THESE past few weeks, ever since the results of this year’s National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) were announced, I’ve been hypersensitive to discussions made about improving the education system and I think that these are discussions that should never stop.

The Director of Economics at the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Dr. Justin Ram posited that much like what is being initiated in Barbados, Guyana should eradicate its NGSA because it puts such a strain on young children. Furthermore, he said that all schools should be brought up to such a high standard that it doesn’t matter what school a child is streamed into, a quality education that prepares them for life will be garnered.

I’m no expert in the education field, but I agreed with Dr. Ram because I see the merits in doing this and it started to be something that I want to see happen and happen soon. But listening to those very discussions I mentioned, it became clear to me that this could not be something that Guyana could achieve very soon. It required that the entire education system be improved to respond to a changing global economy.

And getting education right means that it is also imperative to ensure that all levels possess a high standard. Tertiary education, in this evolving 21st century, is a must. I remember reading an advertisement in the newspaper a few weeks back that surprised me. Jaguar Oilfield Services in Guyana had a vacancy for a salesperson, and the academic requirement was the possession of a Bachelor’s Degree.

This just goes to show that this is direction Guyana is heading towards, and we have to start equipping people with the skills that will be demanded. This dearth of skills in the country must be supplemented and that can only come if the education system is made better– for everyone.

By no means does improving the system exclude the bolstering of Technical and Vocational skills and the ‘trade schools’. For me, improving the education system here is more than surmounting systemic challenges, but also overcoming ingrained stereotypes.

Again, what the preparation for ‘first oil’ has shown us that the country lacks an equipped and certified population, vis a vis technical skills, that could easily be integrated into the petroleum industry as is. Instead, we are at a stage where we are largely dependent on knowledge being transferred as the sector is further developed.

Director of the Council for Technical and Vocational Education Training (CTVET), Floyd Scott related earlier this year that there are 250 skills in Occupational Health and Safety standards in the Caribbean. Across the TVET institutions in Guyana, however, only 17 occupational skills are being taught. Resultantly, if the need for any of those 233 skills arises, Guyana will have to rely on the expertise of foreigners to fill those gaps.

Exacerbating this, are those ingrained stereotypes. Why is it that trade schools are considered the schools for dropouts? Why are trade skills- be it nail artistry, carpentry, mechanics or masonry- looked down as the areas of study for persons who cannot excel in the traditional educational system?

Fortunately, I know personally of efforts being made right now to diminish those stereotypes and encourage more persons to engage in these areas. And importantly, the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) and the University of Guyana, have begun building capacity for the petroleum sector.

Of course, it would be remiss of me to share my thoughts on education sector without at least mentioning Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

It is known and is said quite often that the education system needs to be modernised to include more ICT technologies. Projected statistics show that by 2025, just about practically five years from now, 70 per cent of the jobs in the world would require some ICT skills. By that time, a child who is in Grade One right now would be leaving primary school and getting ready for secondary; a student entering First Form shortly would be graduating high school.

What this points to, for me, is that there needs to be way more than teaching IT as one of the subjects in the curriculum. I think in every subject area, there need to be ways of integrating ICT in how the work is done and then finding ways to make this practical in the job market.

But to add a cherry on top of this, it should be known that, come September, robotics, animation and artificial intelligence will be introduced to the primary system. I’m not quite sure the depth or scope of this, but I do believe that this is a great start– remember that 2025 is not that far away.

Anyone can come and point out the deficiencies that exist, and maybe there will always be some deficiencies, but it is a completely different scenario to identify and implement changes for its good. Like I’ve highlighted here, there are many things to look at within the sector but it isn’t a case of absolutely nothing being done.