GNBS introduces standardisation to education system

In an effort to further promote regularisations within the various sectors of the country, the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) on Tuesday launched its first ever Standards and Academia Initiative, including their works as a part of the formal curriculum in schools, countrywide.
This is as the GNBS in recent months embarked on a series of stringent measures to ensure that operations within the economy and society are befitting the standards dictated by the national body.
In doing so, the Bureau has now moved to introduce its new educational approach which seeks to address the significance of standardisation, starting from within the schools.
While speaking at the launch of the Standards and Academia Initiative on Tuesday, the Executive Director of the GNBS, Candell Walcott-Bostwick, expressed delight in realisation of this significant undertaking.
“This initiative is to educate our students, our leaders for tomorrow, on the roles and functions of the GNBS as the national standards body and the benefits of implementing standards.”
On that note, Bostwick pointed out that many persons are not aware the Bureau exists, much less of its roles and functions. As such, she posited that this project is aimed at bridging that gap. In fact, she deems this the formal induction of standardisation to the education system.
The GNBS Executive Director then went on to outline the structure this new approach will have, while emphasising the importance of teaching locally and internationally established standards, especially in schools across Guyana.
Adding to that, she highlighted the ripple effect this effort will have; particularly as the students go on to pursue career paths which will be crucial to the development of the country.

Bostwick pointed out that, “This initiative is to provide students with sufficient knowledge on the benefits of standards applicable to different sectors and is expected to facilitate a smooth transition into higher levels of education and into everyday lives, and continued by saying, “Standards influence everything. Our students must be educated in this importance field since it will boost their understanding in key topics such as globalisation, which is rampant and will remain so for the foreseeable future.”
Moreover, the GNBS Director indicated that this initiative is one of the outcomes of Guyana’s participation in a past forum hosted by the International Organisation of Standards (ISO).
The event on Tuesday officially kicked off the pilot project of the Standards and Academia Initiative which will see the GNBS partnering with the Education Ministry.
During this first phase, an information booklet, titled: “Let’s Talk Standards”, will be distributed to primary schools in Regions Three, Four, Five, Six and 10 so as to facilitate the introduction of standardisation into the curriculum.
Come next year, the Bureau is set to organise a series of activities, such as debate competitions, which will assess the progress of this venture. Based on the success of this pilot project, the initiative will then materialise in schools across Guyana, officially taking its place as a part of the country’s academic curriculum, with the possibility of extending across all levels.