The Patentia Secondary School, West Bank Demerara has expanded with a new Industrial Technology block built for its students.
At the commissioning ceremony on Monday, it was highlighted that the students will soon enjoy additional facilities including a multipurpose sport facility. The new block was completed a year ago.
Lovern Carrell, Headteacher at the school, highlighted that the new building represents the Ministry of Education’s dedication to creating a better learning environment. With enhanced facilities and resources, students will now have the necessary tools to succeed both academically and personally.
“It is designed to offer all our students grades 7 – 11, the best possible education to make them the ideal citizens, as such this space creates more opportunities for them to explore, to learn and to grow,” the headteacher said.
Minister of Education Priya Manickchand, during her remarks, emphasised the importance of skilled labour in Guyana.
“In fact there are many academic papers now across the world talking about the value of skills training versus academic degrees and a lot of people are opting for skills training rather than degrees on paper because it is more lucrative and it allows them more flexibility to be productive for themselves and their families,” Manickchand explained.
She also mentioned plans for further expansions at the school, including a multipurpose sports facility.
“One of the things we want to do is to make sure no child is sitting in an open area with blackboards dividing,” Manickchand said as she further added plans to construct actual classrooms at the school.
The new block is accessible to all students at the school since industrial technology is a compulsory subject.