The Ministry of Education recently received a quantity of COVID-19 personal protective equipment from Sewa International Guyana.
Some 80,719 face shields, 24,190 KN95 masks, 126,500 disposable masks, 2,600 surgical gowns and over 6,240 face goggles were among the items donated.
Senior representative of Sewa International, Mr Yashpaul Seownarine handed over the items to the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mr Alfred King at the Book Distribution Unit, Evans & Lyng Streets, Charlestown, Georgetown.
Mr King expressed gratitude on behalf of the Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand and the Ministry for the timely donation. In brief remarks, he stated that the items will complement the efforts the Ministry is making to ensure students, teachers and other staff are safe as schools reopen.
“We want to make sure that all schools are given enough protected gears so that the learners, teachers and cleaners can be protected while they deliver education.”
Distribution of the items will start in hinterland schools before being moved to the coast and Georgetown.
“Most of our schools in and around Georgetown and in other regions, we’ve already given some amount of protective gears. So, this will complement what is needed in the school system, at least for maybe the long-term replacing what is already here in the system, but we would have already provided a whole lot and this will help, ensuring we can place replacements.”
Meanwhile, the Sewa representative said as a youth organisation, the donation is important as it supports the effort to ensure students receive an education while being protected against COVID-19.
