— Remote Area Incentive increases 80 per cent

GOVERNMENT will support the construction of practical instruction departments at secondary schools in Mabaruma, Bartica, Mahdia, and St. Ignatius, and practical instruction centres in Fellowship, Beterverwagting and Hopetown.

This is according to Finance Minister Winston Jordan, who said the upgrade and expansion of these centres will create an enhanced learning environment necessary to equip students with marketable skills.
He said by 2021, government envisages a total of 42 workshops being constructed and/or refurbished to cater for over 2,900 students.

Training will be conducted in the fields of joinery, masonry, cookery, garment production and motor vehicle repairs, amongst others. Additionally, government will support the construction of a technical and vocational centre at Bina Hill.
He also said that government has boosted the School Feeding Programme, to provide wider access to a larger cohort of students.

The community-based hot meal programme has been expanded from 110 schools to 172 schools. The programme now includes schools in the riverain communities of Region Two, in addition to the hinterland Regions One, Seven, Eight and Nine.
In the area of capital improvements to the education infrastructure, government has budgeted to spend over $4.7 billion on the construction, rehabilitation, extension and maintenance of educational facilities throughout Guyana.

New secondary schools will be constructed at Good Hope and Parfaite Harmonie, while St. Rose‘s High and Wismar/Christianburg Secondary Schools will be re-constructed.
The University of Guyana (UG) will receive a subvention of over $2.4 billion, in 2018. It is expected that the skill sets within the leadership of the university will ably manage these resources in a fiscally responsible manner.

“We can do everything I have just mentioned and more, but there is still one thing that will prevent us from achieving the good life as it relates to education – that is, ensuring that teachers are available in all corners of the country. Too often, as we go out to the hinterland regions, the stories of quality-of-living comparisons to the coastland abound from our education officials.

The cost of bread, water, cooking gas, the isolation from the wider communities, having to travel miles to get basic supplies, are only some of the daily issues confronting our hinterland teachers. In order to ensure that we improve the quality of education and the opportunities for our young people, the availability of good teachers is vital, and we must both retain and move additional teachers to those locations,” Jordan said.

INCREASE IN INCENTIVE
Budget 2018 caters for an 80 per cent increase in the Remote Area Incentive (RAI). Persons currently in receipt of $5,000 and $7,000 will see increases to $9,000 and $12,600, respectively.

This aside, the finance minister said government will continue to add to the pool of trained teachers, which currently stands at 77 per cent, in order to ensure that each child is afforded the best possible education.
This year, some 450 graduates will join the trained teacher workforce and 37 untrained teachers will complete the teacher upgrading programme, to prepare for the trained teachers’ certificate programme. In 2018, an additional 335 trained teachers are expected to join the workforce.

“We intend to improve the quality of learning by providing a stimulating environment. In this regard, government will intensify efforts to transform our systems of education delivery via technology. To date, 610 teachers have received basic IT training, while 162 have been trained in the use of software to facilitate those who learn at different paces. Additionally, 56 teachers are currently being trained in website building and online teaching.

These and other initiatives are expected to continue, in 2018. Other programmes, such as the Digital Classroom Programme, are slated to commence, also. This particular programme is set to benefit about 3,540 students and 170 teachers. In 2018, priority will be given to creating e-material for improved learning in classrooms,” Jordan said.
In 2018, much emphasis will be placed on early childhood education literacy programmes and, in this regard, the roll out of 200 early childhood resource kits, and the continued roll out of the READ, PLAY, LOVE mass media campaign will continue.

Passion for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects, the minister said must be aroused at an early stage in a child‘s development and transitioned throughout the primary and secondary levels.
In this regard, the government is implementing an Inquiry Science Education approach, which is being piloted in 10 primary schools.

In addition, 250 mathematics kits, to facilitate better learning outcomes, have already been distributed to secondary schools.