–Highlights COVID-19 impact, teachers strikes

THE Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, has addressed recent concerns surrounding Guyana’s matriculation rates while responding to criticism and outlining her ministry’s strategic measures to tackle the issue.

In a brief Facebook post on Saturday morning, the minister defended progress in the nation’s mathematics results. She attributed challenges to the COVID-19 pandemic, prolonged teachers strikes and regional trends, while emphasising her ministry’s strategic, targetted interventions and bold resource investments.

In a brief video statement, she said, “There’s a lot of people talking, but not a lot of people who spend the time to even learn the figures or let alone trying to determine and analyse what might be the problem.”

She explained that many of Guyana’s issues with mathematics in schools largely stem from the pandemic, which disrupted education nationwide for two years.

“The kids who wrote CXC in 2023 or 2024 were children who were out of school for about two years during COVID—their first – and second-form years and maybe even a little bit of third form. Those are also the children who suffered from a five-month strike of teachers, where their education was seriously interrupted,” the Education Minister stated.

According to her, the decline in mathematics rates is not specific to Guyana, but rather is a regional issue affecting other Caribbean states.
“The entire Caribbean saw a drop in matriculation by seven percent. The entire Caribbean,” she emphasised. Although the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) has developed a regional plan, Guyana’s Ministry of Education has already implemented measures to improve mathematics nationwide.

“CXC has spoken about this publicly and said their plan will take effect in September 2026. Guyana, of course, is not going to wait for that,” she said.

Minister Manickchand outlined various efforts by the ministry, stating, “We’ve noticed that it’s mathematics that is giving children trouble, so every single child from grade one to grade 11 has the required mathematics and English textbooks. Every single child in fourth and fifth form has scientific calculators, geometry sets, graph paper, graph books, past papers organised by topic, and math teachers.”

One of the ministry’s most recent interventions has been the introduction of math monitors. These ministry personnel have been deployed across Guyana to ensure effective teaching of mathematics in schools.

“So often we have teachers, but then they’re not teaching, they’re not teaching accurately, they’re not finishing the syllabus. They might like a particular area, they might dislike another area, and you’ll see that in children’s results,” she explained.

Moreover, the ministry’s Math Intervention Programme, led by Leon Beaton, has gained significant support since its launch. Online platforms such as Quiz Me and the Guyana Learning Channel, are now accessible to 92% of hinterland communities, have further supported the initiative. Despite these strides, the minister urged parents to take a more active role in their children’s education.

“This whole thing is a partnership. It’s not going to be the Ministry of Education alone, or the school alone or the math teachers or the monitors. It’s going to be a partnership that we all have to partake in,” she said.

Acknowledging criticism, Minister Manickchand urged Guyanese students and parents to work collaboratively to improve mathematics outcomes across the country.
“We’re very, very conscious that we need to change our matriculation rates, which stood at 19% when I wrote in ’92. Let’s not talk about where we came from—let’s talk about where we’re going,” she said.

She highlighted the construction of 17 secondary schools in the hinterland to ensure access to education in previously underserved areas. The minister also emphasised the ministry’s efforts to train teachers, stating, “We’re training teachers more than we’ve ever trained before. We’ve graduated in four years more than 4,000 teachers—more than double the trained teachers who graduated during the five years APNU was in office.”

Additionally, she stressed the importance of enhancing education infrastructure, noting the ongoing construction of 17 secondary schools.

Minister Manickchand concluded by reaffirming the ministry’s dedication to raising academic standards. “It’s easy to make noise about something that is not optimal. It’s hard to come up with solutions, but we don’t throw up our arms.”

She further stated that “We’re happy to share our solutions, implement them in schools, and ensure children benefit from them—all with the goal of increasing matriculation rates and equipping students to access tertiary education and remain competitive in Guyana and globally”