$269M St. Ignatius Practical Instruction Department commissioned

Jun 29, 2025 News

President Irfaan Ali and Minister of Education Priya Manickchand with students and residents of Lethem on Friday during the commissioning ceremony for the $269M St. Ignatius Practical Instruction Department. (Photo courtesy, Ministry of Education/Facebook)

Kaieteur News – President Irfaan Ali and Minister of Education Priya Manickchand joined residents in Lethem, Region Nine on Friday to commission the newly constructed St. Ignatius Practical Instruction Department (PID).

The Practical Instruction Department, which was built at a cost of $269,437,293.54, was established through the Guyana Skills Development and Employability Project (GSDEP), which is funded by a US$11.7M loan from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and supported by the Government of Guyana.

According to information provided by the Ministry of Education, the project is a key part of a national strategy to improve Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) by enhancing infrastructure, providing modern equipment, and strengthening the capacity of instructors to deliver high-quality, industry-driven programmes.

The ministry stated that the new, state-of-the-art facility in Lethem will offer Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ) Level 1 and Level 2 certification in five priority sectors: tourism and hospitality, construction, information and communication technology, agriculture, and business.

The facility, which is outfitted with a commercial kitchen, a furniture-making workshop, an ICT laboratory, and a fully equipped electrical installation room, is expected to serve more than 1,000 students, many of whom will now be able to pursue skills training without having to leave their community.

It was revealed by the ministry that aside from the $269 million used to construct the centre, an additional $87,038,505.74 was used to procure nearly 400 pieces of specialised training equipment, ranging from basic hand tools to advanced technology like blast freezers, band saws, desktop computers, and smartboards.

President Ali and Minister Manickchand interacting with students of the Practical Instruction Department.

President Ali, during his feature address, emphasised the government’s commitment to strengthening the TVET sector in response to the growing demand for skilled labour and the historically limited avenues available to cultivate such skills.

“We recognise that there is a need for faster and more qualitative upskilling. That is why we are investing in the construction of a technical college at Port Mourant, which will become the country’s main incubator of skills,” he said.

Further, the Head-of-State outlined that the government is not only focused on producing skilled professionals for the national workforce but also on equipping individuals with the capabilities to thrive internationally.

He told the residents that once they obtain basic certifications in areas such as welding, machine operations, hospitality and culinary arts, the government will facilitate the transition to more advanced training in world-class hospitality institutions and oil and gas facilities, thereby enhancing the quality and global relevance of your services.

The President addressed the cultural shift that is underway regarding the perception of technical and vocational training. He asserted that Guyana is moving away from the outdated notion that technical education is inferior to academic education.

Meanwhile, in her address, Minister Manickchand said the government is committed to meeting the real and expressed needs of citizens.

She also noted that students now have the opportunity to receive practical, hands-on training in areas such as commercial food preparation, furniture making, electrical installation, crop production, general office administration, and data operations.

Manickchand said that the programmes are designed to prepare learners for employment, further education, or entrepreneurship, equipping them with regionally recognised certification that is relevant and in demand.

Meanwhile, the minister noted that the expansion of infrastructure must be accompanied by increased teacher training.

“Because of the schools we are building, we need to ensure we have qualified educators. Region 9 now has 263 trained teachers, with another 425 currently in training,” she related.

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Caribbean Vocational Qualification, Guyana Skills Development and Employability Project, Lethem, Priya Manickchand, St. Ignatius Practical Instruction

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