Millions spent to enhance education infrastructure in Linden

Jul 09, 2019 News

As part of its effort to foster education development in Region 10, the Regional Democratic Council [RDC] recently expended some $40M on the Mackenzie High School – the region’s premier secondary school. This sum, Chairperson of the RDC’s Education Committee, Ms. Denise Belgrave said has catered for a major facelift to the school in addition to other improvement works.

The Region 10 RDC’s Education Committee Chairperson, Ms. Denise Belgrave, makes her presentation.

Works were also done to the school’s computer lab, which was rewired, and Belgrave said that moves were also made to add a water quality facility.
Another $100M in improvement work was also carried out at the Christianburg-Wismar Secondary, Belgrave told the Council, as she addressed a recent meeting. This school, she said, has benefitted from tremendous work during the past four years and, “it’s a testimony that the current Committee continues to work exceptionally hard in bringing about holistic development.”
She also made reference to the institution now having the status of a Sixth Form school.
“We are very excited and proud to announce that this school is the second school in Linden to have a sixth form, and I would like to state that this shows improvement and development,” said Belgrave.
She also spoke of the school being adequately staffed by trained teachers, which will help in continuing to improve the academic results produced by the school.
These, among other efforts, are clear indications that the Region has been making significant positive strides in its development.
Even as she commended the efforts of the Region’s Regional Education Officer [REdO]and several of the Education Officers, Belgrave added, “We here in Region 10 are making significant strides in educational development and I would like to express the Committee’s happiness about this as we are confident that the growth being made thus far will continue.”
“Education is alive and well in Region 10,” said Belgrave, as she again turned her attention to the Education Department and its hard working officers who, she said, “seem determined in their pursuits and are making a number of laudable inroads.”
The development of education in the Region has also entailed support being directed to the Kwakwani and Amelia’s Ward student hostels, which have been helping to universalise the access to education within the Region, Belgrave said.
She also revealed that in addition to the breakfast programme that currently exists at Amelia’s Ward, Dallawalla and Kwakwani, a juice and biscuit programme is in existence. While all students will benefit from these programmes, Belgrave was eager to share her hope that those students from economically challenged homes will benefit thereby helping to improve their performance.
“The breakfast programme, I would like to say, is a great initiative and we are seeing excellent results… there are some students who are economically challenged, and so I am happy to see that the children are given an opportunity to have a breakfast which will help to boost their academic pursuits,” said Belgrave.
In fact, she shared that there is evidence to support the belief that the average performance in Linden has steadily improved as a result.
Belgrave, a former educator herself, also said that the David G buses have been effectively servicing the Upper Demerara and Berbice areas including Coomacka, Moblissa and Kwakwani.
The David G boats too, she said, have been transporting children from Dalawalla, Malali, Sand Hills, Hururu and Develdt.
Further, Belgrave shared that the Ministry of Education in 2019 allocated some $2.2B to the region, pointing out that this represents 60 percent of the Region’s total allocation. This, she said, will certainly help to further enhance and cater to several planned projects and programmes intended to continue growth and expansion of education within the region.
Belgrave also spoke of plans for the construction of two state of the art primary and nursery schools on which construction will commence later this year.
The schools, she said, will be constructed to the tune of $40M.
“We are very excited with the growth and development thus far and as the Chairperson, I am happy to boldly say that our education sector would certainly be the envy of every other region,” Belgrave added.

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