-says Minister Manickchand as she reflects on 2021 developments

MINISTER of Education, Priya Manickchand, on Monday, praised her staff and support system for rising above numerous challenges to ensure that the ministry recorded a successful year.

Manickchand was, at the time, addressing those at a media luncheon, where she gave a review of the developments in education in 2021 and outlined some of the plans for 2022.

“2021 was an extremely challenging year. It called on us at the Ministry of Education, each department, to bring to the table the very best we had. We had to innovate and think of things we didn’t even think we had the capacity for,” the minister said.

This year, similar to last year, the education sector’s biggest challenge was delivering education while navigating COVID-19. This included putting measures in place for the writing of national exams, and ensuring students were adequately prepared.

Minister Manickchand said that development has come a long way with the physical reopening of schools on a rotational basis, the distribution of learning resources to learners all across the country, the professional development of teachers, the facilitation of technology-assisted learning and education management.

“If you sat where we sat and understood the challenges that we had to navigate, and, even as we navigated those challenges we added. We brought in CAPE in regions that never saw CAPE. We procured and got for every single Grade Six child all the textbooks they needed, numbering 17.

We wrote NGSA and gave results earlier than ever before. We expanded the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE),” Manickchand proudly noted.
The luncheon was held under the theme, “Define COVID Strengthening Education” at the Cara Lodge.

The minister, in her remarks, added that many of the lessons learnt through the COVID-19 pandemic can now be built upon to guide the way forward for the 2022 developments.

Also present at the event was Chief Education Officer (CEO), Dr. Marcel Hutson, and NCERD Director, Quanita Walrond-Lewis.

The full reopening of schools, the launching of a new education radio station, completion of the roll out of the Guyana Learning Channel in the hinterland communities, the expansion of Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) to more schools and the launch of an adult literacy programme are some of the developments in the works for 2022.

Minister Manickchand said that on taking over the ministry in August 2020, she found that the sector was in dire need of a plan to deal with education delivery in the pandemic, as there was none in place at the time.

She commended the staff and the support system that she has had as being the main contributors to the ministry’s success.

“It’s not vanity that says we did A plus, it is a measurement of where we were, the challenge we were met with and the robust response that came from every single sector and department. It was the professional workers in the ministry that all rallied around, making sure we did not close down this ministry, and we responded to the needs of our children. I extend special thanks to the people in the ministry,” she added.