This week, the PPP/C government showcased major strides in education, blending brick-and-mortar achievements with policy relief for families. On Monday, President Dr. Irfaan Ali officially commissioned the brand-new Brickdam Secondary School in central Georgetown – a state-of-the-art institution built at a cost of almost G$700 million. The opening of this modern school is a milestone in the administration’s drive to achieve universal secondary education by 2026, a goal President Ali hailed as “a bold stride that spans coastland and hinterland alike.” Standing before the gleaming three-story facility, he declared, “The future of education in Guyana is not only bright, it is brilliant. We are not just building schools. We are creating opportunities, entrenching equity, and fostering greater quality.”

The new Brickdam Secondary School is designed to provide a safe, high-quality learning environment for about 485 students with a full complement of 51 teachers. It replaces the old St. Mary’s High School that previously occupied the site and revives the historic Brickdam Secondary name, which had been relocated years ago due to structural issues. The upgraded campus boasts 22 spacious classrooms, science laboratories, IT and industrial technology rooms, home economics labs, a modern auditorium, a sick bay, a canteen, and even a dedicated play area. Emphasis has been placed on safety and resilience: the school is equipped with fire alarms, extinguishers, multiple emergency exits, and built with fire-resistant materials. Construction on this showcase project began in 2023 and was completed in sections by a team of local contractors, demonstrating the government’s ability to execute complex projects within a tight timeframe.

Brickdam Secondary is one of several new or refurbished schools delivered under the PPP/C’s current term, as the government rolls out its sweeping education agenda. Other major secondary institutions have been rebuilt or expanded recently – including Christ Church Secondary and North Ruimveldt Secondary in Georgetown, St. George’s School of Medicine, Houston Secondary on the East Bank, Nismes Secondary in Region 3, and the Christenburg-Wismar Secondary in Linden (Region 10). In far-flung areas, the administration has constructed schools like Karasabai Secondary in Region 9 to serve hinterland communities. Additionally, iconic older schools such as Queen’s College, Bishop’s High, St. Rose’s, and St. Joseph’s High have seen major upgrades, while schools like Hope Secondary and Annandale Secondary received extensions or rehabilitation. President Ali observed that this rapid expansion of education infrastructure – spanning coastal cities to remote villages – “has never before been attempted or achieved in Guyana’s history.”

But building schools is only half the story. President Ali used the occasion to emphasize turning educational access into meaningful action. “Since 2020, we’ve injected almost $600 billion into our education sector. This is an investment in the brains, hearts, and hands of our children,” he said, highlighting the unprecedented budgetary support education has received in the last five years. These funds are not merely for new facilities – they underpin teacher training, curriculum improvements, and technology in classrooms. The President reaffirmed his government’s commitment to bridging the educational divide between coastland and hinterland regions. He pointed out that many of the newly built schools are in far-flung areas like Barima-Waini (Region 1), Cuyuni-Mazaruni (Region 7), Potaro-Siparuni (Region 8), and Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo (Region 9) – places that historically lacked adequate secondary schools. “We are building infrastructure to give equal opportunity,” Ali said. “No longer will students have to travel miles or be confined by geography to access quality education.” Indeed, with dormitory schools and better regional distribution, children in indigenous and rural communities can now attend modern schools closer to home.

At Monday’s commissioning ceremony, Education Minister Priya Manickchand shared concrete evidence of promises kept by the PPP/C administration in the education sector. She announced that over G$140 million has been reimbursed just in the past week to parents in Georgetown for CXC examination fees. This refund covers up to eight subjects per student for the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and CAPE exams, effectively making those exams free for students, as the government had vowed. “This last week alone, we had over $140 million received by parents as a refund on the CXC fees that you would have paid for your children,” Minister Manickchand reported, standing in the brand-new auditorium of Brickdam Secondary. This reimbursement fulfills a major election promise of the PPP/C – to remove the exam cost barrier so that no Guyanese child is deterred from taking their exams due to finances.

The Education Minister reminded the audience that the exam fee subsidy is just one of a slew of promises made – and now kept – by the PPP/C to revamp education. She pointed to the expansion of the school feeding programme, which provides free meals or snacks to tens of thousands of students, ensuring hunger is not a hindrance to learning. Additionally, the re-introduction of free textbooks for children has eased the burden on parents and equipped students with necessary learning materials. Manickchand also highlighted the reinstatement of the “Because We Care” cash grant, a programme that gives cash support to families for each school-aged child – a signature PPP/C initiative that had been halted under the previous government and resumed in 2020. “These were all promises that were made, and I’m happy to say that these were all promises that were kept,” she said with evident pride. From the perspective of parents and students, the PPP/C’s term has brought tangible relief: feeding programmes mean children concentrate better; free textbooks and cash grants mean household savings; and paid exam fees mean equal opportunity for advancement.

The atmosphere at the Brickdam school commissioning was celebratory. Students and teachers marveled at the new facilities – “a dream come true for us,” Minister Manickchand called it – and community members toured the science labs and computer rooms with excitement. President Ali, donning a hard hat turned ceremonial for the occasion, mingled with students and stressed that the transformation of education is about outcomes, not just outputs. It’s not only about erecting buildings, he noted, but about “preparing our people to create opportunities” in a rapidly developing Guyana. “We are not waiting for opportunities; we are preparing our people to create them,” Ali said, framing education as the foundation of the country’s future economy.

Also addressing the gathering, Headmistress Yvette Hawker described the commissioning as a “landmark occasion” that shows “education remains a national priority.” “This new facility… is more than just a structure of concrete and steel, it is a symbol of progress,” the veteran educator remarked, noting that for her staff and students, Monday “marks a milestone for public education in Guyana.”

As the event concluded, the sentiment shared by officials and parents alike was that Guyana’s education system is decisively on an upward trajectory. The PPP/C government has moved aggressively from expanding access to delivering actionable quality – reducing inequalities, investing heavily in modern learning tools, and literally rebuilding the nation’s schools. The newly commissioned Brickdam Secondary, alongside dozens of other projects and initiatives, stands as a concrete testament to that progress. In the words of Minister Manickchand, “This is not just a promise. This is a deliverance, a tangible deliverance of our love for you and your children.” The results are being felt in classrooms and homes across Guyana – fewer burdens on parents, better facilities for students, and a sense that the country is investing in its next generation like never before.