Ministry Commissions a $30M Nursery School

Minister of Education with pupils of the Cummings Park Nur, Symbolic cutting of the robbonGeorgetown: The Ministry of Education  at a simple ceremony attended by the members of the community, teachers and students of  the East Street Nursery, North Ruimveldt Secondary School and Ministry of Education officials, commissioned a $30.8 million Cummings Park Nursery School facility in Cummings Park, Sophia.

The commissioning ceremony took place on  December 2, 2015.   Construction of the new school started in December 2014 and  was completed in February, 2015. At the opening of the new school term in September last, 28 pupils were enrolled and 5 teachers were on staff.

Head teacher of the school, Ms.  Cecile Whyte-Joseph in her remarks, said that in the years prior to September 2015, parents of the community encountered difficulties getting their children to and from school on a daily basis. She said that the deplorable state of the roadways and the distance to get to the nearest nursery school often prevented children from attending school regularly. A feasibility study, which was conducted in 2010 revealed that children had to travel either to Turkeyen Nursery, ‘C’ Field Sophia Nursery, Sophia Nursery, South Ruimveldt Nursery or other surrounding communities to access education at the nursery level.  “The situation even worsened during the rainy seasons, forcing parents to keep their children at home,”  Ms. Whyte-Joseph added.

Also speaking to the gathering of parents, teachers and educators, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine, Honorable Minister of Education emphasized the role of parent-teacher collaboration. He said that he hopes that the school has a vibrant PTA as it will provide the impetus needed to educate the children, and he anticipates that in the near future, a special secretariat would be set up at the central ministry dedicated to the PTAs.

The Minister also took the opportunity to address the teachers present regarding their role in coaching children to be more tolerant, and more respectful of others,  as this is needed in societies today. “The best place to defeat intolerance, division and conflict is in the schools,” he emphasized.

While he celebrates the construction of the new school and improved access to education, he posited that children in other parts of Guyana, such as the hinterland, are still facing many challenges getting to school on a daily basis. This, he said, has not escaped the attention  of the Government of Guyana.

The new Cummings Park Nursery School was built to accommodate 120 pupils. With the addition this school the total number of discrete nursery schools is now 327, 31 of which are located in the Georgetown District. The Nursery Department at the Ministry of Education is headed by Ms. Ingred Trotman, who noted that there are 154 nursery classes and 14 annexes in addition to the 327 discrete nursery facilities across the country.