Primary District Education Officers undergoing training to strengthen literacy programme in the regions

The National Literacy Department of the Ministry of Education today opened a three-day literacy training workshop for District Education Officers (DEOs) who have responsibility for Primary education in the eleven education districts.

Assistant Chief Education Officer with responsibility for Literacy, Ms. Samantha Williams said that the three-day session will encompass the sharing of practices and knowledge to improve literacy across Guyana. She said that it is no secret that many children in the school system cannot read. However, Ms. Williams noted that the situation is not impossible to overcome.

“It takes each and every one of us to make a difference,” she noted. Ms. Williams called on the DEOs to become leaders who will not only chart the way forward in their respective Districts but also get involved in the day-to-day process and support teachers on this journey to ultimately make every child a reader across Guyana. She said that over the three days, the Officers will be exposed to the major and critical elements of the literacy programme so that they can have a deeper understanding.

The Chief Education Officer, Mr. Saddam Hussain during his remarks said that the Ministry intends to have a literacy point person in every school. He added that the Ministry is also working to have every teacher trained in Literacy so that they can build on what they are doing in the classroom. Further, he said that a programme will be rolled out in the primary schools that will focus specifically on children who cannot read. He urged the Officers to take advantage of the training sessions so that they can go back to their Districts and begin to transform the lives of children.

Assistant Chief Education Officer (Primary), Mr. Rabindra Singh advised the DEOs that they must guide teachers and headteachers and help them to execute their duties. He said that this can only be done with dedication and commitment. “There is no other good way to start than to empower education officers with the knowledge and skills,” he remarked.

The Deputy Chief Education Officer (Development), Ms. Volika Jaikishun encouraged the Officers that they must embrace new knowledge and practices. She said that there will be certain elements of literacy that will be new to them that are necessary to be implemented to address the issue.

She said that the education system can only move forward in the right direction when people are equipped with the right knowledge and skills. She also encouraged the Officers to help schools to establish strong parental partnerships as parents are very important stakeholders in this process. The three-day exercise is being held at the National Library and will also feature several facilitators.