Nigel Hughes’ “no” Toka nursery school building claim challenged

Last Updated on Monday, 16 September 2024, 21:57 by Denis Chabrol

Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Nigel Hughes’ claim that there is no nursery school building at Toka, North Rupununi, resulting in classes being held under a tree is being called into serious question as evidence has been provided that there is a building, though defective.

A woman named Indranee Roopsind, in a Social Media comment on Mr Hughes’ post,  said the nursery school building was rebuilt around 2017-2018 but that a number of parents last year refused to send their children to the school because of cracked walls and a shifting foundation.

Corroborated by other accounts, Toka has a nursery school but due to the structural problems, the regi0nal administration approved for classes to be held in the headmistress’ residence but during extremely hot weather, classes are held outdoor.

A top Ministry of Education official on Monday provided proof that on September 9, 2024, the Regional Executive Officer of Region Nine (Upper Takatu-Upper Essequibo), Karl Singh informed contractor, Clyve King that he was awarded a GY$13.9 million contract to construct the Toka Nursery School. The project is expected to take three months.

On Sunday, Mr Hughes said on his Facebook page that, “the nursery school children from Toka have no school building so they are being taught outdoors under the Cashew tree” and on Monday after his account of “no school building” was being challenged, he called on the Minister of Education to provide proof of nursery school students in the building. “Can the Minister of Education send us photographs of the Toka Nursery school building with the students inside,” he said.

A few weeks ago, Mr Hughes had sparked off a controversy after saying that nursery school students in Phillipai were being made to use pit latrines.