– NCERD Director
DIRECTOR of the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD), Mr. Mohandatt Goolsarran said yesterday that the focus on science in the education sector last year has had a positive impact.

He said support for its promotion continues to be seen at all levels and most of the specialists in Biology, Chemistry and Physics are on board.

Goolsarran said, presently, the major task is to get more students involved in the sciences.

According to him, in previous years, there has been a gradual shift and students are looking at the benefit of having a science as compared to a business qualification.

“At this point in time, business is the drawing force and many students opt for this and a similar pattern is seen at University of Guyana,” Goolsarran said.

In that context, he said: “Early, aggressive promotion of the sciences will be the approach to ensure their development.

Goolsarran explained that forms one, two and three of secondary schools will see more emphasis on the sciences because a greater appreciation of them would result if they are promoted early.

He admitted, though, that teachers are inadequately prepared for the job and they are rising to the challenge by seizing the opportunity to be upgraded on the content of what they are delivering, with NCERD choosing icons in the field to lead the process.

Goolsarran said some of the individuals identified to bolster the training of science teachers are Dr. Clarence Trotz, former Headmaster of Queen’s College (QC); Mr. Kenneth Hunte, a lecturer and Mr. Philip da Silva, Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences, both at UG and Mr. Andrew Mason, a lecturer at School of the Nations.

He announced that an 18 months distance education course will be the mode to deliver the upgraded training.

“There will be monthly tutorials and assignments to be submitted, based on practical laboratory activities on which teachers will report. There will also be classroom visits to each teacher to evaluate their teaching and, at the end, there will be two examinations,” Goolsarran said.

He said one examination will be half way through the course and the other at the conclusion.

However, the 18 months would not the end of the intervention as there will be continuous training opportunities for the teachers and an incentive would be tied to the course, through which participating teachers will earn credits reflected in their pay.

Goolsarran said this new year will see teacher training moving beyond the Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate (CSEC) to the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) level and steps would be taken to ensure that all schools offering sciences are properly equipped both materially and with human resources.

He said the thrust was supported by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the Caribbean Academy of Sciences (CAS) in 2009 and it is expected to continue.