IN GUYANA, it is no secret that the quality of education and the access to education are not the same in every region. It is also no secret that many-especially the policymakers- are cognisant of this and are trying to level the playing field.
The education divide is real. That the top students almost always come from the same regions, areas and schools is no coincidence. And this divide may be attributed to intrinsic factors like geography or culture, but it is not one that cannot be bridged or worked around.
Ever since I heard President Granger say, “… the five largest regions in Guyana happen to be the five poorest..,” I felt something stir inside of me. I was never able to look at these regions the same.
These past two weeks, I travelled across seven of Guyana’s 10 administrative regions aiming to see what education was like in other parts of my country. I used the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA), primarily, as a proxy for the quality of education in Guyana.
During my recent trip to the Moruca subregion, in Region One, I was confronted by the myriad disparities that differentiate education in the hinterland region from the education I am accustomed to in the coastal regions.
In Moruca, pupils travel great distances-sometimes even from differing communities separated by rivers- just to get to the Santa Rosa Primary school. The UNICEF Situation Analysis (2016) report for Guyana advanced that other existing disparities include the lack of qualified teachers, poor infrastructure and financial barriers.
I also visited Blackbush Polder, in East Berbice recently and spent three days at the school in the area. Incredibly, the nursery, primary and secondary schools were all in the same compound suggesting that the children almost never experience a change of environment because of this.
But more incredibly, as I learned from speaking to a social worker in the area, is that the children and young adults in this area are more inclined to go into the agricultural sector at an earlier age, before completing their secondary education. You see, this is because many families don’t understand the merits of advanced education as opposed to the instant gratification garnered from joining the workforce.
It boils down to the ingrained culture of each society, and what is deemed more valuable. Fortunately, with robust campaigning and concerted actions, the merits of education are being understood better in both communities.
Attributing to this is the improvement seen in the hinterland regions at this year’s NGSA. These improvements were however as a result of governmental intervention aiming to improve the quality of education.
Additionally, access to education has also been boosted with President Granger’s Five Bs Initiative. In Moruca, parents explained that the initiative was able to provide tremendous relief with transportation costs. And the school feeding programme- which offers hot, healthy meals everyday- has been another measure that has helped to reduce the cost of sending children to school and promoting education.
The Hinterland Scholarship Programme has also been able to provide relief to children who have been able to score positions in coastal institutions. Perhaps without this, many students would not have a place to stay or means to get by ‘in town’ and would be left back in their communities.
And finally, with the advent of technology in the classrooms, hinterland regions have not been left out. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has played a strong role in helping children to understand concepts better. In Moruca, teachers and parents have been using their mobile data connections so far but earlier this year, it was announced that more than 200 hinterland communities will be outfitted with ICT hubs in the next five years.
‘Morucans’ welcomed this initiative when I visited and affirmed that this is one specific factor that will go a far way in improving education in the region. In Berbice, there is better internet connectivity already and is used in the schools. More focus will be placed on integrating ICT in schools.
Just as the benefits of education are long-term, improvements to education are garnered from long-term approaches of strengthening communities, boosting resources and bettering them incrementally. They say you give credit where it’s due; while the work must continue, I am happy to say that I have seen for myself that the education divide is lessening.
Better must come.
