Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, hosted a meeting in Kuru Kururu on the Linden/Soesdyke to address education related concerns.
Meeting with residents Thursday at the Kuru Kururu Primary School, Manickchand told residents the Ministry is sparing no efforts in ensuring the school is fully staffed and is equipped with the necessary facilities to deliver quality education.
According to a release from the Ministry of Education, the Minister urged parents, teachers and residents of the community to make full use of the opportunity to have their concerns raised and addressed immediately.
Among the issues raised by the residents were the need for new furniture particularly for the teachers, which the minister promised would be delivered to the school by this Friday.
Additionally, the parents and teachers of both nursery and primary school students requested a smart television to be placed in the classrooms. The minister committed to deliver two smart TVs each and said they will be connected to the Guyana Learning Channel so students and teachers can benefit from the programmes aired.
Requests by the community for the appointment of Guidance and Counselling Officers in each secondary school or secondary department were assured of these staffing as soon as suitable persons can be engaged.
Manikchand also committed to delivering on the request for school grants to purchase school supplies. Other concerns raised were the maintenance and repair works to the school which falls under Regional Democratic Council, Region Four.
In as much as Guyana has been investing billions in education, the country continues to lag behind its Latin American and Caribbean counterparts. In an October 6, 2022 World Bank Report it was stated:
“Although the education sector in Guyana has made remarkable progress in the last 15 years in terms of access, learning outcomes remain low across all levels. Guyana achieved 88 percent and 92 percent enrollment at the Nursery and Primary levels, respectively (2018). However, according to the Human Capital Index, a child born in Guyana today will only be 50 percent as productive when she grows up as she could be if she enjoyed complete education and full health. This is lower than the average for the LAC region and upper middle-income countries. The low human capital score is in part driven by low educational and health outcomes.”
Globally, Guyana Education Stats ranked 28 places from bottom in primary education delivery, and Pupil/Teacher ratio 53 from bottom.
The minister was accompanied by Deputy Chief Education Officer – Administration, Ms Fazia Baksh, Region Education Officer Region Four, Ms Stembiso Grant and Senior Guidance and Counselling Officer.
