New policies will address governance, performance of education sector – Hutson

In the wake of the pandemic and the need for a robust education system to ensure continued learning, the Education Ministry has created blueprint policies for better governance, performance and efficiency.

On Monday, the University of Guyana’s Centre of Excellence for Teaching and Learning hosted its second biennial teaching conference, putting emergency remote teaching and learning under the microscope.
Chief Education Officer, Marcel Hutson in his address mentioned that in order for Guyana’s education system to be resilient against any disruption, it must be guided by national policies. With this in mind, a strategic plan was developed to identify and tackle inequalities, and efficiency.

“Discussing these issues is not enough. The change we desire must be guided by clear policy documents that must be used as reference point. In our context, we have developed a national strategic plan that addresses issues related to improved governance and accountability, improved performance at all levels, improving the efficiency of the education sector, reducing inequities, and contributing to lifelong learning.”
“This plan articulates a shared vision, mission and values, thus enabling all stakeholders to work towards a shared vision. It effectively organises the Ministry of Education and staffers to work towards the achievement of a common agenda. The plan encourages commitment by showing staff members that their work is essential and are part of a larger strategy to help our schools in particular to succeed,” said Hutson.
The Chief Education Officer also pointed to the recently launched risk management policy, aimed at continued learning in the event of any outbreaks or natural disasters.
“The purpose of the policy was to improve risk management measures within the education sector and provide national guidance. We now have a blueprint for mitigating against issues like flooding, drought, and disease outbreaks to facilitate the continuity of education in a case of such disasters, determined to be in tune with modernity,” he noted.
The Chief Education Officer explained that this is all geared at creating a holistic plan for the sector, having identified loopholes that existed after the COVID-19 pandemic struck.
He verbalised, “Amid any emergency, we must be determined now more than ever to respond with resilience, rectitude and resourcefulness to ensure all our students are adequately served, particularly in remote areas that are often left undone. There is the need to adopt a holistic approach to education delivery but working with all of our stakeholders, including our teachers, parents and the wider community…A motivated, highly-trained workforce forms the backbone of any would be developed country. The need for invention, new idea generation, flexibility and inventiveness essentially comes via human input.”
Chancellor of UG, Professor Edward Greene lauded science, technology, innovation and the human resources who develop these mechanisms as an important facet in addressing present-day challenges.
“The recent announcement that UG’s language unit has trained 25 Guyanese to translate emergency and COVID related messages into Indigenous languages is an example of the key role a university can play when it comes to fostering an innovative mindset to service the needs of the community, whether in science or in arts. Without the vast range of science-based behavioural, creative arts and multi-disciplinary research, it is hard to imagine Guyana and the Caricom region being centres of science, technology and innovation,” he underscored.
Vice Chancellor, Professor Paloma Mohamed-Martin also expressed that COVID-19 has redefined the way education is delivered at the University, with their 2000 courses and 141 programmes now offered online; and a comprehensive infrastructure developed to support its implementation. (G12)