Hopetown, Number 8 villages get new nursery schools

The  of Ministry Education on Monday commissioned two new nursery schools: one at Hopetown and one at Number 8 Village in Region Five. As the ministry seeks to improve access to nursery education, the new facilities will provide a spacious and comfortable learning environment for young students who were previously housed under temporary conditions.

The Number 8 students and teachers were previously accommodated at the Number 8 Primary School, while Hopetown Nursery occupied an old wooden building. The 41 nursery-aged pupils and five trained teachers in Number 8 Village will now occupy the new $85 million nursery school, while Hopetown’s 80 students and nine trained teachers will occupy the $90 million facility.

Minister of Education Priya Manickchand, at the opening of the schools, expressed her government’s commitment to ensuring access to early childhood education, despite nursery education not being compulsory. She nonetheless noted the importance of having the facilities available, as the ministry has observed nearly 95 percent enrolment at the nursery level.

This, she explained, is because the government has not only increased the number of primary and secondary schools, but also significantly expanded the number of nursery schools built in recent years.

“I am very glad to tell you that within the last three and half years we have built 67 nursery schools across Guyana… the most nursery schools ever built in a three and half year period.”

“Once we have put down 67 nursery schools then we don’t need 67 more anywhere else in Guyana,” the minister said.

Manickchand described the development as “historic,” noting that as communities evolve, new facilities will be built as needed. She added that 42 secondary schools were also constructed during this period — an achievement all Guyanese could be proud of.