Once again, it gives me great pleasure to extend warmest greetings to teachers, students, parents and other stakeholders in the education sector. A special welcome should be extended to those who are attending school for the first time. To those returning from the extensive July-August vacation, I trust that you have returned invigorated, recharged and ready to face the challenges and embrace the numerous opportunities that await you in the classroom. September holds a special significance for the education sector, mainly for two major reasons.  One is that September is designated Education Month; a period of reflection on the various developments in education and the opening-up of relevant forums to garner the views and opinions of stakeholders on the way forward for the sector.  The other, which I have already alluded to, is the commencement of the new academic year.
Throughout the country, thousands of children are experiencing the formal setting of a classroom for the first time.  This is an important step in their personal development as schooling opens up a new world of endless possibilities for them.  Others have moved on to another level, such as those beginning their secondary education, and are eager, I am sure, to face the new experiences that await them at that level.   Still others are entering critical examination phases of their educational development, such as their final year of the primary cycle where they will be sitting the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) and the fifth and sixth form where they will write the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE).  To these students, I advise that you establish clearly defined goals and objectives; take your studies seriously and stay the course to achieve those dreams and aspirations you have set for yourselves. Student performance levels have been consistently improving and it is my hope that we will collectively build on the successes achieved to-date.
Let me use this opportunity to wish you success at your examinations and urge you to commit to the principles of lifelong learning and excellence in all of your future endeavours.

Inclusive approach
The Ministry of Education has recognized that the success of students is not the sole responsibility of teachers, but a manifestation of collective efforts involving parents and the wider community in promoting and fostering enabling environments.  It is against this backdrop that Education Month 2010 is being observed under the theme, “Child-Friendly Homes: Child-Friendly Classrooms-Quality Education”.  Clearly, the role of our teachers in cultivating an atmosphere that is conducive to learning and in working in tandem with parents in ensuring that the home-school nexus is characterized by love, guidance, security cannot be overemphasized.  We have a responsibility as Guyanese to ensure that every child is given an opportunity to maximize his or her innate potential.  To this end, the government has been providing much needed support through the National Mentoring Programme and the School Feeding and School Uniform Programmes.  The National Mentoring Programme has been widely lauded for the initial success it has achieved in the five schools in which it is currently being piloted.  Its aim is to promote tolerance, inculcate safe and acceptable behaviours in students, and to support students in their efforts to improve their all-around performance; particularly with males.
The National School Feeding Programme and the School Uniform Programme have also been highly praised for their impact on promoting greater equity within the education system.  Initial signs indicate that the School Feeding Programme has had a positive impact on attendance rates across the country.  I am confident that these gestures will go a far way in not only improving students’ attendance but also in providing the vulnerable school population with the necessary encouragement to commit themselves and excel within the education system. Children, you have a responsibility to make your parents proud by performing to the best of your abilities; teachers, you have to be agents of change, committed to improving learning outcomes of every child under your charge. All of us have to work together as a team to achieve better educational outcomes from every child in this country.

Important developments
I must note that during the ensuing academic year, some new programmes will commence and greater attention will be placed on strengthening those already in existence. Prominent on the list are:
*the Associates Degree Programme at the Cyril Potter College of Education leading to the Bachelors Degree in Education at the University of Guyana;

*the implementation of the Grade Four Literacy Certificate Programme which will link outcomes in the classroom with defined international literacy and numeracy standards;

*the introduction of the Secondary Competency Certificate Programme (SCCP) at 12 more secondary schools across the country. This initiative aims to stem school drop-outs and ensure that secondary school students are adequately prepared for the world of work;
* the inauguration of Students’ Councils  which will monitor the behaviour of students, report on the teaching and learning programmes in the classroom, assist head teachers to devise school rules and policies and work with schools in enforcing these guidelines;

*the introduction of parent conferencing to enlighten parents of their role and responsibilities in educating their children and playing more active roles in their academic progress;

*a heightened focus on low performing schools through the Performance Enhancement Project (PEP) aimed at ensuring that benchmarks outlined by the Ministry of Education are achieved with special resourcing and support;

*the equipping of schools with computer and science laboratories, and training teachers to utilize the computer as both a teaching and learning tool.

