the Ministry will have to meet with the parents and students to discuss the matter further. It was noted that the school’s enrolment records, which were saved as softcopies, will guide the process forward.
In the meantime, teachers were asked to engage their students online until a decision can be made.
The officers present included the Chief Education Officer, Saddam Hussain, Deputy Chief Education Officer – Administration, Fazia Baksh, Deputy Chief Education Officer – Development, Volika Jaikishun, Assistant Chief Education Officer – Secondary, Tiffany Harvey, Principal Education Officer, Emmanuel Bridgewater, Director of the School Boards Secretariat, Deonarine Hardat and other education officers.
Also present at the meeting was the Guyana Teachers’ Union President, Mark Lyte.
The Christ Church Secondary School was completely destroyed by fire of an unknown origin which has left millions in damage and over 500 children displaced.
