Primary health science education has been seeing improvements and presently the focus is on maintaining standards that are consistent across the Caribbean.

This according to Director of the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD), Mr. Mohandatt Goolsarran.

Goolsarran noted that the Education Sector has been taking steps to achieve this objective but has met with some challenges.

However, the momentum was being sustained to facilitate quality primary science education for children in Guyana.

One of the challenges, Goolsarran explained, was the acquisition of funding to purchase laboratory equipment and chemicals.

To this end, Goolsarran noted, despite failure to obtain the necessary funding, other mechanisms were put in place.

“The Regional Education Departments have some amount of funds at their disposal, so instead of allowing each region to purchase its own equipment, the funds are being pooled to facilitate procurement at a central level,” Goolsarran said.

He added that having the transaction done centrally is more beneficial and pointed out that the distribution of the material will also be handled centrally.

Additionally, with regard to recruitment of specialists in the science field to enhance the delivery of science subjects in schools, the NCERD Director said volunteers with the Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO) are expected to come on board soon.

Goolsarran stated that presently there are five VSO volunteers with the department, two working on special needs; one on educational methodology; one on education management; and one on learning and literacy.

“We are working towards better primary science education,” Goolsarran said.

Reiterating this was National Science Coordinator Mrs. Petal Jetoo, who noted that one of NCERD’s efforts is the professional development of science teachers in Guyana.

“Shortage of science teachers is not unique to Guyana, it is something that affects education throughout the Caribbean,” Jetoo said.

Jetoo pointed out that to date there have been several workshops to assist in relevant professional development.

Among these are Primary Science workshops for : –

* Regions Three (West Demerara/ Essequibo Islands) and Four (Demerara/ Mahaica) which were done in March;

* Workshops for all A’ Level Schools held at NCERD also in March;

* Upper Secondary School practical science workshops for all Region Six (East Berbice/ Corentyne) teachers held at Manchester Secondary School in May;

* a Primary Science workshop held in May at Kawall Primary School, Region Three; Primary Science workshops held in June for Thomas Moore and Central Primary Schools; Upper Secondary School practical science and Primary Science workshops held in June for Region Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam); and Upper Secondary School practical science workshops for one week at NCERD for Regions Three, Four, Six, and Seven (Cuyuni/Mazaruni).

The workshops allowed teachers to visit the Enmore Sugar Factory to see the application of sciences.

Jetoo added that upcoming was the Caribbean Academy of Sciences Regional Secondary School science teachers’ workshop to be held on October 8th and 9th at NCERD.

“The workshop is one of the many activities that was organised in commemoration of the Caribbean Academy of Sciences’ 21st anniversary,” the National Science Coordinator said.

She explained that the ultimate goal was equipping teachers to be able to teach school children science as a skill which would develop scientific literacy in the science field.