–says an optimistic Education Minister of her staff’s ability to live up to expectations 

MINISTER of Education, Ms Nicolette Henry, has said that her ministry is “well positioned” to deliver quality education to youths across the country.
The minister shared her confidence in her staff with persons gathered at the Umana Yana on Monday for the launch of Education Month 2017, which month-long activity will be celebrated under the theme, “Promoting wellness in communities through quality education.”   According to the experts, a good quality education is one that provides all learners with capabilities they require to become economically productive, develop sustainable livelihoods, contribute to peaceful and democratic societies and enhance individual well-being.
“We have managed to identify the capabilities of students through the performances and tangible results we have seen at this year’s NGSA and CSEC exams,” Minister Henry said.
“With the release of those results, we were able to see the highs and lows. There is still much work to be done but we are well positioned,” she added.
Although there was an improvement in the pass rates for Mathematics and English at the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA), the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams have highlighted areas which need “evidence-based” intervention.
This being the case, Minister Henry said this year’s activity will give the ministry time and opportunity to address this and many other issues by reaching out to stakeholders and getting all hands on deck to do so.
“We will galvanise our resources to showcase education through fairs, rallies, television and radio programmes and social media,” she said, adding that they will also be looking forward to having feedback, which will help them to strengthen their strategies and systems.

DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY

Constructive advice will allow them to do things differently and enhance their goals by making better investments.

According to the minister, they have already started the process of developing their methods by focusing on the new academic year. The intent is to reduce the disparity in education across the country, so as to ensure that all schools are operating at a high standard.
The Ministry has reportedly already started enhancing its public policy to strengthen the administration of education in the all ten regions.
A component of that intervention will be to establish Regional Technical Institutes to provide access to technical education.Minister Henry also pointed out that a  Department of System, Innovation and Reform will be established at the Ministry before the end of the year, and that it is also intended to improve the quality of education by continuously revising their strategies, testing new methods, and embracing the enhancement of technology. They have also started to improve the access to quality education by providing transportation for children, and has a number of planned activities which will be used as a catalyst for improvement of the quality of education.
Some of those activities include a rally at Durban Park on National Education Day, a reading carnival, and a host of other events.

BASIC PUBLIC SERVICE

Chief Education Officer (CEO), Mr Marcel Hutson shared similar sentiments as the Minister, adding that they intend to make quality education a basic public service.
“Quality education is a human right and a public good. We have been working to ensure that our children, from every part of Guyana, enjoy the best possible education,” said the CEO, who went on to say that they have already provided the foundation for equity and purposeful development by educating, training and coaching teachers and implementing development programmes.
The Ministry has begun to review the curriculum in order to include national and community needs. They have already garnered the support of the Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) and are in the process of setting up a school support unit.