Guyana third in Caribbean, second in Latin America
– Baksh reports
GUYANA is ranked third in the education sector among its Caribbean neighbours and second in Latin America, following significant strides that have been made by the Guyanese Government to make learning a priority.
Education Minister, Shaik Baksh made the disclosure while addressing his ministry’s 15th awards ceremony to honour students for outstanding 2011 performances.
The function, on Wednesday last, was part of Education Month celebrations staged at the National Cultural Centre in Georgetown.
Dozens of students from schools throughout Guyana were awarded in different categories of education at the diverse levels, including Secondary Schools Entrance Examination (SSEE), National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) among others.
Mr. Baksh offered special commendation to both the students who have excelled and the dedicated educators who have been making significant efforts.
He said: “Today we celebrate, with you, excellence at the various levels in the education sector and special commendation on your performance, which is as a result of the hard work that you have been doing and was not possible without the good support from the school and dedicated teachers.”
Baksh noted that Guyana has embarked on a modernisation and revamping process, targeting the sector and has seen the support of the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) and every other educator from across the country.
“As we implement strategies to move education to the next level, we have a strong vision which is supported by the Government. A large sum of money is being invested. 2011’s target is exceptional in education and in the history of the country,” he stated.
He observed that, this year, Guyana has attained numerous achievements in the sector and the country is on a path that is moving education upwards.

COPIOUS INTERVENTIONS

With the copious interventions, the children of Guyana can continue with a lifetime that is filled with education benefits at all levels, Baksh said.
He continued: “The education you receive will improve your productivity and this will impact the economic transformation of Guyana. At the various levels, changes have already begun to take place.”
The minister disclosed that an assessment carried out shows that, currently, the primary level has seen 80 per cent students who have access to schooling. However, it is the hope of the ministry to reach a target of 100 per cent by the end of the strategic plan.
He said it has been recongnised that education at the primary level is important and, as such, the process must be continuous.
Additionally, Baksh said the country’s secondary school system is boasting a 100 per cent access to secondary education, even while many persons fail to recognise it.
He pointed out also that, in 2011, a large number of students were enrolled at the University of Guyana (UG) and Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE).
Baksh said the Education Ministry has embarked on a massive teacher improvement project which paves the way for a brighter future in the sector.
“Also we have surpassed the target of having some 70 per cent trained teachers in our school system and, the next two years, we are looking to have all our teachers qualified,” he said.
Baksh said these interventions are to ensure that all the children in Guyana have access to adequately resourced schools, thus attaining the ministry’s mission of transforming the sector.
“The results we have seen from the recent results in the various areas show that quality education in Guyana is being spread. From 2006 to 2009, the country came out on top in several subject areas and I am confident that Guyana would have topped, again, in the overall performance,” he said.
Baksh declared that this progress in education would not have been possible without the huge commitment in the sector.

STRONG TEAM

“I am satisfied that, as we come to the end of the five-year tier, we have a strong team to carry on the education sector,” he said.
Prime Minster Samuel Hinds, who was also present at the function, concurred that education is an extremely important process for the society, since it is an inevitable fact of life.
“For every society there is a challenge of bringing up the young people. For a society to sustain and survive the process of educating our young is the most important task,” he said.
Mr. Hinds told the gathering that, while it might be a challenging era, efforts must be made to ensure that every child is trained along the path of education, thus better their future and the country’s.
He said education is at an age when it is quietly challenging with all the technologies that have been introduced. Nevertheless it must be prioritised.
Noting that approximately 20 per cent of the country’s budget has been dedicated towards the education sector, over the years, Guyanese have been able to manage the increase in value of what is provided to them, Hinds said.
According to him: “While many of our Caribbean countries have money, we are still not a rich country and the challenge for all of us is to do very well with what we have. I am pleased with the overall performances in the school system…” 
In his view, the aim in life should be to do the best with what you have and he challenged the students to accomplish the task to the best of their ability and not yield to temptations.
“I think that we should learn from those who have done well and put aside those who say that Guyanese cannot achieve anything,” he maintained.
The Prime Minister told the students that, while they have excelled, the task is still theirs to assist their peers who still need to improve in the various areas.
“We want everyone to do the best they could…I want to signal, to the school system, that we have a challenge to bring the others along,” he pointed out.