Education Ministry gets donation of face shields from UNICEF

Jul 22, 2020 News

As the Ministry of Education (MoE) commenced planning for the opening of schools yesterday, a welcomed donation was received from the United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Guyana.

UNICEF endows Education Ministry with face shields donation.

The donation of some 1,944 face shields was handed over to the MoE’s Permanent Secretary, Mr. Alfred King.
The gesture forms part of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) project to which the Education Ministry is apart and in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The face shields are the first of an expressed plan for a total of 35,000 pieces, including masks and other protective gears, to be handed over to support measures to treat with the COVID-19 pandemic. The handing over was done during a simple ceremony in the Ministry’s lot 26 Brickdam compound.
Proffering remarks, King said he sees the donation as another effort to support continued learning in a safe and secured environment as the ministry works out plans for the eventual opening of schools.
It has been more than four months of operations in the COVID-19 environment and King expressed the Ministry’s gratitude for the support towards the safety of educators, students and other stakeholders.
Further, King, while iterating the proactive safety measures employed by the Ministry, noted that “We have to continue to be very careful to ensure a healthy and safe environment and these shields will assist greatly.”
The evidence of the resolve for continued engagement for National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) and the ongoing Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) was also noted. Speaking of the blended approach of all stakeholders that has taken effect, King commended educators for using their own resources to plan and prepare for the major examinations.
UNICEF Resident Representative, Ms. Sylvie Fouet, noted the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the education sector. It is for this reason, according to Ms Fouet, that her organization saw the need to assist with the shields.
She said that the provision of the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is a critical element for the return to a safe and protected environment for students when schools eventually open.
Additionally, Fouet said that the work the MoE has undertaken so far is commendable. She committed to working ‘side by side’ with the Education Ministry to make the opening of schools safe and a top priority.
UNICEF has been a developmental partner with the Ministry for many years and proposes to continue in the same vein, assured the Resident Representative. Also in attendance was the MoE’s Chief Planning Officer (CPO), Ms. Nicola Johnson; Director of the National Centre for Educational Research Development (NCERD), Ms. Jennifer Cumberbatch; Project Coordinator Ms. Quenita Walrond-Lewis; Technical Officer to the PS, Ms. Karen Burchsmith; UNICEF Deputy Resident Representative, Mr. Irfan Aktar, and UNICEF’s Mr. Robbie Rambarran.

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