Critique of NGSA score increases seems dishonest

Dear Editor,
A recent editorial in a PNC-aligned newspaper is making false allegations and questioning the recent announcement that NGSA (National Grade Six Assessment) scores have gone up. This is not surprising because PNC folks cannot acknowledge or give credit for the enormous all-around improvements that have taken place in so many sectors in Guyana. “Good” is evil spoken of, and much “awfulizing” takes place.
The Opposition are experts at making good things seem bad. That’s their job. Darned if you do and darned if you don’t. All is not perfect, and there is much to be fixed, but we have made great strides in the past five years, and honesty requires that we give credit where credit is due.
A newspaper cannot just make false allegations without any evidence whatsoever that the improvements in student scores in all areas and the percentage passing the exam are not real. That seems like a grudge and jealousy that educational outcomes are rising at a time when we need massive reforms in education for all our people to be prepared to share in national prosperity.
What the PNC side missed is the minister of education’s remarks that the goal is to create strong high schools in every region so that students can attend neighbourhood schools.
I have been a strong critic of the NGSA and have called for the dismantling of this colonial-era relic used to place students in schools. The construction of so many new schools under the Ali administration is unparalleled in our history. These new facilities will lead to better equity among high schools and reduce gaps between coastal and riverine and interior schools, to which the Government seems strongly committed.
The Government has been investing in huge resources in new school construction and support programmes and wants a return on our investments. As a nation we need to work together to improve matriculation rates across the country, improve accountability for teachers, administrators, parents, and students, and fix the broken, inefficient regional system on whom we depend to ensure quick, efficient services to schools in the regions.
The PNC side would do well to act in the national interest and encourage the Teachers Union allied to their agenda to support better accountability in schools. While we celebrate the high achievers at NGSA, let’s have a strategic plan to create a rising tide of school reform that raises all boats. Enormous work has to be done in that regard. Education is everyone’s business.
As has been oft repeated, it takes a whole village to raise a child, as the African proverb says. The village idiots cannot help us. It takes all of us – the Government, public and private schools, the business community, all political parties, all churches, NGOs (non-Governmental organisations), all parents, and students – everyone – to work hard and be united in the common purpose of creating a world-class educational design.
Can the PNC and all political parties be magnanimous in committing to such a lofty idea of reimagining education? As I have said, “A hole in the boat is a hole in the whole boat.” Are we all willing to plug holes, regardless of who is in the Government, for the good of our entire nation?

Yours sincerely,
Dr Jerry Jailall