Region Nine students assured of continued access to education

Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Public Affairs, Hon. Kwame McCoy, interacting with students at the St Ignatius Secondary School dining hall

-despite COVID-19-

-Minister McCoy-

Students in the Upper Takutu – Upper Essequibo Region (Region Nine) have been assured of the Government’s commitment to providing equal access to educational opportunities, despite the pandemic.

Hon. Kwame McCoy, Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Public Affairs, made these statements during a recent visit to the region.

The Minister travelled there to get a first-hand look at how the COVID-19 safety measures were being observed in schools, now that classroom learning has restarted for senior secondary and technical, vocational education and training students.

“The decision to have Grades 10, 11 and 12 come back out to the classroom was out of concern for the learning regression and the fact that many months of school work has been missed,” Minister McCoy told students at the St Ignatius Secondary School.

“We want to make sure that you don’t continue to lose too much in relation to learning […] At the end of the day, you can be assured that the Government of Guyana will look out for your interest and be concerned about your development,” he added.

The Public Affairs Minister said there has been an average of 60 per cent turnout countrywide since the partial reopening of schools on November 9. This figure, he said, is expected to increase over the next few weeks.

Since assuming office in August, the Government has focused on ensuring students at all levels are engaged. In addition to e-learning, the Ministry of Education has utilised the Guyana Learning Channel as well as the radio to broadcast educational programmes. Worksheets from nursery to secondary levels have also been prepared and distributed.

“We’ve had all these mechanisms in place so that we pay attention to our students, especially those who are preparing their School Based Assessments and other assignments for CXC examinations in 2021,” Minister McCoy said.

The Ministry continues to take steps to ensure that students can access classroom learning safely.