Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand on Tuesday commissioned a nursery school, built to Caricom standards at a cost of $82.3 M and equipped with ramps at the entrances and exits to cater for differently-able children at the No.77 Village, East Berbice, Corentyne.
In her address at the opening, Manickchand described the building as “the most beautiful and modern nursery school in that part of the country”, a report from the Govern-ment Information Agency (GINA) said. The school was funded via the Basic Needs Trust Funds (BNTF). Manickchand spoke of the importance of early childhood education saying that government has prioritised this sector, increasing its budget from five to 15%. The administration has undertaken a programme aimed at ensuring that all students are able to read and understand what they are reading by Grade Four. This project is expected to see results by 2020. According to Manickchand, 85% of nursery school-aged children in Guyana are enrolled in schools. This, she noted, is the highest enrolment figure in the entire Commonwealth Caribbean which has resulted from the administration creating the facilities that are necessary to foster access. The Number 77 Nursery School is the 57th such school in Region Six, she said. “80% of the nursery school teachers in Berbice are trained,” she said, adding that