*the forging of a more vibrant working relationship between parents and schools through the Parent/Teachers Associations (PTA) to ensure students are closely monitored, remain motivated, focused and results-oriented;

*the institutionalization of remediation programmes throughout the school system, both at primary and secondary schools to bring every child to the standard of learning that is acceptable at both levels.

Building the capacity of our teachers and education managers to ensure a high quality of output across the education sector has been an area of prime focus. Recently, the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD) completed a series of professional development courses in various disciplines including Professional Ethics, Guidance and Counseling, Classroom Management and Health and Family Life Education (HFLE) to aid in this regard. These are only a few of a long list of Continuous Professional Development courses that will be offered to enhance the capacity of teachers to be more competent in their educational delivery practices.  The “once trained, always trained” approach is no longer relevant in education and the Ministry is committed to supporting our teachers and education managers in accessing the training necessary to maintain the highest professional standards possible.  Participation in these Continuous Professional Development courses will soon become part of the criteria for incentive and promotion in the system.
Many volunteer teachers from the various countries have arrived in Guyana under the World Teach and Project Trust Programmes and will be assigned to secondary schools across the country delivering in the areas of Science and Mathematics. These two areas are being actively promoted by th
e Ministry of Education and their input will strengthen our efforts in this regard.
In addition, the Ministry’s National Volunteer Teachers Programme in collaboration with Voluntary Services Oversees (VSO) and Youth Challenge Guyana (YCG) has been attracting larger numbers of participants each year and will be providing much needed support for our primary school teachers in the hinterland and deep riverine areas of Regions One, Seven, Eight, Nine and Ten. Under the Education For All/Fast Tract Initiative (EFA/FTI), houses are being built for teachers serving in communities in those far flung regions and teachers are being given incentives to take up positions in these areas. It is our hope that these interventions will contribute significantly to the improvement of performance levels in the hinterland regions.
Literacy and numeracy continue to receive significant attention and stronger emphasis is being placed on remediation both at primary and secondary levels to elevate students who are academically weak to acceptable standards.
Amidst these developments, there are some challenges in the school system, notably students’ indiscipline which my officers have been working diligently to address through a multi-stakeholder approach.  I am pleased to note that since the introduction of the Guidance and Counseling programme in some schools, the problem with indiscipline has been under control and shortly, more trained Guidance and Counseling Officers will be added to the existing pool to fortify our efforts in ensuring that our schools remain positive supportive environments that facilitate learning.
I want to reiterate, that if our schools are to be successful, they must become part of the communities that they serve. This year my Ministry will be accelerating movement in this direction but I want to state clearly that this would not be done in a manner that inhibits the effective and professional management of the school.  Rather, it would be executed in a way where community members see themselves as genuine stakeholders/partners advancing the education agenda.
Let me at this point commend those teachers who work tirelessly to improve the outcomes of their students and urge those who are behind to “step-up to the plate” and emulate their outstanding colleagues.  This year we have reinstituted the National Teacher Awards programme to reward teachers of excellence from all across the country.  A special ceremony has been planned to honour the outstanding achievements of our teachers on World Teachers Day. As I have said on many occasions, quality teachers, produce quality students and every teacher must aspire to the highest possible levels.
Recently, I was greatly heartened by the record-breaking number of applicants, some 1500 who applied to be formally trained at the Cyril Potter College of Education. This clearly suggests a strong interest in the Associates Degree Programme and its link to the University of Guyana’s Degree in Education. I strongly encourage our males to enter the teaching profession; a highly rewarding career with numerous developmental benefits and opportunities for lifelong learning awaits you.
Let us join efforts and work towards building an education system that will positively transform our country and will be of great benefit for generations to come. I wish you a productive 2010—2011 academic year.