Schools’ curriculum to include lessons on border controversy – Min. Manickchand

Guyana’s school curriculum will soon be reformed to include lessons on the border controversy between Guyana and Venezuela, Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand announced Friday.

During an awareness session hosted at the Bishops’ High School, Minister Manickchand said the new educational sessions will soon be reflected in the curriculum of nursery to post-secondary learning institutions.

The aim is to promote patriotism and foster an understanding of the complexities of the controversy among the country’s youth.

The education ministry has also sent out notices to schools nationwide, outlining activities that students, parents, and teachers alike should undertake to add to the national response to the issue.

“After over 100 years, I think this is the first time the Guyanese education system is responding to a live issue on the Guyana/Venezuela controversy regarding Essequibo,” Minister Manickchand noted.

The government has embarked on a rigorous public engagement and awareness campaign which showcases the united front that exists locally in the face of Venezuela’s aggressive claim to two-thirds of Guyana’s territory.

The campaign entails engaging with the public sector, the media, and schools across the country.

Similar engagements were held at the University of Guyana, and Queen’s College.

In the case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Guyana is seeking the court to confirm the legal validity and binding effect of the 1899 Arbitral Award, which established the boundaries between the two countries.

Guyana is currently awaiting the ruling of the ICJ on its request for provisional measures that would block questions in Venezuela’s referendum, scheduled for December 3, 2023, particularly questions three and five, which have been identified as the most detrimental.

These questions seek to ratify Venezuela’s position of rejecting the jurisdiction of the ICJ and seek the approval of the Venezuelan people to annex Guyana’s Essequibo region into the Venezuelan territory.