EDUCATION Minister, Priya Manickchand has said that preparations are moving apace for changing the required age for students to enter nursery school and shortly the ministry will be embarking on public education campaigns in this regard. She made this disclosure at a recent press conference in the boardroom of the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD), Kingston, when she explained that these campaigns will allow the ministry to inform parents about what they need to do to get their children ready for nursery school.

THREE YEARS OLD
In May this year, Manickchand announced that effective from September 2014, students will be able to enter nursery schools if they attain the age of three years old by June 30th of that year.
She had stated that as a result of this change, children would then be three years, three months of age upon entry into nursery school in September, and three years, six months at the end of the year.
Manickchand had explained that the ministry would need time to implement this change, and as such this time will be used to determine the furniture needs, acquire more books, manipulative toys and resource materials, and also provide more teachers.
Additionally, parents would have to be told nationally about the change and teachers as well placement officers and children would have to be prepared for this, she had said.
A child at present can only enter a public nursery school at the age of three years if that child will attain this age by March 31st of the year the child wishes to enter the school.
Manickchand had noted that this has been creating hardship and disadvantage for both parents and children, since if a child is born on the 1st April, he/she has to wait until the following September to get into a school.
According to her, the readiness of children at an earlier age is demonstrated by the children themselves who know far more and are far more advanced than their peers of yesteryear.
With this change there will still be a cut off, since there will be children born on the 1st July and while there will be exceptions, the ministry will have to make the policy relevant for the majority.
Children in Guyana usually enter the formal education system at nursery school, and 85% of the relevant age group is attending nursery school, which is the highest percentage in the Commonwealth Caribbean.