Textbooks distribution in Region 8: Over 8600 delivered to secondary students between 2021 and 2023

…only 901 given out by APNU

– Minister to APNU MP’s request for info

Under the leadership of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government, there has been a turnaround in the education sector across Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) with significantly greater textbook distribution and trained teachers in the schools.
This picture was drawn from statistics provided in connection to questions posed by Opposition Member of Parliament (MP), Richard Sinclair in the National Assembly.
Education Minister Priya Manickchand showed that the Ministry distributed a surplus of 8600 textbooks to secondary school students of Region Eight between 2021 and 2023.
The texts covered subjects such as Mathematics, Additional Mathematics, English Language, Social Studies, History, Information Technology, Office Administration, Integrated Science, Food and Nutrition, Clothing and Textiles, Physical Education, Electronic Document Preparation and Management, Business, Language Arts, among others.
In contrast, when the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government was in power, students received just 901 books in 2019. However, these only spanned Social Studies, Health and Family Life, English, Home Economics, Agriculture Science, and Spanish. This meant key textbooks from several core subjects were not distributed.
For the first time in history last year, the Education Ministry was also able to supply every textbook needed for all primary school children in the public sector.
Guyana’s mid-year report for 2021 has shown 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 entering 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.

Trained teachers
Meanwhile, the Minister was asked to provide a list of teaching vacancies for secondary institutions in the region; these amounted to 16 for three schools: Paramakatoi Secondary, Mahdia Secondary, and Kato Secondary.
Of the 12 senior vacancies, three were filled after the recently-concluded senior appointments by the Teaching Service Commission.
In 2019, for the region, there were 18 enrolments at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) – all for the Trained Teachers Certificate (TTC). This number has moved to 41 in 2023, with persons also pursuing the Associate Degree in Education (ADE).
Minister Manickchand also reported, “It must be noted that in Region Eight, there has been an increase in the number of teachers enrolled in the Cyril Potter College of Education. With this increase in enrolment, all secondary schools in Region Eight will have at least 90 per cent trained teachers or teachers in training.”
The CPCE has committed to having 100 per cent trained teachers in classrooms across Guyana by 2025 as part of the Education Ministry’s strategic plan.
Two categories of untrained teachers currently exist in the education system: those who are eligible for admission at CPCE and those who are not. The latter is being upgraded, so that they can enter the college programme.
In 2022, the College produced its largest batch of teachers thereby augmenting Guyana’s teaching capacity, after more than 800 persons graduated. (G12)