Minister of Education Shaik Baksh yesterday commissioned the newly constructed $427.5 million Leonora Technical and Vocational Training Institute at Groenveldt, Leonora West Coast Demerara. The event also saw the attendance of Prime Minster Samuel Hinds who said that government is pleased to see progress in the education sector.
Regional Chairman of Region Three Julius Faerber thanked the Ministry of Education for the initiativeand noted that students from the region can return home in a timelier manner as opposed to travelling to Georgetown.
Faerber also observed that the institute will be able to impart the life skills to school drop-outs to help them become useful elements of society.
The building was constructed by R Bassoo and Sons Construction Company and will give the necessary skills to students in the fields of masonry, carpentry, plumbing, electrical mechanic, agricultural mechanic, fitting, welding and secretarial science.
Baksh, addressing the gathering, said every child has the potential to learn whether it is in the classroom or outside. He urged the residents to make ample use of the institution, which is equipped with two state-of-the-art computer laboratories to help them to keep them on par with the 21st century.
Stating that the rate of school dropouts had been significantly slashed in half within a five-year period Baksh said this is because of the ministry’s continuous effort to revamp the education sector and provide quality education. Referring to the situation of students who opt to leave school as a “natural phenomenon”, he said it was inevitable.
He said rumours that 46% of the teachers are unqualified are baseless accusations, stating that only in the hinterland communities this tended to happen. He stressed that some 2,000 teachers are currently enrolled at the training college. He also announced some 600 teachers will benefit by receiving laptop computers.
With the Government One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) initiative and with the fiber optic cables linking Brazil with Guyana and cheaper internet access, information technology could be a compulsory subject for students at Caribbean Secondary Certificate Examinations (CSEC). However, Baksh said this can only be possible if the students are equipped with the necessary “hard drives” which is why the ministry constructing computer laboratories in all schools; even in primary schools in the next three years.
He said his ministry sees the institute as a place which will equip students with the necessary skills to manage their lives and earn an income.
Turning to the results of persons sitting CSEC, Baksh said there has been significant improvement with a 64% pass rate, but his ministry is committed to have an 80% pass rate by next year. To accomplish this, the curriculum has to be broadened to allow the students to have more options.
He said that at an education conference in Copenhagen, Guyana was singled out as a model to follow with its special emphasis on education. He noted that the government has spent over $2 billion on the education sector, which is has been getting the largest budgetary allocation. Concluding his speech, Baksh urged residents to make full use of the facility and to the best of their abilities since it will be equipped with the best teachers.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister said government is happy to be a part of bringing opportunities to the rural areas for a better life and it is very important to have Guyanese trained in a technical institution so that they can be a part of the exploration of their country’s resources.
Hinds said government has just completed agreements for two mining operations and anticipates to find petroleum very soon both onshore and offshore.
