In the aftermath of the fire at the school on Saturday, the Ministry of Education yesterday met with students of the North Ruimveldt Multilateral who are scheduled to write their CSEC examinations shortly and their parents and agreed on a way forward.
On Saturday, the teaching block of the school was destroyed by fire. This building housed the classrooms that the students would have used to write their CSEC examinations. The ministry yesterday consulted with the parents and students at the East Ruimveldt Secondary School.
According to a release from the ministry, Minister of Education Priya Manickchand said that the meeting was necessary since the dates for the other examinations cannot be shifted as was done for the Foreign Languages Oral test that was scheduled for yesterday.
Following yesterday’s meeting, four main positions were arrived at.
The majority of parents agreed that they prefer the students to write their exams at the same venue and not to be split up at different locations. It was also decided that if students have to be transported to another location, the Ministry of Education and the Government will absorb the full cost and any other associated cost.
Thirdly, it was agreed that the preference of those present was that the examination should be written in the school’s auditorium which was not damaged by the fire.
Manickchand said, according to the press release, that this could be facilitated once the clearance is given from the Guyana Fire Service (GFS), the Guyana Power Light Inc. (GPL) and the Chief Electrical Engineer that the examinations can be written safely and without disruption.
Fourthly, it was agreed that if the examinations cannot be written in the auditorium, then it is preferred that they be taken at a location that is not another school, such as the Cyril Potter College of Education, the Police Officers Mess or the University of Guyana.
Manickchand said that the Ministry will give the GFS and GPL until tomorrow to get the auditorium ready for use. She said if the building cannot be ready by then, a decision will be made by the Ministry of Education as to where the examinations will be written. This too was agreed on by the parents and students present.
The Education Minister told parents yesterday that their children need their support, love and encouragement during this time.
She added, “If there is something that drives you even further in this period it must be that the students who wrote their CSEC the week after their school burnt down performed excellently. That must be what drives you.”
Manickchand also pledged the Ministry’s support to provide any psychosocial support that might be needed by teachers and students of the school. Students were given a number that they can call if they need guidance and counselling.
