Online classes for displaced Christ Church students - MoE

Online classes for displaced Christ Church students – MoE

Jan 14, 2023 News

Kaieteur News – Teachers of the Christ Church Secondary School are to engage their students online while the Ministry of Education decides on their final placement.

Fire completed destroyed the Christ Church Secondary School located on Middle and Camp Streets on Thursday afternoon leaving some 500 students without a school.

In a statement issued Friday, the Ministry of Education said that officials met with the school’s teachers and ancillary staff to discuss the way forward.

The meeting was held in the boardroom of the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD) and attended by Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, the Chief Education Officer (CEO), Mr. Saddam Hussain, Deputy Chief Education Officer – Administration, Ms. Fazia Baksh, Deputy Chief Education Officer – Development, Ms. Volika Jaikishun, Assistant Chief Education Officer – Secondary, Ms. Tiffany Harvey; Principal Education Officer, Mr. Emmanuel Bridgewater, Director of the School Boards Secretariat, Mr. Deonarine Hardat, President of the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) Mark Lyte, and other Education Officers.

Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand on Friday engaging Teachers and staff of Christ Church Secondary School at NCERD.

The Ministry said it is committed to ensuring the students, teachers and ancillary staff of the Christ Church Secondary School are adequately accommodated in the shortest possible time following Thursday’s fire.

Minister Manickchand in acknowledging that the List A school has performed well over the years said that decisions taken have to be guided by what is in the best interest of the enrolled students.

The Education Minister said that the ideal preference would be to house all the students in one location.

Teachers and Officials of the Ministry being engaged on a way forward for Christ Church Secondary. (Photo courtesy of Ministry of Education)

During the meeting, various options were explored for the placement of students and teachers, however, no definite decisions were made.

The Minister said a meeting with the parents and students will be held to discuss the relocation while disclosing that the school’s enrollment records, which were saved digitally, will guide the process forward.

Even as the logistics are being sorted, teachers are to engage their students online.

Kaieteur News had reported that Thursday’s fire left some 502 students and 39 teachers displaced.

It is unclear at this time as to what might have ignited the massive blaze. However, nine days ago fire started in the school’s science laboratory but quick action by the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) prevented the school from being gutted.

The school was closed to facilitate an investigation and was only reopened for classes on Monday.

The GFS has since confirmed that the science laboratory fire last week was caused by “chemical reaction combustion”.

Kaieteur News understands that the highly flammable chemicals were removed from the building last week. “Everything [chemicals] was cleared from the building,” a source close to the investigation told this publication.

Investigators are now trying to determine the cause of Thursday’s fire.

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Christ Church Secondary School, Minister of Education, Ministry of Education, Mr. Saddam Hussain, Priya Manickchand

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