Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand today commissioned the new building for the Haslington Nursery School on the East Coast of Demerara.
A release from the Ministry of Education said that the cost to construct the new school was $28,129,000.
Assistant Chief Education Officer, Devendre Persaud said that the new structure is in keeping with the Government’s commitment to enhance school buildings across the country so that children can enjoy the best facilities.
He said, “I firmly believe that buildings, classrooms, laboratories, and equipment- educational infrastructure- are crucial elements of school learning environments. There is strong evidence that high-quality infrastructure facilitates better instruction, improves student outcomes, and reduces dropout rates, among other benefits.”
According to the release, Persaud applauded the Regional Administration and the Department of Education of Region Four for their “excellent work” to improve the quality of education infrastructure in the region.
Also, present at today’s commissioning was the Regional Education Officer, Adrian Elgin who said that he was honoured to witness the commissioning of the school. On behalf of the Regional Democratic Council and the Department of Education, he thanked the Ministry of Education and the Government of Guyana for ensuring the region and the community of Haslington benefited from a brand-new nursery school.
Delivering the feature address, Manickchand encouraged those parents present to play a greater role in the lives of their children. She urged the teachers to continue working with their children so that they can read at their grade level. The Education Minister said that this will go a long way in setting the foundation for children to be successful as they move through the school system.
She spoke about the recently distributed school grants that can be used to purchase items to enhance the school and ensure its smooth functioning. The Haslington Nursery School currently has 60 pupils enrolled. At $4,000 per child, this amounts to a total of $240,000 per term.
The release said that Manickchand told parents that even though the grants are given to support the work of the school, they should still play an active role in the life of the school through the Parent-Teachers Association. She said that the new school is more than a building. “In this building, children will attend school, and they will leave ready to help run this country, to help to run this world”, she said.
