Granger contributes $1M to boost private school’s science programme

Oct 15, 2019 News

President David Granger attended the 15th Graduation Ceremony and Dinner of the Saraswati Vidya Niketan (SVN), located at the Cornelia Ida, West Coast Demerara (WCD) on Sunday.
He commended the private institution for the emphasis that it is placing on science education and later presented a $1M cheque to assist with the expansion of the science programme and the equipping of the science laboratories, which are under construction, the statement claimed.
Among those present were Mrs. Sita Nagamootoo; Mr. Nandram Kissoon, retired Justice of Appeal; Ms. Bonita Harris, women’s rights activist; and Mr. Yesu Persaud, prominent businessman.
Granger said that science education is very important to the development of Guyana and that the government is on a mission to ensure that all schools are equipped with the necessary resources. He added that it is obligatory to allow for the development of skills needed to be internationally competitive.
“If you give the school the laboratories and you give the children the laboratories, you will see what will happen…Our national Government, today, must provide our schools and our students with the laboratories, libraries and lecture rooms that they need to become scientists. That is my mission,” he said.
According to the statement, the President emphasised that the aim is to have an education, which would equip students with the skills needed in today’s knowledge-based world.
“The rate of innovation in the modern global environment is rapid. Science is at the centre of all of these changes,” he said.
“Many small states, including Guyana, are faced with the challenge of closing the digital divide which was part of the third industrial revolution and we are still faced with the challenge of moving into the fourth industrial age.
“Science education is vital to ensuring that small states such as ours are not left behind the rest of the world. Science education will help to promote the skills needed to modernise Guyana,” Granger said.
According to the statement, he iterated that the revenues earned from petroleum production will be deployed in part, but primarily, to provide a first-class education for every Guyanese child. He added that Guyana is entering a new phase of its development, as it will soon become a ‘petroleum-producing state’.
Meanwhile, Granger said that SVN is moving along the correct path. “It is emphasising science education without de-emphasising the humanities. The school’s decision to erect a science building, equipped with modern laboratories, is a recognition of the validity and urgency of science education,” he said.
Granger highlighted that the school’s plan to install a solar system to generate electricity for the school is forward-looking. “Solar energy will allow the school to become a model of renewable energy generation and use throughout the public education system,” he said.
Swami Aksharananda Ji, SVN’s Founder and Principal, noted that this has been an “exceptional” year for the school. He said that 86 students wrote the CSEC exam, with 78 securing a minimum of five subjects including English and Mathematics.
Only three of the 78, failed to attain ten subjects or more. Nine of the students attained at least 12 Grade Ones, the second highest number for any school. Additionally, 29 students attained at least eight Grade One passes.
The Swami informed that at this year’s sitting, the students attained a total of 518 Grade Ones passes compared with the 299 last year. The overall pass rate was 95.8%, the second highest in the school’s history.
He attributed the school’s success to the strong emphasis placed on values.
Chetram Harrinarine who attained 19 subjects at this year’s sitting was adjudged the best-graduating student while Manoj Lachman, who came second, attained 18 subjects.
According to the statement, 14 CAPE students also graduated. The best-graduating student at this exam was Narindra Persaud, who attained fourteen Unit 1 & 2 subjects.
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