IT IS well documented that the Education Sector is allocated the largest slice of the national annual budget. In fact, this is in keeping with the PPP/C government’s understanding that education must be the primary tool to prepare the nation’ s young for their role in nation building, particularly the type, where the administration expects everyone to  be able to contribute to the national good.

Because of this exponential investment, the nation’s education system has been subjected to a four-fold overhaul, beginning with building and refurbishment of schools in every region, inclusive of Technical Institutes; classrooms are now both pupil and student friendly; the introduction of pilot programmes in Mathematics and English, designed to better prepare students for the CXC exams; and also to assist students whose term performance have been sub-standard.
Extending further, there have already been two five-year educational plans, designed for, among other goals, to producing a better quality of trained teacher, for a high calibre delivery of education throughout the nation’s classrooms. An especially groundbreaking element in the menu of improved measures for teacher education is the awarding of Associate degrees at the Cyril Potter College of Education(CPCE), with the successful teacher being able to complete a full degree within two years at the University of Guyana.
Of course, modernizing this important sector, is still a work in progress, and that there is much more work to be done,  given the absolute decrepit and collapsed state it had been when the PPP/C assumed office in 1992. But  for Mr. David Granger to be blaring that “APNU urges inquiry into education system after ’alarming’ failure rates”, according to a Stabroek News headline, is as unfair, as it  is unrealistic, particularly given the numerous interventions that have been yielding astonishing results in both the CSEC and CAPE performances.
Gone are the days when the best student performances were  the preserve of Queen’s College and the other senior Secondary Schools. This year’s top CSEC student comes from the Essequibo County, as was last year’s. In fact, one stands corrected by saying that this is the third time that this county has produced the nation’s top CSEC performer in as many years. And it is not only being top performer, but also the number of subjects and distinctions obtained – 20 subjects, followed by 18 from another high performer,  also from Essequibo.
There was a time, when ten subjects obtained was indeed classed as very outstanding, as it still is. But in the last ten years, students have been constantly shifting the high performance barrier with astonishing numbers of subjects obtained. Given the trend, next year’s numbers is expected to be higher!
What is significant about these results is that there have been very good performances throughout the Administrative Regions. In other words, gone are the days when the best examination results were mostly confined to the City. This could only mean that the standard of education delivery to the nation’s young have been improving. It is being  steadily diffused. One will agree, that much more need to be done for better Math and English result, and this is cause for concern by the managers of the nation’s education system. It is one which has been receiving their urgent attention. But, barring the results in these two core subjects, results in both CSEC and the CAPE have been excellent as exemplified by the exponential  increase in numbers of subjects obtained by students, and this is  occurring despite Ganger’s allegation that students have to “contend, however, against the adverse conditions and circumstances which plague the public education system”.
Granger must be reminded that today’s successful student owes his/her achievement, not only to classroom tutoring, but also to the important factor of family support. This critical input has been much emphasised  by the  subject Ministry, and explains why mechanisms are being offered to assist parents to be able to assist their young in their assignments. There are too many parents who talk about wanting a good school for their children, but do not aid in its realization. They have to be reminded that they are part of their children’s intended educational success.
Sure, all those areas that Granger has compiled for his suggested Commission of Inquiry – the school gangs, physical attacks on teachers; the high rate of teacher terminations due to myriad reasons – are all known to the Sector managers. The  assured  aspect is that action is being taken, because, for example, those  sexual predators among the teaching profession are constantly being rooted out.
Yet, these challenges have not been a deterrent to excellent scholastic performances as again shown by the 2013 examination results.