most parents were forced to keep their children at home

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Minster of Education Rupert Roopnaraine on Wednesday commissioned the Cummings Park Nursery School for residents of E’ Field, Sophia, whose children were not having access to nearby schooling.(From left) Minister Roopnaraine cutting the ribbon with a student at the Cummings Park Nursery School in Sophia.The new school has 28 students so far, along with four teachers. The decision to construct was made after a feasibility study was carried out in the area.Head teacher Cecile Whyte-Joseph said the findings in the study revealed that the majority of the children living in the area did not have access to nearby schooling because of deplorable roads and flooding. She also stated that schools outside of Cummings Park were far away.Because of the deplorable roads, most parents were forced to keep their children at home, sometimes for days and weeks, she said.Joseph, therefore, stated that the construction of a nursery school within the area was a positive move carried out by the Ministry. In October 2014, erection of the school began and the keys to the building were handed over to the Ministry earlier this year.“I hope that the community will join in the preservation of this school,” Joseph said.Roopnaraine stated that while it may seem difficult for children in Cummings Park to access education, the situation was far worse in the hinterlands, where children would have to travel miles to get to their schools.Thus, he said, Cummings Park had something to celebrate and improve upon. Roopnaraine stated that it was his hope that the school had a strong Parent- Teacher Association (PTA), since it is a pivotal element in any school’s academic system. He said it is the driving force behind a school’s accomplished objectives.He also stressed the need for schools to place more emphasis on culture and sports in schools so that Guyana will be able to produce “rounded students”.