US$1.9M PIC for Hopetown Reg. Five
March 25, 2025 – Minister of Education Priya Manickchand officially commissioned the US$1.9 million Hopetown Practical Instructional Centre earlier today at Mahaica-Berbice, Region 5.
This state-of-the-art facility, developed under the Ministry of Education’s Guyana Skills Development and Employability Project, represents a major step in modernizing and expanding technical and vocational education nationwide.
The newly retrofitted and expanded centre offers Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ) Level 1 training in six occupational areas: Graphic Arts Workshop, Commercial Food Preparation, Masonry/Plumbing, Electrical Installation, Housekeeping, and Carpentry Making. The facility aims to enhance access to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) while reducing unemployment among its target population of 400 students.
With these advanced facilities, the centre is positioned to become a key skills training hub in Region 5, benefiting students, early school leavers, educators, and the wider community.
The project included the construction of a Learning Resource Centre, a Commercial Food Preparation building, a Graphics Workshop, and a sanitary block with a changing room.
The Housekeeping and Carpentry Making building was also rehabilitated, with modern tools and equipment installed for each workshop.
Dr. Ritesh Tularam, Deputy Chief Education Officer (Technical), highlighted the Ministry’s ongoing efforts to integrate competency-based education in secondary schools, ensuring students receive early exposure to TVET subjects.
“The Ministry of Education would’ve ensured that all the necessary systems are in place, mechanisms are in place to ensure that our students are transiting in a very smooth way, from the entrance of their Secondary School life, ultimately to the exiting of their secondary school life,” Dr. Tularam explained.
He emphasized the implementation of the Caribbean Certificate of Secondary Level Competence (CCSLC) program, which follows a competency-based education model to systematically guide students into technical careers.
Minister Manickchand, speaking at the ceremony, detailed the government’s broader education initiatives across Region 5, including the expansion of teacher training, school rehabilitations, and efforts to achieve universal access to education.
“We started around 2022 at Belladrum, the teacher training college so that your teachers don’t have to travel to New Amsterdam or to Turkeyen. We are repairing significantly, at a cost of either $300M or $400M, the Bush Lot Secondary School, we are repairing significantly also, the Fort Wellington Secondary School,” the Minister stated.
She further highlighted the achievement of universal secondary education in Region 5 and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to providing students with necessary resources such as textbooks.
“I’m happy to tell you that this is one of the few regions where we have achieved Universal Secondary Education. That means every single child in this region could access, at a place close to their homes, or be facilitated at a dormitory, a discreet secondary school,” she said.
The Minister also provided updates on the ‘Because We Care’ Cash Grant, aimed at supporting families and ensuring students remain in school.
“Over the last four years, it’s been the smoothest process. You come, once your children’s name is on the register. The only problem is that we always have a line, and that’s because there’s always a line. But this year, we’re making it less cumbersome by expanding the number of schools,” she explained.
The Hopetown Practical Instructional Centre stands as a testament to the government’s commitment to technical education, equipping young people with industry-relevant skills.
