Dear Editor,
ACCORDING to the report, the country’s literacy rate among persons 15 years and older is 85.6 per cent. The dropout rate for the primary school cohort is 7.8 per cent. According to statistics, 70 per cent of teachers within the primary education system are trained. This is according to a Guyana Chronicle story in the newspaper of December 11, 2019.

This also shows that the country is marching forward towards the elimination of school dropouts in our society, whether at the primary school level or secondary level.
I take my hat off and salute the Coalition Administration for their valiant effort in ensuring that our children remain in school and get their education, so that we as a nation can be well represented with distinction on the world stage, whether it be in international law, international relations or in the Foreign Service.

During the tenure of the previous administration, much emphasis was not placed on the acquisition of quality education, particularly among our young people. This, to my mind, has impeded the quality of people who work in the public sector and represent us on the international stage. Guyana is becoming an oil-producing nation, and the onus is on us to produce persons of reputable character and a sound, quality education.
I believe that the time is now, when Guyana should regain its position at the top of the education ladder in the Caribbean.

This effort should involve all and sundry, parents training their children through creating an environment where reading is encouraged in the home, churches, mosques, and temples.
As the saying goes, “Education is the way that leads out of poverty”.

Regards,
George Goring