The Ministry of Education has said that an additional 2,681 children have enrolled in schools, as a result of the new age requirement for nursery children announced earlier this year.
This figure, which reflects a 23 per cent increase in enrolment, is the sum total from across all ten administrative regions, the ministry said in a press release. Assistant Chief Education Officer (Nursery) Ingrid Trotman said that of the 465 new children enrolled in nursery schools in Region One, 115 are from the new age cohort. This figure accounts for 25 per cent of the total number enrolled. In Region Two, 989 new children registered for nursery school of which 158 or 16 per cent are from the new age cohort. Region Three enrolled 1845 new nursery children of which 311 are from the new age cohort. This number reflects 17 per cent of the total children enrolled.
Five hundred and eighty students in the nursery age range enrolled in Region Four. This figure reflects 20 per cent when juxtaposed against the 2,934 students enrolled in the same region. Region Five registered 895 students of which 150 are of the new age cohort accounting for 17 per cent of the entire number registered. In Region Six, 1,206 new students registered of which 314 are from the new cohort, representing 26 per cent of the pupils registered for this new school year.
In addition, Region Seven enrolled 177 new nursery children of which 47 are from the new cohort; accounting for 27 per cent of the new children enrolled for this new school year. Region Eight registered 198 new children of which 42 or 21 per cent are from the new age cohort, while Region Nine registered 58 new children as a result of the new age cohort amounting to 17 per cent of the 339 total number of nursery school children registered.
Region Ten registered a 49 per cent enrolment rate of children within the new nursery age range. Of the 1,165 nursery children enrolled, 568 are from the new age cohort. Georgetown registered a total of 1,823 new nursery children of which 338 or 19 per cent are from the new age cohort.
The ministry said that arrangements have been put in place to procure additional furniture, books and toys to cater for the increased enrolment. More nursery teachers have also been recruited and placed in schools.
At the same time, the ministry encourages parents to potty train their children and to teach them to feed themselves, in preparation for early enrolment in school.
