Central High closure on hold -Education Ministry

The Ministry of Education (MoE) yesterday announced that the closure of the Central High School will be put on hold while it explores other avenues to house the students comfortably.

It was stated in a press release issued yesterday that the decision was made during a meeting held between the ministry, the Central High School Board, the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) and representatives of the Guyana Teachers’ Union.

On Friday, the ministry’s Public Relations Officer Brushell Blackman had told Stabroek News that a meeting would be set up with the relevant stakeholders to discuss the plans for the school.

This was following a protest staged by the school board, PTA and students in front of the MoE’s main branch last Wednesday. The protesters had said they were being kept in the dark about the future of the school but had heard rumours that it was to be shut down. It was noted that no new students had been taken in by the school in the past few years.

It was also related that Chief Education Officer Marcel Hutson had indicated at a meeting last June that the Central High School would either be phased out or transferred elsewhere.

As regards the phasing out process, Blackman had stated on Friday that the remaining students, who are currently enrolled in grades nine through 11, along with their teachers, would be relocated to a larger school, located in Lodge, and that the ministry would make provisions for the construction of a new building.