Students in Region Nine (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo) are continuing to benefit from the Guyana Micro Projects Programme (GMPP), a government/European Union programme, in the form of food assistance, a library and completing their school-based assessment (SBA) for the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CESEC) examination.

According to an advertisement in the Sunday newspapers, funding is being provided for fourteen projects in the region at a cost of $37.5M. Twelve of the projects are school kitchens while the other two projects include a ‘Poultry Broiler Production Unit’ for the St Ignatius Secondary School and a public library and resource centre in central Lethem which was implemented by the Ireng/Sawariwau Neighbourhood Democratic Council. The broiler unit will be used by students sitting Agricultural Science for the CSEC examination.

It was stated that seven school kitchens funded by the project have been completed and four others are being done and these projects will see some 265 pupils from the primary schools benefiting from one hot meal a day. And it would also generate income for villagers who would have a ready market for their produce in the kitchens.

The broiler project will also aim to demonstrate that poultry production is possible and sustainable in the region as it is hoped that the project will be replicated. It includes a 600-square-feet chicken pen, an incinerator with a water supply component along with a best practices guide for the rearing of chicken, two staggered batches of 300 broilers every five weeks would be reared and made available for use at the school’s hostel with the surplus being sold at the local markets.

Meanwhile, the library and the resource centre is a new building that was constructed with funds exceeding $6M and it would be staffed by two persons from the National Library in Georgetown. It is expected to provide an improved facility in Lethem where books and other learning resources can be adequately accommodated.