–Minister Manickchand assures children; reaffirms commitment to providing quality education to all

EDUCATION Minister, Priya Manickchand, has reaffirmed the government’s unwavering commitment to ensuring that every child in Guyana has equal access to education.
Addressing a gathering of education officials, teachers, parents and students at Tuesday’s release of the preliminary results of the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) at Queen’s College Auditorium, she outlined government’s strategic vision to transform the educational landscape.

She said children can now stay and succeed at their respective schools, eliminating the need for them to apply for transfer to the other schools, especially the national schools.
The minister highlighted that this commitment is reflected in the government’s ongoing investments in the education sector, including the construction of modern schools, the provision of teaching resources, the training of more teachers and the implementation of innovative teaching methodologies.
“We get our textbooks, exercise books, trained teachers, and trying to give every single school the same thing. There is no need any more for a student from The Bishops’ High School to come and plead with us to get into Queen’s College or to keep writing an entrance exam.
“They can stay at Bishops’ and shine. You can stay at [St] Joseph and shine, you can stay at [St] Rose’s [High School] and shine, you can stay at J.C. Chandisingh [Secondary School] and shine. That’s the effort of the government,” Manickchand said.
She mentioned, for example, that although Queen’s College is 180 years old, “they don’t get anything differently from what every other school gets,” pointing out that the educational system is more equal.

She recommended applying for the General Educational Development (GED) programme and the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) diploma offered by the Guyana Academy of Online Learning (GOAL) to anyone who did not achieve a passing grade in mathematics at CSEC. Upon successful completion of these programmes, persons can pursue tertiary education and can choose to study at over 20 universities GOAL has collaborated with.
The minister said: “You can stay right here and study at foreign universities in a whole range of subjects. This is a country that will cater for you. We are going to look after you here or wherever you are. You are the new leaders, you are going to be the new politicians, the new scientists, the new teachers, the new CEOs, the new doctors, the new accountants…”

Under the Get Ready for Opportunities to Work (GROW) programme, GED and SCQF were introduced as a second chance for Guyanese who were not able to complete their secondary education or obtained less than five passes in CSEC/General Certificate of Education (GCE) subjects to have the opportunity to matriculate to tertiary education.

The GED programme is a rigorous three-month diploma programme designed for those who failed to pass five CSEC subjects. It is equivalent to the United States of America High School Diploma.
The SCQF diploma is a comprehensive preparatory programme with seven courses: Communications, Business, and Mathematics with Excel, Behavioural Management, Marketing, Introductory Economics, and International Relations.
Minister Manickchand did, however, issue a warning to the students, stating that they had a “corresponding responsibility” to make use of the opportunities that are presented to them.
“So, wherever in this world you end up, I know you are going to shine brightly…”

She expressed gratitude to parents and teachers for their dedication and hard work, which contributed significantly to the students’ success at CSEC and CAPE.
She said to the parents, “I know that this came with a lot of sacrifice and effort.”
“And to the teachers, those of you who taught your children, thank you,” the minister added