-Education Minister Shaik Baksh
EDUCATION Minister Shaik Baksh has said greater attention is being placed to create a balance between physical education and sports and academic studies in school.
Baksh, who was at the time speaking at a recent forum attended by scores of students, said sports facilities are being developed in every region with the aim to create more rounded students in the school system.
He pointed out that physical education is already a regular part of the secondary schools’ curriculum and the drive has been gathering momentum as the number of students sitting the subject at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations has been increasing over the years.
Encouraging too, he noted the average pass rate in the discipline over the past three years is around 98 per cent.
Physical education and sport play a vital role in building students’ self-esteem, self-confidence, self-discipline and improving their social and emotional development and academic performance.
Currently, the subject is being offered at the CSEC level in 17 schools and Baksh said efforts are being placed to expand the programme to more schools as well as heightened emphasis on sport.
The minister said that physical education is also part of his ministry’s 2008-2013 Education Strategic  Plan and stressed he wants to see a presence of the discipline in all the education districts throughout the country.
Baksh noted that in keeping with this objective, open areas have been identified for recreational activities, namely the Ministry of Education Sports Complex on Carifesta Avenue and another ground South of North Ruimveldt Secondary.
The Ministry of Education has also been partnering with various agencies to promote the different sport disciplines in the school system.
Apart from sports, the Ministry of Education has established an HIV/AIDS Prevention and School Health Unit to promote safe and healthy lifestyles in schools. That unit has held several awareness sessions with second and third year pre-service and in-service trainee teachers at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) to enlighten them on ways to respond to students infected and affected by the virus.
The findings of a recent study on HIV-related stigma and discrimination and learning outcomes of children infected and affected by HIV and AIDS in Guyana found that although there is indication of stigma and discrimination against the children, it did not predict how well they will perform in school.
Some 10-30 percent of the children sampled said they have experienced enacted stigma as persons infected or affected by HIV or AIDS.  However, perceived, enacted, or blame stigma did not determine Math, Spelling or Reading scores.
The study was carried out by the Caribbean Child Development Centre (CCDC), University of the West Indies (UWI) Open Campus and the UNESCO Kingston Cluster Office, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the UWI- HIV & AIDS Response Programme.
The Ministry of Education has come on board the national week of HIV testing last month and close to 1000 employees, students and members of the public were tested during the five day period.