THIS year’s Education Month (September) is being observed under the theme, “Each Child Matters: Stakeholders Unite for the Enhancement of Education.” Efforts by every government to unleash and enhance the intellectual capacity of its human capital are worthy.A nation cannot develop without a vision and the inputs of its people, which even the ever-growing reliance on modern technology continues to prove. There is still the need for human inputs in the conceptualisation, development, application and maintenance of the various mechanisations.
People often speak about education as being in the classroom, completing school and passing examinations and being awarded the requisite certification. Yet education is much more complex. An educated nation is not only one where formal classrooms are established and students go through the rudiments of meeting the curriculum and being successful at it. An important component, if not the most important, is the philosophy that drives the nation’s developmental thrust that would inform its education policy and influences programmes and laws.
A nation that prides itself as the best or among the best of nations, conceptualisation of its education policy will be driven to ensure it achieves or maintains that pride of place and competitive edge. Being in such category would ensure systems are built and put in place for intellectual development that would ensure productive citizens and increase productivity for the people and nation’s benefits. Where the two are considered equally important, it requires catering for diverse abilities, given that each has unique talent and all talents, from the least to most certificated, are important.
The focus that every child matters, the attention within recent years to downplay technical education as seen by the removal of the Community High Schools for instance, meant that some children did not matter. There is no one size fits all in learning or one skill fits all in development. Planning in education has to factor in these. Another component, which becomes important, given historical experiences of mistrust and inequities, is to factor into education the contributions each ethnic group has made to the nation’s development. Welding a nation and ensuring the comity of its people rely on respecting all the peoples. One factor in ensuring this outside of laws is to create learning opportunities for each citizen not only to understand the contribution of his lineage, but also that of others.
Civics needs to be in the classroom as a matter of importance to the nation’s development. It is not untrue to say that among those who hold positions in government, elected and appointed, are persons unaware of how the laws and systems of government ought to function. Imparting such knowledge from young would not only allows for an informed citizenry, but also influencing better understating of decisions taken, and decision-making when the time comes to serve.
Formal education is the moulding of minds to understand and appreciate the world and one’s contributions in the developmental processes, personal and otherwise. Guyana has her contributions to make to humankind and environmental development. Taking our place among the international community is reliant on the country’s institutions, system of governance, and human relations to meaningfully participate within established and required standards.
Historically, Guyanese are not only known for their brains, but also courtesy and respect for rules/laws, making us a valued and sought-after asset. Where there continues to be slippage, an education system has to factor in the importance of making it a priority. Efforts such as bringing private schools in compliance with the national education policy and upgrading the New Opportunity Corps are welcoming signs in quality assurance and improvement. That Government has accepted the importance of stakeholders in this year’s theme says that it sees education as a collective societal responsibility. In this regard it is hoped that the psychosocial needs of the various demographics are being factored in. As important as it is to ensure every child gets the education he/she needs and is capable of, unhindered by economic status, geography or other challenges, the needs of those who cater for this population too have to be met.
Our teachers/educators are very important in the frontline delivery of education and should feel they are important to the process. In the public education system, grumblings by teachers/lecturers and their unions as to the treatment being received by their employers regarding agreement and conditions of work cannot go un-noticed and unattended. The relationship between employer and employees is important for the child’s learning and development and harmonious relationships work to the advantage of the system. In the community, the family, equally as neighbours, is an important stakeholder. Whereas parents shoulder primary responsibility to ensure the child is socialised with needed relational skills, attends school, is learning, completing assignments and maintaining relations with the school, the community carries oversight responsibility and denizens positive role models. In education, the African proverb “It takes a village to raise a child” remains applicable and doable.