-donates 300 more computers
CANADIAN-based Guyanese technology products inventor, Mr. Alan Zaakir yesterday followed through with his promise last month to donate some 300 netbooks (computers) to the Ministry of Education. Zaakir, who had earlier donated 100 systems to the Ministry to bolster its Computer For All Schools Programme , will also be donating 24 servers to the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD) to accelerate and expand the programme to train teachers to use the computer as a teaching and learning tool. Speaking at the handing over ceremony at NCERD, the overseas based Guyanese expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Education for affording him the opportunity to “give back” to his homeland and urged officials to make optimal use of the systems.

He also implored the sizable gathering of students who witnessed the occasion to always have the development of their country at heart and appealed to them to be optimistic about life, dream big dreams, work hard to make their vision a reality and not to allow anyone to inject any negativity in their lives.

Education Minister Shaik Baksh said the fulfillment of the promise represents a significant leap in the drive to bridge the digital divide, equip more schools with computers and to boost the delivery of the basic computer literacy programme for teachers.

He noted that the Ministry of Education has the vision, plans and programmes for Information Technology in the school system and remains dedicated and committed to seeing them to fruition.

Baksh also commended the partnership his ministry enjoys with individuals and organizations, both local and overseas, in realizing the goal to have all primary and secondary schools equipped with computer laboratories.

On that note, he disclosed that a group in the United States will soon be donating 100 desk top computers in support of the cause.

Apart from the donors’ support, he said that this year some 2000 teachers across the country will be trained to use the computer as a teaching and learning tool and, under the World Bank US$4.2M funded Teacher Reform Project, state-of-the-art laboratories will be constructed at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) and the Faculty of Education and Humanities, University of Guyana.
Baksh underlined that the goal of these innovations is to ensure that every teacher in the school system and those leaving the teachers’ training college are equipped with the requisite skills to use the computer as a tool to enhance and support learning.
Recently, the Ministry of Education has joined forces with the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) and Microsoft to focus attention on the implementation of plans to develop the capacity of local teachers to use technology more effectively in the classroom.

In the next five years, several essential activities will be completed namely:
** the development of a new set of training modules for teachers;
** a thorough review of two key components of the ICT in Education Initiative;
** a comprehensive audit of the current capacity of Guyana’s teachers to use ICT effectively;
** working with global partners to secure international accreditation for these training modules, and
** the Implementation of a robust, three-tiered governance mode.

Efforts are also being made to have trainee teachers’ benefit from President Bharrat Jadgeo’s One Lap Top Per Family Programme.

Besides Information Technology, the Ministry of Education has been promoting the Sciences and Mathematics as priority areas and Baksh stressed that the intention is to double the number of candidates who sit these examinations at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations.

The recently renewed teachers’ multi-year agreement between the Ministry of Education and the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) also include the offering of 30 scholarships per year for teachers to further their studies at the University of Guyana (UG) and President of the union, Mr. Colin Bynoe has already indicated that priority will be given to those in the areas of Mathematics and the Sciences.

In addition, the minister will be making a proposal to the government to have a limited number of scholarships available to teachers in these two areas under a separate scheme.

Baksh also noted that the government, in recognition of the need to have proper science laboratories in schools, has approved some $53M for the upgrading of school laboratories countrywide.

Recently too, the Ministry in collaboration with UNESCO has completed a draft policy document on Science and Technology and Baksh said the goal is to promote the disciplines at the primary to university levels.