Early childhood education got a major boost yesterday with the launching of a Centre of Excellence at the University of Guyana, Turkeyen Campus worth $161m.
A release from the Ministry of Education said that the Early Childhood Centre of Excellence is funded by the Government and the Caribbean Development Bank, through the Basic Needs Trust Fund Guyana.
Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand in her remarks, said that Guyana has the highest nursery enrollment rate in the Commonwealth, as such, the investment is fitting since Guyana and the Caribbean can learn from practices which will be implemented.
She urged people not to view the Early Childhood Centre of Excellence as just another nursery school.
“This as a research unit can make all the difference in education in Guyana…I didn’t say early childhood education, it can make all the difference in education across all sectors primary, secondary and nursery”, she asserted.
UNICEF Representative, Nicholas Pron said that the agency believes that the centre will not only contribute to the best start to life, it will also facilitate and foster a holistic, inclusive approach to improving early childhood development, as well as enhancing the knowledge and competencies of practitioners, researchers, parents and other caregivers.
Vice Chancellor of the University of Guyana, Professor Paloma Mohamed said the project was long in the making and will help the university to find solutions to the challenges in the way in which children are socialized and raised, the release said.
Director of the Centre, Dr Lidon Lashley, said that the facility currently caters to 102 young learners, 26 of whom require additional education needs. He said that each child’s need is catered to.
“And we do so in an atmosphere that embraces the Ministry of Education’s Early Childhood Curriculum but also extended it with practices and research that is done on the upper level”, he said.
The $161 million facility is equipped with all the amenities needed by learners and early childhood practitioners and caregivers. The building was also designed to accommodate differently-abled learners, the release said.
