Children deserve every opportunity for success, and education paves the way for this success. While for many children in Guyana access to education remains a challenge, the Ministry of Education is facing the challenge head on by instituting a series of programmes aimed at ensuring that students have the best possible chance of excelling. The Education Ministry, realising that students have, over the years, been struggling with Mathsematics, has now introduced a Maths Camp specifically aimed towards improving overall performance at the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA). The Ministry has realized that, over the years, students have been struggling in this particular subject area.
The initiative has attracted the participation of over one thousand students, and is being held at three locations in Georgetown. Participants will, no doubt, be encouraged to further develop their problem-solving and analytical skills while fostering their passion for the subject. In addition, such a programme would also broaden participants’ understanding of core concepts learned during the school year.
Ministry officials have emphasised that the main purposes of the programme are to tackle difficult Mathsematical topics and concepts, and to share effective methods to address same, with emphasis on problem-solving techniques. The initiative is expected to see Maths coordinators and monitors, along with teachers from the various schools, organising and being actively involved in this exercise. The intervention entailed a number of aspects, such as training for teachers in content and methodology; and according to the Ministry, over 1000 teachers were trained in this regard. The camp also presents the opportunities for parents to assist, and learn strategies to help teachers; thereby focusing on a more collective impact. Many research studies have identified various ways of collective participation in education, providing specific channels through which everyone can be involved in children’s education.
Indeed, there are many benefits to this approach, and we cannot overstate the significance and benefits of a more collective participation in education, which is a winning strategy in improving educational access and quality. Education is a vital human right, enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Every girl and every boy should have the right to a quality education so that they can have more chances in life, including employment opportunities. Such an initiative can also provide a platform for young people to socialise and collaborate to solve Maths problems.
Last year, Cabinet approved the sum of $48 million to roll out a nationwide Mathsematics 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 Mathsematics coordinators and monitors, the training of officers and school administrators to supervise the teaching of Mathss, preparing and administering a diagnosis assessment of pupils in hinterland schools before training, enhancing public relations and parental involvement in education, and acquisition of support material for students.
Additionally, over a year ago, the STEM Guyana Project launched its Grade Six mobile Maths app, which was created to help the more than 14,000 children of Guyana taking the Grade Six exam each year.
STEMGuyana is a 50-member Diaspora group which partners with local stakeholders to prepare young people to use their creativity, brilliance, and innovative spirits to create technological solutions for problems in their community. With such initiatives in the pipeline, and through partnerships with organisations like STEMGuyana, the Education Ministry is taking a step in the right direction, and ensuring that literacy and numeracy remain a priority for all of Guyana’s children.
