Back to school

As
parents are undergoing last-minute checks to ensure they have all the items needed to send their children back to school, it is an ideal time to pause and reflect on how fortunate we are to have such access to an education.
There is no shying away from the fact there is still much to do within the education system here, but appreciating how far the system has come and all it is planning to achieve, needs positively acknowledging.
With over 70 million children around the globe having very limited or no access to a primary education, the picture becomes clearer that although many other countries have more advanced, efficient education systems, there are millions of children longing to have the opportunities that are afforded our children here in Guyana.
While many of those developing countries continue to be plagued with the same difficulties poverty brings to all its hosts, we are fortunate enough to be in a position where schools and teachers are available even in the hinterlands. Let all of us ensure we play our part in utilising what we do have on offer.
Parents have a moral and legal duty to ensure attendance at school. Children should not be absent due to having to look after younger siblings, or going out to work. While it has to be understood this is sometimes necessary for the survival of a family, it should not be a long-term arrangement and every effort ought to be made to make effective plans to change the situation.
It is a child’s right to attend school and our responsibility that they are afforded that right. No matter what level of literacy a parent has, there are many ways to support a child’s learning at home, from encouragement to creating space and time for homework. Just being interested and aware is often enough to inspire a child.
School can be such an influential part of a child’s life, impacting long beyond school days.
Teachers can have either a life changing effect or a stifling one. Hopefully any of those who have not been having a positive effect will have had time to reflect over the summer and be strong enough to critically analyse their reason for teaching and ensure their approach fits the purpose of their profession.
After all, the emphasis is on how well you can transfer information, encourage critical thinking and ignite a thirst and love of learning in your students. The discipline necessary to cultivate this should not lose its nurturing focus. Remember you are not just teaching academics, your job is considerably more complex.
Students be aware of the doors that will be open to you if you value your learning and don’t waste the opportunities you are being given.
Ensure you take full responsibility and play your own part on your educational journey. No excuses; take control of your own future by working to the best of your ability and give yourself every chance at success. Take full advantage of what is available whatever your capabilities so you reach your potential. Come prepared to learn. Don’t oppose your teachers at every opportunity; personalities do not always fit but you are in this together and both will benefit from the same outcome.
The scope for improvements is vast and resources, training and implementation are limited in too many areas in Guyana. Among the difficulties facing the country are: lack of financial resources affecting schooling materials, insufficient teacher training affecting the quality of teaching, oversized classes and those mixed with a wide range of ages and abilities making it difficult to challenge and pitch lessons at a level where all benefit.
Nevertheless, we should still be counting our blessings that within the public system the majority of our children have access to a reasonable form of education at least.
The focus now is on raising the standards within this sector and the sooner the better. Many of our young people are not accessing what they should be and for many reasons the system is failing them. However, the point is the system is in place and little by little it has the potential to improve and become more efficient. Of course we all continue to hope that those others around the world will soon have access too.