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By Kiana Wilburg There is arguably, no other area of public administration, as intrinsically challenging as thatEducation Minister,Dr. Rupert Roopnaraineof the Education sector.Using this as his premise, Education Minister, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine made his contribution to the second day of debate on the 2017 budget which took place in the National Assembly.His presentation focused on some of the successes of his sector for 2016, key strategic interventions for the upcoming year and how they are intended to lay the foundation for the arduous task ahead in building a solid education infrastructure as a central pillar of the country’s survival in this still new century.Starting off with his review of 2016, Dr. Roopnaraine said that in keeping with the sector’s mission,NFL Jerseys China Online, the Ministry of Education embarked on new interventions designed to improve access to and the quality of education across all regions.Recognizing the need to improve school attendance, he said that the Ministry launched its pilot breakfast programme in nine East Coast of Demerara schools, which was equally divided between the communities of Buxton and Enmore. The Education Minister said that the project benefited 657 pupils.Further, Dr. Roopnaraine noted that there was the expansion of the hot meal programme in another 50 nursery and primary schools in Regions One,Marlon Humphrey Jersey, Seven, Eight, Nine and the Pomeroon River. He said that these improvements benefitted an additional 4,Cheap Jerseys Free,000 students.In 2016, a total of over 70,000 pupils would have received some form of nutritional snack or meal through the national school-feeding programme.Coupled with this, the Education Minister said that his Ministry continued its support service programmes. He said that these included the issuing of school uniform vouchers, of which over 133,000 students benefitted across all levels and the distribution of footwear and bicycles to students, particularly in the hinterland and riverine communities.In an effort to cushion the cost of transportation for the nation’s students, as well as, reduce the rate of dropouts at the post-secondary level, Dr. Roopnaraine said that a monthly stipend has been given to students of the Leonora and Mahaicony Technical and Vocational Centres and the Upper Corentyne Industrial Training Centre. Currently, over 500 such students are benefitting from this initiative, expressed the Education Minister.In keeping with the thrust of balancing the expressive arts with academic excellence, the Education Minister said that an additional 52 primary teachers were trained this year in the delivery of the music programme, giving a total of over 135 music teachers in schools.Further, an additional 1,000 pupils have been introduced to the playing of the recorder across Regions Two, Three, Four, Six and Ten. At the secondary level, he said that a total of 80 students were for the first time, introduced to the playing of the steel pans at three schools namely, Stewartville Secondary, Diamond Secondary and Bladen Hall Secondary.The Education Minister also told the House that the Ministry has recognized that there is a need to address the increased rate of psycho-social issues in schools. To this end, he said that initial efforts have been made to construct counseling rooms in 10 secondary schools namely: Cummings Lodge, Richard Ishmael, St. Mary’s,NFL Jerseys Cheap, Lodge, South Ruimveldt, Tutorial, Dolphin, East Ruimveldt, Tucville and Charlestown to provide a space for remedial sessions with students.He said, “We also continued to recognize the invaluable role parents play as partners in education. In this regard, for example, we launched the READ, PLAY, LOVE mass media campaign which – through print, video, radio, and web-based interface – will inundate communities across Guyana with the core message that primary caregivers and the community at large have a critical role to play in the education and socio-emotional development of young children.”Dr. Roopnaraine continued, “We recognize that curriculum is the cornerstone of any education system. This year, the Ministry took some steps towards conceptualizing the revision of its curriculum, including stakeholder consultations, curriculum review and assessment, curriculum development, training for curriculum pilot programmes and implementation and development of national assessment for the curriculum.”The Education Minister added, “In this era of rapid technological change, the Ministry has a mandate of ensuring that all secondary schools are adequately equipped for the teaching of ICT-related subjects. In addition to its ongoing work in providing a growing number of schools with new or upgraded computer lab facilities, 2016 also saw the launch of the One Laptop Per Teacher initiative.”Further, in collaboration with the E-Government Unit, 82 secondary schools, Dr. Roopnaraine said that eight TVET Institutions and six departments of education were provided with Internet and network connectivity, while 33 additional secondary schools and seven CPCE sites are in the process of being connected.Under the Secondary Improvement Project, the Education Minister said that Grade 7 students from eight pilot secondary schools of North Ruimveldt, Diamond, Bladen Hall Multilateral, Annandale, West Demerara, Leonora, St. Ignatius and Bartica were recipients of 1,120 tablets, all fully loaded with mathematics software with the aim of enhancing learning through the use of technology.Dr. Roopnaraine said that the teachers have been trained to utilize this new methodology and the schools have been equipped with projectors and servers to facilitate this process. Further, the Education Minister said that three science laboratories were completed at Vryman’s Erven, Canje and Annai Secondary schools to enhance the delivery of the sciences in schools.Consistent with the drive to embrace the fundamentals of a green economy, he said that the Ministry of Education has partnered with the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) in an attempt to reduce the usage and cost of electricity.The Education Minister said that the GEA has conducted energy assessments at 29 secondary schools across Guyana and has conducted energy saving awareness exercises at three schools in Georgetown.He said,Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping, too, that GEA has also provided support to the Ministry of Education through the rehabilitation of photovoltaic systems at five hinterland schools in the hinterland regions. Dr. Roopnaraine stated that GEA has also installed solar photovoltaic systems at seven schools, all in an attempt to ultimately reduce the usage of energy and electricity costs.This year, the Education Minster said that two new schools were completed— La Parfaite Harmonie Primary School and Smyth Street Nursery School. Additionally, the process for the construction of three additional nursery schools commenced at Mocha, Turkeyen and Carmelita.This year, too, the Education Minister said that the Ministry continued to position the national university as a centre for innovation.In this regard,Kyle Korver Hawks Jersey, Dr. Roopnaraine said, “Under the University of Guyana Science and Technology Support (UGSTSP), 15 Bachelor’s Degree programmes in the faculties of Natural Sciences, Technology, Agriculture and Forestry and Earth and Environmental Sciences were reformed and introduced in the 2016/2017 academic year.”He said that in addition to this, 13 buildings were rehabilitated and laboratory equipment and furniture were installed in the science and technology faculties and a fiber optic ring and wireless network was installed.The Education Minister stated that research projects in the areas of the impact of mining on biodiversity, alternative medicine and the integration of environmental education in the mathematics curriculum were completed.He said, too, that research in other areas such as the carbon storage potential of the mangrove forests in Guyana; the effects of corilla on secondary and primary cancer cell lines; and the impact of mining on fish diversity and diet in coastal and inland rivers of Guyana, continued.