Nineteen teachers are to commence training this week in order to teach English as a second language to children of Venezuelan migrants in Region One. The Ministry of the Presidency yesterday announced that government, through the Ministry of Education, has been working with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to develop educational interventions, which will improve the learning and communication skills of these children, and eight communities in the region are expected to benefit from the initiative.
According to a ministry statement, the initiative was announced yesterday by Cecilie Guerrero, UNHCR representative on the Multi-Stakeholder Committee that is monitoring the arrival of Venezuelan migrants into Guyana. She made the announcement at a meeting of the committee that was held yesterday at the Department of Citizenship. “Ms. Guerrero informed the Committee that 17 teachers from Region One and two from Georgetown will gather in Mabaruma later this week for the training, which will last until the end of the month. The two Georgetown-based teachers, she said, will be trained to be trainers. These teachers will be tasked with training their colleagues when and wherever the need arises,” the statement explained.
The committee was also informed that the Canadian-based facilitator, who will be conducting the training, arrived in Guyana earlier in the day.
So far, in excess of 800 Venezuelan children are enrolled in schools.
Meanwhile, the statement also noted that the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is working along with the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) to implement a Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) project, which focuses on the provision and storage of water, sanitation and hygiene promotion interventions in six communities in Region One.
As part of this project, a 100-metre well will be drilled at Whitewater, Region One, to provide water on a consistent basis to residents. This will complement the rain water harvesting tanks, water storage facilities and portable water filters, which have already been handed over to the communities. Given the positive impacts made in Region One through the pilot project, the two entities are now looking to roll out the project in Region Seven to target three communities in its initial phase: Eteringbang, Arrau and Kurutuku, the statement added.
