Primary and nursery aged students of Haimaracabra Village, Region One (Barima-Waini), will now be housed in a more comfortable space following the commissioning of a newly constructed primary school.
The school was reconstructed by the regional administration to the tune of over $10 million and is equipped with a ramp for persons with disabilities. It has tiled floors, an office and washroom facilities.
Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal attended the commissioning ceremony on Monday. He was joined by Regional Chairman, Brentnol Ashley and Vice Chairperson, Anansha Peters.
During brief remarks, Minister Croal outlined the government’s vision for the education sector, particularly in the hinterland regions. The aim, he said, is to create an enabling environment where the nation’s children could access quality education regardless of their location or background.
It is for this reason, he noted that the PPP/C Administration, since taking office in 2020, has been investing huge sums in the education sector. This has led to new and modernised schools across the country, learning materials provided to students, more trained teachers and support to parents.
“All the investment we can make as a government, as a region, none of it is more important than ensuring that we invest in the education sector…All we aspire to as parents, as teachers and as leaders is to ensure we produce in this country, persons who will take up various positions across our country, elevated by their studies so that we can have a wealthier nation,” he noted.
In the Moruca sub-district, for the first time, the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) is being offered at the Santa Rosa Secondary School, he added.
Upgrades will be done to a number of other institutions in the area this year.
Regional Chairman, Ashley said that the regional administration, with support from central government, is very keen on ensuring quality education reaches every child within the region, be it through infrastructure or other support.
He said the school was in a dilapidated state during the tenure of the previous administration, and residents’ cries fell on deaf ears. Today, the students, as well as teachers are functioning in a more conducive environment which will bolster educational delivery, he stated.
Anthony Harris, the school’s headmaster, expressed gratitude to the government for the new facility, which he said is a great improvement to what the students and teachers were functioning under last term. “We will be able to do so much more with this brand-new modern facility,’ he said.
Meanwhile, Minister Croal handed over a brush cutter to the community to aid in the maintenance of the school’s compound.
This year, the sum of $4.4 billion was allocated to the Regional Administration of which $2.2 billion will be directed towards education delivery.
