National consultation on transforming education in Guyana see Region 10 educators adding their voices

Region Ten saw teachers and headteachers participating in a consultation exercise last Wednesday at the LICHAS Hall in Linden. It was noted that the forum was held so that the thoughts, opinions and suggestions of the region’s teachers can inform the process of transforming the education sector in the country.

It was revealed that these consultations are being done also as Guyana prepares to participate in the 2022 United Nations Summit on Transforming Education to be held in September. Education Minister, Priya Manickchand speaking to the gathering of educators pointed out that it is a timely discussion, particularly as Guyana and the rest of the world continue to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Manickchand noted that two years after the pandemic began, several lessons were learnt. She said that one of those lessons is that online learning cannot fully replace face-to-face engagement in classrooms. However, she stressed that there is a strong and steadfast place for technology in the classroom.

The education minister noted that the consultations are happening at a time when countries around the world are discussing how the education system can be transformed to produce better outcomes and to better serve all stakeholders.

Chief Education Officer, Dr. Marcel Hutson said that though the current consultative exercises are important and valuable many of the points made during the many engagements so far are addressed in the Ministry’s Strategic Plan 2021 – 2022, Vision 2030. He revealed that the plan speaks to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Four which addresses the issues of quality, access, quality, equity, inclusivity and lifelong learning.

The CEO pointed out that achieving all that is necessary to move the system forward will require a transformative process that is improved when stakeholders such as teachers make their contributions as they have today and during the previous meetings.

Dr. Hutson disclosed that all of the contributions have been recorded and will be used to create a policy document that will outline a certain course of action to transform the education sector.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Education Officer (AHED), Marti DeSouza said that the Ministry is in its second week of consultations. He said that a wide cross-section of stakeholders has been engaged during this period including learners, parents, government agencies, teachers and educational institutions.

DeSouza stressed that the meetings focus on two main considerations, which are the full recovery of the sector from COVID-19 and the transformational steps that need to be taken to accelerate the achievement of the SDG Four.