As the Government of Guyana continues to deal with the challenge of the influx of migrants into the country, it has disclosed that some 1,000 Spanish-speaking migrants are now a part of the school system.
This was disclosed by President Irfaan Ali on Tuesday at the commissioning of the $200 million Victory Lily School located in Tuschen, West Coast Demerara.
“As I said late last year, the journey of making Spanish a second language is a very serious journey. We are doing ourselves a severe injustice being in a South American continent and not having Spanish as an important second language, but more importantly for us and for us in this region; you have more than 1,000 children who are Spanish speakers now being enrolled in the school system in this region [Region Three]”, he stated.
Over the past ten years, Guyana has seen a large influx of migrants from neighbouring countries with most coming from Venezuela. This is mostly due to the reality in the country, in which the country’s economy continues to suffer due to various reasons, despite having one of the largest deposits of oil.
Guyana is home to an estimated 24,500 refugees and migrants from Venezuela, including some 2,500 Indigenous Warao. Some have settled in hard-to-reach areas near the Venezuelan border and others in or around the towns of Mabaruma and Port Kaituma.
That number is said to comprise Venezuelan nationals, Guyanese Venezuelans who have lived there over several decades and their descendants, as well as nationals from other countries who have been residing in Venezuela.
Guyana is continuing with its efforts to protect migrants from Venezuela who continue to arrive in Guyana and to provide them with necessities such as access to health and education services, as well as regularizing their status in the country. Migrants in Guyana speak their native language of Spanish which poses a challenge for teachers, but according to the President, it also means good for the country.
“That is a very complex task for the Ministry of Education that brings with it tremendous challenges but also a tremendous opportunity, as we try to bring synergy and incorporate Spanish as an important second language.”
In the long run, the President pointed out, the fruit of such an exchange will become visible and allow Guyanese to be open to more opportunities.
“Maybe not five or ten years from now, but 15 years from now, you would say that perhaps this is one of the most transformative decisions we will take as a country because international jobs come with criteria such as having Spanish as part of your portfolio of languages”, he said.
Ali said that the Victory Lily Primary School will be the first school to fully integrate the teaching of Spanish and it will act as a pilot project.
