CHIEF Education Officer, Dr Marcel Hutson, on Tuesday, reminded stakeholders in Region Two that their input is very important, as it will help to improve education delivery in the region.

He was, at the time, addressing a consultation session held in the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) boardroom at Anna Regina, which saw teachers, parents, RDC councillors and members of the Essequibo Chamber of Commerce and Industry in attendance.

Dr Hutson said that the ministry has commenced a series of consultation sessions with stakeholders in education to hear their recommendations for the enhancement and development of the sector.

He noted that Region Two has different peculiarities compared to the other regions and as such everyone’s input is important.

Dr. Hutson informed the gathering that the session also seeks to assess the progress made thus far in achieving the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

He used the opportunity to call on the stakeholders to examine all that has happened in the past two and half years and to come up with recommendations to ensure the sector’s full recovery from disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is expected that short, medium and long-term measures will be formulated to improve the delivery of education in the region.

During the session, attendees were placed into groups and they later gave their recommendations, which were documented.

Teachers called for more smart classrooms and continuous assessment to help bridge the gap caused by school closure. Other groups recommended that tablets be provided to learners to help increase exposure to learning platforms and personal protective equipment (PPE) be given to learners and teachers.

Also present at the session were Region Two Chairperson, Vilma De Silva; Regional Education Officer, Shondelle Hercules; Director of NCERD, Quenita Waldrond-Lewis; Chief Planning Officer, Nichola Johnson, and Education Specialist at UNICEF, Audrey Michele Rodrigues.