Revamp of education system needed to cater for evolving society

– inaugural teaching conference launched

Tertiary educators are currently meeting to discuss options and initiatives that can be implemented in the local education system that would cater for a dynamic and changing environment.

The opening ceremony of the two-day inaugural teaching conference kicked off on Thursday at the Pegasus Hotel, Kingston, Georgetown where scores of educators turned up to tackle the challenges of teaching in a multi-faceted society.

University of Guyana Deputy Vice Chancellor, Dr Paloma Mohamed Martin highlighted that existing university students and potential students were dealing and will have to deal with a level of complexity that was hyper dynamic and technologically constructed.
“They are dealing with the redefinition of self, space and time in a way that we will never be able to fully comprehend. They are dealing with a level, with constant disruption in a way that we would have to teach them how to handle and so if that is the student of the future, who is the teacher of the future going to be? Is it any of us in the room? Is it any of us who is thinking about that and what do we do about it?” Mohamed Martin stated.
She explained that almost 3000 students graduate annually since that was all the University could physically cater for. Those students are generally urban-centric and are mostly Guyanese.
“Investment in education is going to be what we have to do, but the question is if we are dealing with the changing student, changing environment, the complexity, what is the best investment for education and what is the best impact and where do we spend our energy? Thinking of the changing migration patterns of the country, what we have going on right now – forced migration, environmental migration, circular migration, political migration across our borders, those students are going to be very different in the future; they are going to be culturally different, language different, they are going to be very different,” the Deputy Vice Chancellor noted.
Dr Mohamed Martin further emphasised and reiterated the need for the expansion of the country’s education system which would cater for students from varying backgrounds and cultures.
“And what does this mean for the University of Guyana, and the feeder for the UG, which is all across the education system? It means we have to think about how to deliver to various parts of the country, about 30,000 people a year over the next 20 years. So how do you go from 3000 to 30,000? This is a question we are grappling with and I would like to hear some things about that in the next few days,” the educator stated.
Meanwhile, Education Minister Nicolette Henry noted that the inaugural teaching conference was opportune for the sharing of ideas on the future of higher education in Guyana.
She added that the initiative was one which allowed for a “constructive mechanism for preparedness for evolving growth and being able to adequately address the imminent evolution with intellectual profession and technological skills that will maximise benefits as well as ensure sustainability…”