Following Thursday evening fire that gutted the Christ Church Secondary School, officials of the Ministry of Education on Friday morning meet with the ancillary staff including teachers of the institution to ensure they along with the students are adequately accommodated in the shortest possible time.
Education Minister Priya Manickchand and Senior Officers of the Ministry engaged the school staff to discuss the way forward. The meeting was held in the boardroom at the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD).
Among those present were: Chief Education Officer, Saddam Hussain; Deputy
Chief Education Officer – Administration, Fazia Baksh; Deputy Chief Education
Officer – Development, Volika Jaikishun; Assistant Chief Education Officer –
Secondary, Tiffany Harvey; Principal Education Officer, Emmanuel Bridgewater;
Director of the School Boards Secretariat, Deonarine Hardat, and other Education
Officers.
President of the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU), Mark Lyte, was also present at the meeting.
School
Minister Manickchand stated that Christ Church Secondary – a List A school in the country – has performed well over the years and commended the teachers for their dedication to raising the standard of the school. She further said that the decisions taken will have to be guided by what is in the best interest in the students enrolled.
The Education Minister said that the ideal preference would be to house all the students
in one location.
During the meeting, various options were explored for the placement of students and teachers however, there were no definite decisions made by the end of the meeting.
Minister Manickchand also said that the Ministry will have to meet with the parents and students to discuss the matter further. It was noted that the school’s enrollment records,
which were saved as softcopies, will guide the process forward.
In the meantime, teachers were asked to engage their students online until a decision
can be made.
Late Thursday afternoon, fire erupted and quickly engulfed the Christ Church Secondary School on Camp and Middle Streets, Georgetown. The building was destroyed despite efforts by the Guyana Fire Service to put out the flames.
So far, no cause has been given for the blaze but investigations are ongoing.
