$791M Yarrokabra Secondary School commissioned

Sep 06, 2024 News

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…as seven primary tops are closed

Kaieteur News – Seven primary tops (a secondary department in a primary school) located along the Soesdyke – Linden Highway have been closed as the Ministry of Education commissioned a new secondary school at Yarrowkabra.

The $790M Yarrowkabra Secondary School was commissioned by President Irfaan Ali and Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand on Thursday.

The Ministry inked a $790,571,342 contract with R. Bassoo & Sons Construction Company to build the school in September 2021.

At the contract signing, it was shared that the school will have nine buildings complete with the necessary laboratories, space for industrial arts, among other auxiliary buildings.

The new school will accommodate 1,019 students across 35 classes and 65 teachers including 29 newly recruited educators, 31 trained teachers, 14 teachers who are in training and 20 to be registered for training.

Minister Manickchand during her remarks said that plans to construct the school were in the pipeline since 2013 and now that it is constructed and opened, seven primary tops which accommodated 550 students have been closed. The primary tops that have been closed are in Hauraruni, Laluni, Long Creek, Kuru Kururu, Dora, Low Wood and Susannah.

Minister Manickchand disclosed that her ministry will soon seek contractors to build an additional 10 classrooms at the school.

“We started this school last year and we already need 10 new classrooms which the Permanent Secretary has already put out a bid because once the school is here, kids will come to school and once children come to school lives will change,” the minister related.

Noting that opening the school forms part of the President’s goal of ensuring children are provided with the infrastructure to receive their education, the minister said that over the next few days several schools will be commissioned and that the sod for a new secondary school at Orealla, Region Six will be turned this weekend.

Meanwhile, President Ali said the commissioning represents another historic occasion in the country’s education sector.

“We are here to open yet another school, a grand achievement that is in its own right but in so doing we are also making a leap towards realizing a key goal of our national education policy, universal secondary education, and that is an important goal of our education policy. We firmly believe that universal access to secondary education should not be considered optional it is an indispensable right for every child,” the President said.

It was reported that the government’s goal is to achieve universal secondary education in Guyana by 2025.

On Thursday, President Ali said that secondary education is not merely a privilege but a fundamental entitlement that must be extended to all.

“We don’t need the United Nations or anyone to set the benchmark we are setting the benchmark for our country so that we can become a model for others to follow and that benchmark is to achieve universal secondary education,” he stated.

Further, he said that the government’s goal is not solely to increase the number of classrooms, but to also create conducive learning environments whereby equipping schools with modern technologies including libraries, laboratories, and facilities for sports, which will enrich the educational development of children in the country.

“Universal secondary education is to ensure that no child is left behind, through this initiative we aimed to make education accessible to every child, providing enriching, enlightening and empowering life experiences essential for a modern economy,” the Head of State expressed.

He told the gathering that the Yarrowkabra Secondary School symbolizes hope, opportunities, and progress and that the educational institution will be a beacon for the youths of Yarrowkabra.

“By investing in such schools, we are investing in the intellectual capital of our nation, a resource that holds the key to innovation, creativity and sustainable development,” the President stated.

The Head of State called on the school’s administration to take good care of the state-of-the-art facility since it was constructed for inter-generational benefit. Further, he urged parents to pay attention to the education of their children since that responsibility does not fall solely on teachers.

The Commissioning ceremony was also attended by Minister within the office of the Prime Minister, Kwame McCoy.

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• Minister of Education, President Irfaan Ali, Priya Manickchand, Soesdyke-Linden Highway, Yarrowkabra Secondary School

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