-as gov’t touts ‘technology-driven’ education system
STRATEGIC investments are being made to facilitate the establishment of a ‘technology-driven’ education system in Guyana, President Dr. Irfaan Ali has said.
The Head of State made this disclosure on eve of Guyana’s 58th Independence Anniversary on Saturday, while addressing a mammoth gathering at the Mackenzie Stadium, Linden, Region 10.
Dr. Ali explained that soon the country’s first digital school will be established catering to both primary and secondary education. The aim, he explained, is to build out a technology- driven education system, which ensures that every child is in a learning environment.
“Whilst we’re investing in bringing down the costs of data and making internet and data more accessible to every community, we are also working to not only build smart hospitals and invest in telemedicine, we want to create the first digital education system in this region and perhaps globally, and we want to do this eventually at a national scale,” the President said.
Since assuming office in 2020, the government has rolled out several initiatives to improve the delivery of education across the country; these include the establishment of smart classrooms across a number of primary and secondary institutions.
The smart classrooms are equipped with an interactive, computerised, touchscreen whiteboard, and cameras which can be used to video the lesson by the teachers and a monitor connected to the cameras.
Teachers of any subject can utilise the devices to make their classes more interactive and attractive to students. This technology is deemed very necessary as the world moves forward to more technologically assisted methods of teaching.
The first smart classroom was opened by the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) government in 2015 at the North Ruimveldt Secondary School, while the second was opened at the Queen’s College in 2020.
In the country’s 2024 fiscal package, some $135.2 billion has been budgeted for the education sector with huge sums being invested in the construction of new schools.
“When you look at our investment in education, we are investing for every single child $700,000 in education. For every single child, we’re investing $700,000. When you compare this to 2019, in 2019 we were investing less than $300,000 for every child,” the President said while highlighting the efforts being made to improve the delivery of education.
Simultaneously investments are being made to ensure all teachers can be trained graduates.
“To our teachers, I want to assure our teachers tonight that you are important for us that we love you and we care about you; that this government will do everything within this financial means to ensure that you are treated fairly,” President Ali added.
Last year, he had held consultations with several educators. During that engagement, the Minister of Education Priya Manickchand and Senior Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh were present and heard the concerns of the nation’s teachers.
Subsequently in November, the Head of State had announced increases to teachers’ salaries and other interventions.
These accumulated to a total of $1.9 billion.
Providing a scenario so persons could understand how the increases would apply, President Ali had said that a graduate Senior Mistress/Head of Department will now have their current salaries adjusted upwards from $243,069 to $262,917, and with the inclusion of the revision to education allowances, this represents an overall 12 per cent increase compared to the previous minimum salary paid to such persons.
In the case of a graduate Senior Assistant Mistress working in the hinterland, the current minimum salary was adjusted upwards from $223,232 to $243,076, and with the inclusion of the revision to education allowances and Remote Areas Incentive (RAI), this will represent an overall 16 per cent increase compared to the previous minimum salary paid to such persons.
Outside of salaries and allowances, all teachers who hold a substantive appointment as a Senior Master/Mistress or above, and are within three years of retirement and have not previously received a duty-free concession on a motor car, are entitled to a duty-free concession for a motor car up to 1500cc.
Most recently, the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) has led industrial action, which has seen the participation of some teachers. The body has called for educator’s salaries to be increased among other demands.
President Ali on several occasions have reaffirmed the government ‘s commitment to providing the “best welfare package” for teachers and other category of workers.
