Guyana finally climbing out of COVID-19 slump – Manickchand

…says Govt still working to overcome gaps in education sector

The Government, through the Education Ministry, is still aggressively working to overcome and close, in the education system, gaps which were cause by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Education Minister Priya Manickchand, Guyana is finally climbing out of the COVID-19 slump, but there are still some challenges hindering the nation’s children from preforming at their best. In this regard, she disclosed that strategic programmes are being implemented to address the learning loss experienced during the two-year period.

It has been noted that most of the interventions are tailored for high school students in Grades 10 and 11, given that Guyana is working cohesively with the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) to increase the overall regional performance in crucial topics such as Mathematics.
Last year, the region recorded a 43 per cent pass rate, compared to 37 per cent in 2022, while Guyana independently recorded a pass rate of 34 percent for 2023 and 2022.
“We believe that we have some interventions that will make a difference, and very soon you will see us rolling that out. For one, all children at Grades 10 and 11 – that would be fourth and fifth form – will receive certain materials, including Geometry sets, calculators, graph books, mathematics text books, past papers, guidance to websites about where they can access enforcement, and lessons every afternoon through our distance education means,” Manickchand has explained.
“It’s not only the books; it’s the retraining (of) teachers, it’s the involvement (of) parents, and the constant monitoring and evaluation as we go along to make sure that children are gaining the skills that they are supposed to gain at the appropriate levels,” she added.
The issue of low performance in Mathematics has long plagued the region; however, the Caribbean is determined to address the longstanding challenge at the primary and secondary school levels. In fact, Guyana has begun curating learning materials specific to the nation’s children to aid in eliminating the issue.
Manickchand explained that this particular intervention is actively being pursued, not only for Mathematics, but also for English Language.
“We have to start seeing more children being able to read at grade level. So, we are looking at, and currently creating material that will change our literacy rates. What we want is that, by Grade 3, every child is a reader, and reading and comprehending, cause it’s knowing what you’re reading. We believe it can happen, we believe it has to come with a dedication from the teachers and the person who are supervising those teachers,” the Minister has posited.