Winfer Gardens Primary School won two first place positions in the recently concluded Canada-Commonwealth Day Environment Enhancement and Art competition with West Ruimveldt Primary School emerging the winner in the Environment Enhancement Contest and North Georgetown Primary gaining first place in the Grades five to six category of the art competition.
The contest was organized by the Canadian High Commission in collaboration with the Ministry of Education to commemorate Commonwealth Day on March 10. Under the theme ‘The Environment –Our Future’, the local competition was hosted under the sub-theme ‘My mind is clean so is my environment’ with the aim of encouraging youths to participate in enhancing and sustaining their environment. Six primary schools participated in the Art competition, which was judged by a panel from the Burrowes School of Art and the Environment enhancement competition, which was judged by a panel selected from the Environmental Protection Agency.
Education minister Shaik Baksh, in his address at the ceremony said the competitions provided an opportunity to promote cleanliness to children from a young age. He told the gathering that it is mandatory to work with parent/teachers associations to create strategies for keeping their home, school and the environment clean.
He pointed out that from September each school would have a time slot for classes in environmental studies. Baksh also said the ministry is considering hosting similar competitions throughout the regions since it proved successful in Georgetown. The competition saw students striving to maintain the cleanest environment by becoming “litter police” in order to be judged the winner.
Canadian High Commissioner Charles Court, who proposed the contest, commended the artworks on display at the ceremony.
Elfrieda Bissember, Curator at the National Art Gallery, said that bringing the large problem of environmental cleanliness into focus in the classroom specifically through art is a wonderful way to start on the trail of “doing our little part in solving a global problem,” and to teach young children to appreciate their environment.
Sharon Campbell a judge in the competition said that it was an enjoyable experience; having fun while at the same time instilling values in the youngsters. She suggested on behalf of all the judges that there be a “cross fertilization” of the project by head teachers since the project is “worthy of replication in other parts of Guyana.”
