Friday afternoons for school sport, recreation; primary tops to be abolished- Ali

Last Updated on Monday, 21 July 2025, 22:05 by Writer

President Irfaan Ali on Monday announced that Friday afternoons would be timetabled for sport and recreation at schools to help reduce preferences for electronic devices such as mobile phones and tablets.

“I want to see an education system (in which) Friday afternoons after lunch are completely dedicated to sport and physical education. I believe strongly that if we are to make a shift from this device-led world to a human-led world, we need to make these important changes,” he said.

Dr Ali made the announcement at the formal opening of the Brickdam Secondary School in Georgetown, but did not specify when that directive would take effect. The students and teachers of Brickdam Secondary had been relocated to East La Penitence after the owner of the previous building a few doors east of the new school had informed the Ministry of Education that it needed the building to be returned.

Facing the September 1, 2025 general and regional elections, he promised that over the next five years “great emphasis” would be placed on sport and physical education because they play a very important role in developing human capital.

Also being planned over the next five years, he said, were school tours and exchange programmes among schools as part of the teaching of geography and social studies to narrow educational gaps. “We have to be able to have exchange programmes among and between schools so that our children can grow up knowing what all of Guyana looks and feels like,” he said. Several schools across Guyana had set aside Friday afternoons for extra-curricular activities dating back to the 1970s.

He also announced that government would abolish primary top schools where a number of secondary subjects are being taught after Grade Six. He said Guyana now had new schools and resources to allow secondary education to delivered fully and properly in secondary schools. “It is high time we give effect to universal secondary education and by this we mean five years of secondary education for every child in Guyana,” he said.

The President also reiterated the importance of teaching civics to nurture and imbue patriotism in Guyanese. Dr Ali also said his government was continuing to bridge the gap among students across Guyana to ensure that everyone has access to the same quality of education.

For instance, he said the government would soon be signing a contract to install laboratories in secondary schools in the hinterland.

Meanwhile, Education Minister Priya Manickchand dismissed an election promise by the opposition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) vice presidential candidate, Ganesh Mahipaul that if his party wins the upcoming polls, counsellors would be provided. However, Ms Manickchand said of the 117 secondary schools, 97 of them have one or two counsellors. “We’ve done it. We did it. They’re not paying attention,” she said.