New $170m Golden Grove Secondary school commissioned
Minister of Education Dr Nicolette Henry on Tuesday commissioned the newly constructed Golden Grove Secondary School.
According to a Ministry of Education (MoE) release, the school which is located on the East Coast of Demerara, some 15 miles from Georgetown was constructed by Ivor Allen Construction Services to the tune of $170 million.
In her address at the commissioning ceremony, the Education Minister said that the construction of every new school brings the country closer to the fulfilling of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4.4 which states ‘by 2030, there should be a substantial increase in the number of youths and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship’.
Henry also acknowledged the teachers and said that she is cognizant of the tedious tasks they undertake consistently, including becoming counsellors, guides and mentors. She nevertheless encouraged them to adopt a positive attitude, to create the best and most conducive learning environment for students and assured that the MoE and the government will continue to provide training and support to assist teachers in the execution of their duties.
Region Four Chairman, Genevieve Allen, in her remarks reminded that it was over the last four years that a number of longstanding schools such as Bladen Hall Multilateral and Friendship Secondary among other institutions in the region had major rehabilitation done to them.
The Regional Chairman said that at the regional level similar emphasis has been placed on education. She further stated that the commissioning of the school brings the region a step closer to phasing out all primary tops (a primary school that also has secondary classes) in the region and with the soon to be completed Good Hope Secondary School; the phasing out will be completed, ensuring there are no more primary tops in Region Four.
The new school is outfitted with four laboratories, two for science (biology and chemistry), one information technology laboratory and one home economics laboratory.
The institution also has a lift to cater to the needs of students with Special Education Needs. Other facilities include a waiting area (benab), hard tarmac, library, smart room, sick bay, counselling room, staff room, and a modern canteen. The school has a student population of 722.
The commissioning was also attended by Regional Executive Officer- Region Four, Pauline Lucas; Deputy Chief Education Officer (Administration) Ingrid Trotman as well as other senior education and regional officials, the release added.