THE need for including subjects on standardisation of schools curricula was emphasised on Thursday, at a workshop organised by the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) and education stakeholders.

Speaking to the Guyana Chronicle, after the event, Head of Conformity Assessment at GNBS and one of the presenters, Ms. Candelle Walcott-Bostwick said the objective of the seminar was to enhance collaboration between that agency and members of academia in the area of teaching standards to children at primary, secondary and tertiary levels.
She pointed out that the undertaking had its genesis in recommendations posited by the International Organisation for Standardisation (known by its universal acronym ISO) at its regional conference in Brazil.
According to its website, the ISO is the world’s largest developer of voluntary international standards, which give state-of-the-art specifications for products, services and good practices, helping to make industry more efficient and effective.
The ISO states: “Developed through global consensus, they (international standards) help to break down barriers to international trade.”
The importance of standardisation and quality assurance in the educational sector is two-fold, Walcott-Bostwick stated.

IMMENSE VALUE
She explained that, firstly, knowledge of standards will be of immense value to students when they enter the job market. For example, it is necessary for civil engineering aspirants to be acquainted with the National Building Code, while those with electrical and agriculture interests would have to be au fait with the electricity codes and agro-product safety regulations, respectively.
Another facet of standardisation’s significance to education, Walcott-Bostwick said, includes the benefits of standardising the quality of education delivery.
About the mechanisms of cooperation between standards bureaus and schools, she advised that the different approaches of Indonesia and South Korea are important in this regard.
In South Korea, textbooks on the processes were developed and distributed to schools and, in Indonesia, the standards bureau there organised presentations by guest lecturers in schools, Walcott-Bostwick informed.
The programme yesterday was hosted in the GNBS Training Room at Sophia, Greater Georgetown and also featured presentations by Ms. Petal Jettoo, the National Science Coordinator at the National Centre for Educational Research and Development (NCERD), as well as Professor Jacob Opadeyi, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Guyana (UG).