Parental involvement pivotal in children’s academic success – Manickchand

Education Minister Priya Manickchand has encouraged parents to get involved in their children’s academic journey, since their success depends on this.
She shared this information during the Education Ministry’s textbook distribution exercise, which commenced in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) on Saturday.

Manickchand pointed out that the academic success of children was linked to the support received at home. She noted that this was highlighted in many instances where parents displayed a keen interest in their children’s education.
“Any child who is successful, and while you have some exceptions, the majority of them have parents who support them, and note I didn’t say rich parents,” she told stakeholders.
The Minister further urged parents not to politicise their children’s education, as she reminded them of their duty to act in the best interest of their children.
It was underscored that it was important for each child to have their textbooks so they can achieve their full potential. Each primary school pupil in the public system will receive textbooks that cover the core subject areas – Mathematics, English Language, Science, and Social Studies. The Ministry said it remained committed to ensuring that there was equitable access to educational resources for every pupil across Guyana.
After the change of Government in the midst of the pandemic, the Education Ministry had ensured that every Grade Six child was covered with textbooks and other materials. This initiative was executed at a time when no oil resources were used.
Guyana’s mid-year report for 2021 showed that $980.5 million was spent by the Education Ministry to acquire worksheets and textbooks for children in the public school system. Some 165,958 textbooks were procured and distributed to over 13,000 Grade Six students.
After the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) entered office in August 2020, it was found that Guyana had not procured textbooks in over three years which resulted in a “big deficit”, according to the Education Minister. In light of this, the Ministry had moved to procure all textbooks needed at the primary level. After last year’s National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA), Manickchand had called for textbooks to be returned, in order to provide these opportunities for the new batch of students. The Education Ministry had implemented a policy whereby the NGSA results are withheld until the books are returned.
This is the first time every primary school child will receive all textbooks in the primary system. In the past, parents were tasked with purchasing these books – a cumbersome burden on those who could not afford them.