Education Minister meets with teachers and staff of Christ Church Secondary School

The Ministry of Education said it 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 last evening’s devastating fire.

On Friday, Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand and Senior Officers of the Ministry of Education met with the teachers and ancillary staff of the secondary institution to discuss the way forward. The meeting was held in the boardroom at the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD). The fire has displaced 39 teachers, more than 500 students, and five ancillary staff.

Officers present included the Chief Education Officer, Mr Saddam Hussain, Deputy Chief Education Officer – Administration, Ms Fazia Baksh, Deputy Chief Education Officer – Development, Ms Volika Jaikishun, Assistant Chief Education Officer – Secondary, Ms Tiffany Harvey, Principal Education Officer, Mr Emmanuel Bridgewater, Director of the School Boards Secretariat, Mr Deonarine Hardat and other Education Officers.

Manickchand said that the decisions taken will have to be guided by what is in the best interest in the students enrolled and the ideal preference would be to house all the students in one location. Christ Church is a List A school.

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. Minister Manickchand also said that the Ministry will have to meet with the parents and students to discuss the matter further. It was noted that the school’s enrollment records, which were saved as softcopies, will guide the process forward.

Teachers were also asked to engage their students online until a decision can be made. Present too at the meeting was the Guyana Teachers’ Union President, Mr. Mark Lyte.