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In preparation for the CXC audit, the school undertook several significant initiatives to meet the required standards. These efforts included upgrading facilities to meet industry benchmarks, correctly displaying signs and symbols, and appropriately marking safety lanes.

On Tuesday, the New Amsterdam Secondary School hosted a grand prize ceremony to celebrate the school following its recognition as a model institution for the Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ) by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC). The event, held at the school auditorium, was attended by several distinguished officials, including the Deputy Chief Education Officer -Technical, Dr. Ritesh Tularam; Assistant Chief Education Officer – Technical, Marcia Paddy and Regional Education Officer for Region 6, Satish Udit.

During the ceremony, the school’s exceptional performance and commitment to vocational excellence were highlighted, as it emerged as the top model among nine schools evaluated across Guyana. The school’s innovative initiatives and dedicated efforts were extensively commended, setting a new benchmark for vocational education standards in the region.

DCEO – Technical, Dr. Ritesh Tularam, in his address, lauded the dedication and hard work of the school, and reiterated the Ministry of Education’s position as it relates to the delivery of quality, equity, relevance, and currency where Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is concerned, and further emphasized the importance of such achievements in enhancing the overall educational standards in the region.

In her brief remarks, Assistant Chief Education Officer – Technical, Marcia Paddy, emphasized to attendees at the ceremony that the prevailing narrative suggesting incompetence among individuals engaged in TVET areas is unfounded. She underscored that working in TVET does not denote inferiority in any capacity.

The New Amsterdam Secondary School offers Data Operations, Metal Work Engineering, Commercial Food Preparation, Crop Production, Furniture Making, and General Office Administration.

This is in keeping with the Ministry’s goal of ensuring every child exits high school with one TVET subject, a foreign language, at least one musical instrument, exposure to sports, and an overall strong sense of volunteerism.

[Ministry of Education Press Release]

This week, Dr. Bux said the assailant of a stabbing incident came to the department, seemingly hoping to continue attacking the victim who had gone there for treatment. The Head of Department said this disrupted the work of the critical hospital department, rendering workers unable to provide care to patients in need for some time.

There were other cases within the past two months that involved patients seeking treatment with weapons in their possession.

And Dr. Bux said the health workers are growing increasingly fearful for their safety and well-being.

The A&E department is a high-stress area which deals with patients in need of immediate medical attention. The GPHC’s Chief Executive Officer, Robbie Rambarran, said hostility and violence against healthcare workers at the hospital are concerns throughout the facility.

“It’s very challenging to deal with,” Rambarran lamented.

According to him, healthcare workers are receiving training to better de-escalate situations and improve their public relations abilities. Still, he believes it is unacceptable for healthcare workers to face verbal and physical violence.