As Guyana steadfastly progresses into a modern technological era, Grade Six students across the country can now benefit from a mobile Mathematics app which is aimed at developing their skills and knowledge in the subject area.
First Lady Sandra Granger poses with Karen Abrams and two Grade Six students who attended the launch
The poor performance of Guyanese students in Mathematics at both the National Grade Six Assessment (NFSA) level and the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) level has raised much concern in society.
The app, which is the brainchild of STEM Guyana Project, is called the “NGSA Practice Exams” and is available for free download in the App Store and in the Play Store.
The app has a database of past NGSA Maths papers from 2010 to 2016 as well as explanation videos which provide answers to each question.
The app which is the brainchild of STEM Guyana Project, is called the ‘N.G.S.A Practice Exams’ and is available for free download at the App Store and the Play Store
The app also provides access to teachers from Guyana and Serbia who will also guide users.
Additionally, the app will serve as a marketplace for users to sell or trade textbooks and other educational materials.
It will also house a school events calendar and a grading system for schools across the country.
In the future, the STEM Guyana Project wants to extend the app to other Caribbean countries and expand it to include questions at a secondary level.
The concept was developed by STEM Guyana Project, cofounded by Karen Abrams.
During the launching ceremony on Monday at the National Racquet Centre on Woolford Avenue, Abrams explained that the project would be rolled in in several phases.
The first phase, she explained, has already been completed as it was the prelaunch stage whereby several students across the country used the app and shared their feedback.
The second phase includes the monitoring and evaluation of the app following its launch. Abrams said the goal was to raise funds to equip some 100 students across the country with tablets and Wi-Fi access so they can use the app.
The next step would be building public-private partnerships and to bring more parties onboard to support the imitative.
Providing that all goes well, Abrams said her ultimate goal was to expand the app to include more question papers and to cater for students at higher levels and all across the Caribbean.
First Lady Sandra Granger, who was present during the soft launching ceremony, was impressed with the initiative and expressed sincere gratitude to the team for their “labour of love”.
The Grade Six mobile Maths app launch was made possible through the full support of the Office of the First Lady of Guyana and the Ministry of the Presidency.
The STEM Guyana team also met with National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD) head Jennifer Cumberbatch, and has gained the full support of the organisation within the Education Ministry responsible for the development of STEM education.
Abrams said the organisation envisioned working with NCERD to improve the functionality of the app, to test the outcomes, and to improve the distribution to students and classrooms across Guyana.
STEM is a curriculum based on the idea of educating students in four specific disciplines — Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics — in an interdisciplinary and applied approach. Meanwhile, President David Granger in a statement on Monday said he would provide support for the initiative by funding the acquisition of tablets to be distributed to the 100 selected students.
“We will provide funds to acquire the equipment to help students to do better in Mathematics. It’s an investment. It’s not a liability. It’s not expenses. It is an investment in the children’s future,” the President said.
Last year, Cabinet approved the sum of $48 million to roll out a nationwide Mathematics programme aimed at enhancing the competency level of students in primary schools.
The programme would focus on training teachers in content and methodology, facilitating fortnightly cluster meetings in all regions, the recruitment of Mathematics coordinators and monitors, the training of officers and school administrators to supervise the teaching of Mathematics, preparing and administering a diagnosis assessment of pupils in hinterland before training, enhancing public relations and parental involvement in education, and acquisition of support material for students.
