Gov’t working to ensure equity in education sector

The government continues to forge ahead with its ambitious agenda to build an education sector that caters to the needs of all learners, enabling them to excel in their respective schools.

One significant step towards this goal is the provision of resources and opportunities for Spanish-speaking pupils, as demonstrated by the recent National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) results.

Out of the 15,360 pupils who wrote the NGSA this year, approximately 287 were Spanish-speaking pupils.

During the announcement of NGSA results last Friday, Deputy Chief Education Officer (Administration), Fazia Baksh emphasised that this proves the administration’s commitment to meeting the needs of every learner.

“This is the first time the Ministry of Education was able to successfully cater to these students by preparing their examination scripts in Spanish,” Baksh disclosed.

Since the education vision 2030 calls for ensuring opportunities for equitable education and lifelong learning for all, Baksh affirmed that the ministry has put numerous measures in place to achieve continued excellence.

“There will be infrastructural enhancements and upgrades to the curriculum so that every child has equal access to learning regardless of the school they attend. Such strategic interventions by the Ministry of Education will augur well for the improvement and performance of our students regardless of race, class, or culture across Guyana,” Baksh asserted.

Additionally, Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand reminded that the government has expanded the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) to accommodate more persons to be trained as teachers each year.

“Because of that expansion, we are seeing where we used to be able to graduate 535. We are now going to be graduating 2,500. So, we are going to be able to offer trained teachers all across Guyana. That should bring some more equity,” she said.

The education minister added that the national literacy programme, commencing in September, will be implemented at the nursery, primary, and secondary levels.

“We believe that once we are able to change the way children read and comprehend, we are going to be able to change whether they want to stay in school…and how they perform. We are also diversifying what we offer.”