PRESIDENT, Dr Irfaan Ali on Wednesday said that a new programme has been launched to enhance teachers’ skills in teaching, reading and comprehension and will see some 1,500 teachers across the country benefitting from this programme.

The Head of State made this announcement during a press conference held at the Office of the President where he spoke on the government’s achievements in the education sector since entering office in 2020.

He indicated that this programme, which was launched on Wednesday, will see 1,500 teachers doing a specialised course with the University of the West Indies to enhance their skills in teaching, reading and comprehension.

Meanwhile, in relation to the other successes, he noted that since assuming office; the government has maintained some 526 schools annually and started a programme to audit same.

Additionally, he stated that an audit was conducted in the health and education sectors, and all facilities, at the end of last year. These audits will guide the multi-year budget planning as the programme is implemented.

“To date, 4,737 computing devices were procured and distributed to teachers and students, and 10 smart classrooms were established at secondary schools to facilitate the integration of ICTs into the teaching-learning process,” he said.

Adding to this, some 10 more smart classrooms will soon be established at the primary level, while he noted that to promote E-Learning for hinterland students some 102 hinterland students were accommodated at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) Turkeyen Campus for both face-to-face learning and online training.

In relation to training, the head of state indicated that some 4,213 teachers were trained to use the new curriculum at the primary and nursery levels and by the end of the year, 4,913 teachers will have completed the training to deliver the new curriculum.

As part of the investments made to improve education, he said, “To date, we have expanded 3 billion on textbooks. By the end of this year, all primary and secondary school students will have access to a minimum of four textbooks per student due to this investment in the education sector. A total of 87,634 students are benefiting from school feeding, 42,735 from juice and biscuits, 29,691 from hot meals and 15,208 from breakfasts.”

Additionally, President Ali remarked that they have also moved to expand the coverage of the Guyana Learning Channel, as 91 solar systems have been installed and 1,353 lessons developed and broadcasted.

This, he said, is important in ensuring equity in education.