Matarkai education sector bolstering amid challenges – DEO

The education sector in the Matarkai Sub-district, Region One (Barima-Waini) has seen significant improvement in the last year. This is according to District Education Officer (DEO), Ignatius Adams.

In an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI), Adams highlighted that the Region recently benefited from two new buses for transporting children from far-flung communities to and from school in Baramita and Port Kaituma, and for other educational purposes. He added that the bus already located at Matthews Ridge was meeting these demands for that community.
Adams related the other riverine schools such as Canal Bank Annex Nursery and Primary Schools were provided with a boat and engine. He also reported that the students were also now benefiting from the hot meal programme and efforts were underway to have it implemented in other schools.
According to the DEO, Matarkai is the smallest sub-district as it relates to enrolment with 14 schools, including one district secondary school – the Port Kaituma Secondary School and the largest primary school – Port Kaituma Primary.
Baramita and Matthews Ridge are the two rapidly growing communities in the district. For the first time, 20 candidates from Matthews Ridge are registering to write Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams right in Matthews Ridge.
Further, teachers now have the opportunity to write CSEC as private candidates, plus they can also participate in the Associate Degree (AD) programme at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) then proceed to the University of Guyana (UG).
Thus far, four teachers were successful in the AD programme, one was attending UG, and another was transferred into another region while other two were working in the Region. “There’s avenue for upward mobility,” Adams explained.
These improvements, along with the Mathematics intervention programme, are a major boost for the education department; however, there are still some challenges facing the Region. These include lack of adequate and quality infrastructure, lack of potable water, and inadequate furniture.
“Our vision is to go upward academically. The Government has been supporting us, especially with the roads and the CORE group. The NDC [Neighbourhood Democratic Council] is also helping us and as we continue this way and get the necessary assistance, we will see Matarkai advance,” Adams posited.
The DEO is urging residents to look out for each other and ensure children within their communities attend school regularly.