By Dacia Richards | HGP Nightly News
Yupukari, Region 9 – Approximately 200 students from Yupukari and surrounding communities now have access to full secondary education following the commissioning of the Yupukari Secondary School, a milestone in the region’s educational development.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Minister of Education Priya Manickchand emphasized that the school’s construction came after years of the village relying on an extended primary program without a full transition into secondary education.
“We had to build a full secondary school, not just a department. And we began immediately to extend what were going to be just classrooms into a full secondary school,” the Minister explained.
The new institution is equipped with trained teachers, textbooks, and will also provide daily meals to support student learning and wellbeing.
“This is a discrete secondary school with trained teachers to teach the full secondary program,” Manickchand emphasized, adding that the initiative is about providing real opportunities for advancement.
Yupukari Secondary is one of seven new secondary schools scheduled to be constructed across Guyana. According to the Education Minister, these developments are designed to give students the opportunity to progress from Grade 9 through to CSEC, and then on to university-level studies.
“Are you understanding what that means for the next generation? For the future?” she asked the audience, highlighting the transformational impact of these investments.
The school was constructed by contractor Clive King, as part of government efforts to expand access to education in hinterland and rural areas. The opening of the Yupukari Secondary follows closely on the heels of the commissioning of the Kokerite Secondary School, reinforcing the administration’s commitment to building up education infrastructure in Region 9.
