Education provides one of the main planks for the pursuit of enhanced lives and lifestyles. The ability to read is critical to student success, as well as lifelong earning potential and economic security.
In spite of the many and various challenges facing Guyana in the delivery of services in the various sectors, when one focuses on the education sector – one can see marked success in the programmes initiated by past and present Governments to deliver quality education to all of Guyana’s children and provide equitable opportunities for all in the pursuit of upward mobility.
A primary initiative in the education system that has created successes in the education sector was the establishment of the multimedia centre at the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD), with one of the centre’s main activities being the production and broadcast on television of educational programmes. The learning television channel is dedicated to broadcasting programmes throughout the country via the use of satellite communications technology. Broadcasting commenced in 2011 and has proven a great success story.
Additionally, organisational capacity and managerial capability have been enhanced, strengthening the management of the education sector and central ministry.
Focus has been placed on achieving improved educational outcomes through a continuum of policy reviews, initiation of new programmes and initiatives, promoting improved performance management, and monitoring mechanisms geared to ensure that the goals of the Education Strategic Plan were achieved.
Teacher training has been also enhanced with the introduction of the Associate Degree in Education (ADE), for which an initial batch of 426 persons enrolled and commenced training at the Cyril Potter College of Education, along with other teachers in training.
Teachers have been benefiting from continuous development programmes, especially in special training for Maths and English teachers who participate in the non-graduate programmes.
Efforts to support the advances made in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) at the school and post-secondary levels have also borne fruit, as well as in the field of Information Communication Technology (ICT), where teachers receive basic training in the use of computers, with a project of equipping computer labs completed. As such, there have been great strides in ensuring the professionalisation of the teaching force.
In the student community, remediation programmes to facilitate improved Maths and English scores are an ongoing facet of quality education.
There have been stringent efforts to promote child-friendly schools, including enhancements to the school buildings; sanitation blocks; health, nutrition and counselling services; revitalising the PTAs; community outreaches, student councils and inclusive education. These elements facilitate the realisation of child-friendly schools.
However, irrespective of the efforts of Government, the development of Guyana’s children needs cooperative partnership between parents and educational mentors, so parents need to recognise that their support and participation are integral to the holistic development of their children so that they can emerge as rounded adults primed to engage and overcome the challenges of adulthood.
