MINISTER of Education Mr. Shaik Baksh has lauded the significant contribution made by World Teach volunteers and expressed gratitude for their selfless sacrifice over the past five years in Guyana.
He made this pronouncement while addressing the closing ceremony of the ‘World Teach 2011 Guyana programme’, last Tuesday, at the National Centre for Education Resource Development (NCERD), Kingston.
“We are very grateful for your service and contribution towards improving the standards of education in the schools you were attached to,” he told the volunteers.
Minister Baksh stated that the Ministry has been promoting volunteerism as several members of overseas-based Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) such as Project Trust, Voluntary Services Overseas and World Teach, come to the country to share their expertise, particularly in science and mathematics.
The team of 11 men and women from the United States of America (USA) has been in Guyana for the past year, teaching Math and Science at various schools across the regions.
He recognized that the World Teach Volunteers are playing their part in filling this void, as there is a need for more Math and Science teachers in the school system.
“I will be looking forward to seeing improvement in the results from the schools you were attached to,” Baksh announced.
Continuing, the Education Minister expressed the hope that all of the interventions in place, including the volunteer programme, will result in the improvement of the overall pass rate for mathematics from 35 percent to at least 60 percent.
This increase will put Guyana on par with other Caricom countries, he added.
According to Baksh, all parties will have to work together to achieve this goal and, as such, the Ministry of Education has devised several strategies to encourage the students to stay in school in addition to  recruiting more teachers into the education system.
He also took this opportunity to emphasize that never before in the country’s history has there been so much access to secondary education.
“We are actually at 100 percent,” he proudly declared.

NEW INITIATIVES
Several of these initiatives include the Schools Feeding Programme and the Uniform Voucher Distribution Programme that have already resulted in the attendance improvement in schools.
The Minister stressed the importance of attracting more teachers into the education system, especially in the hinterland and remote areas.
“We want the numbers to increase in these areas,” he affirmed.
In light of this need, he announced that the Ministry of Education has plans to embark on a new initiative to provide transportation to these remote locations.
He explained: “We will look at transportation arrangements and the Ministry has just completed a mapping exercise and we have identified the transportation needs in each region; this is still in the planning stage.”
Added to this, he revealed that the Ministry of Education is also considering waiving the student loans for University of Guyana graduates who are desirous of entering into the system as volunteer teachers.
“We have been considering this for students who are coming out and would like to serve for three years, this is still being discussed,” Baksh highlighted.
Baksh noted that all of these initiatives are directly related to the issue of quality education, not only in the urban centres, but in the rural and hinterland communities as well.
In addition, the Minister said that a local volunteer programme has also been devised to attract at least 100 persons into the system, which is expected to be successful this year.
In her address, 2010-2011 Field Director and Volunteer, Rebecca Scott expressed her gratitude to her colleagues for their ardent efforts in making the project a success.
She recognized that World Teach is celebrating their fifth anniversary of service in Guyana.
“This has been a great year,” she stated.
Scott explained that due to the overwhelming support received from the Ministry of Education, World Teach has created new placements for 2011/2012 and has started strategizing for the 2012/2013 year, when World Teach hopes to place 50 Guyanese volunteers.
Meanwhile, two volunteer teachers, Suzanne Giunta and Elizabeth Reynolds both took the opportunity to highlight the collective experiences of the group during their year in Guyana.
They explained that the group was amazed at the natural beauty of the country and the kindness of its citizens.
These two volunteers have signed on for another stint and will be joining the new batch of 2011-2012 World Teach Volunteers.
In 2005, World Teach began its first year of service in Guyana, teaching mathematics and science at secondary schools throughout the country.
World Teach volunteers played major part in Guyana’s literacy drive
Chevon Singh
MINISTER of Education Mr. Shaik Baksh has lauded the significant contribution made by World Teach volunteers and expressed gratitude for their selfless sacrifice over the past five years in Guyana.
He made this pronouncement while addressing the closing ceremony of the ‘World Teach 2011 Guyana programme’, last Tuesday, at the National Centre for Education Resource Development (NCERD), Kingston.
“We are very grateful for your service and contribution towards improving the standards of education in the schools you were attached to,” he told the volunteers.
Minister Baksh stated that the Ministry has been promoting volunteerism as several members of overseas-based Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) such as Project Trust, Voluntary Services Overseas and World Teach, come to the country to share their expertise, particularly in science and mathematics.
The team of 11 men and women from the United States of America (USA) has been in Guyana for the past year, teaching Math and Science at various schools across the regions.
He recognized that the World Teach Volunteers are playing their part in filling this void, as there is a need for more Math and Science teachers in the school system.
“I will be looking forward to seeing improvement in the results from the schools you were attached to,” Baksh announced.
Continuing, the Education Minister expressed the hope that all of the interventions in place, including the volunteer programme, will result in the improvement of the overall pass rate for mathematics from 35 percent to at least 60 percent.
This increase will put Guyana on par with other Caricom countries, he added.
According to Baksh, all parties will have to work together to achieve this goal and, as such, the Ministry of Education has devised several strategies to encourage the students to stay in school in addition to  recruiting more teachers into the education system.
He also took this opportunity to emphasize that never before in the country’s history has there been so much access to secondary education.
“We are actually at 100 percent,” he proudly declared.

NEW INITIATIVES
Several of these initiatives include the Schools Feeding Programme and the Uniform Voucher Distribution Programme that have already resulted in the attendance improvement in schools.
The Minister stressed the importance of attracting more teachers into the education system, especially in the hinterland and remote areas.
“We want the numbers to increase in these areas,” he affirmed.
In light of this need, he announced that the Ministry of Education has plans to embark on a new initiative to provide transportation to these remote locations.
He explained: “We will look at transportation arrangements and the Ministry has just completed a mapping exercise and we have identified the transportation needs in each region; this is still in the planning stage.”
Added to this, he revealed that the Ministry of Education is also considering waiving the student loans for University of Guyana graduates who are desirous of entering into the system as volunteer teachers.
“We have been considering this for students who are coming out and would like to serve for three years, this is still being discussed,” Baksh highlighted.
Baksh noted that all of these initiatives are directly related to the issue of quality education, not only in the urban centres, but in the rural and hinterland communities as well.
In addition, the Minister said that a local volunteer programme has also been devised to attract at least 100 persons into the system, which is expected to be successful this year.
In her address, 2010-2011 Field Director and Volunteer, Rebecca Scott expressed her gratitude to her colleagues for their ardent efforts in making the project a success.
She recognized that World Teach is celebrating their fifth anniversary of service in Guyana.
“This has been a great year,” she stated.
Scott explained that due to the overwhelming support received from the Ministry of Education, World Teach has created new placements for 2011/2012 and has started strategizing for the 2012/2013 year, when World Teach hopes to place 50 Guyanese volunteers.
Meanwhile, two volunteer teachers, Suzanne Giunta and Elizabeth Reynolds both took the opportunity to highlight the collective experiences of the group during their year in Guyana.
They explained that the group was amazed at the natural beauty of the country and the kindness of its citizens.
These two volunteers have signed on for another stint and will be joining the new batch of 2011-2012 World Teach Volunteers.
In 2005, World Teach began its first year of service in Guyana, teaching mathematics and science at secondary schools throughout the country.