Minister Manickchand anticipates return to in-class learning

IN-CLASS LEARNING is still the best way to teach students said Education Minister, Priya
Manickchand. However, she tied the return of students to the classroom to the country’s
vaccination programme, which is still facing some pushback among Guyanese.
Manickchand reminded parents and teachers that their vaccination status can be a help or
hindrance to schools’ reopening to facilitate face-to-face learning for the nation’s students who
have not been in-class since the last quarter of 2020 because of the outbreak of the highly
contagious and deadly COVID-19.

According to available figures three days ago, 32.4 percent of Guyanese were partially
vaccinated against corona virus. This represents a figure of 254,883 persons. By contrast,
142,114 persons were fully vaccinated, a mere 18.1 percent of the population.
“As the distribution of the cash grant continues across Guyana, vaccination stations will be
established as far as is possible to give parents and teachers the opportunity to be vaccinated,”
minister Manickchand told her audience at a recent meeting.
She made it clear though the access to the grant from a multi-billion-dollar government package
“is not a requirement or prerequisite of parents to uplift the grant.”
Manickchand urged educators to take the jab, “because we need to make sure that we can get
back into the classroom. And it is not the teachers that will suffer, it is these children you want to
see shine.”
As more persons get inoculated, the likelihood of contracting, and/or spreading the deadly virus
are significantly reduced.
Once in-class learning resumes, parents, teachers and students will see a difference in the
way education being delivered, Minister Manickchand promised.