A recent workshop for Heads of Education Departments hosted jointly by the Ministries of Education and Local Government and Regional Development brought to light some grave irritants affecting the quality of education output in the administrative regions. Both subject ministers, Shaik Baksh and Kellawan Lall were very blunt and frank about the state of affairs of the education system in these regions.
All their observations hit the nail on the head as regards the failings of the Regional Education Departments.
One of the serious concerns aired at the workshop, and correctly so, is that despite the fact that the government is allocating millions of dollars to the education sector each year for the provision of text books and other services, there has not been a corresponding increase in the quality of output from students across the administrative regions.
This is a fact, because indeed this government has been allocating increasing resources to the education sector but the big question is whether those who are responsible for the day to management of the sector are really executing their work with diligence and efficiency and effectiveness. Therefore are we getting value for money? This has been a problem also in many sectors.
Minister of Education Shaik Baksh observed that there is a gap in the overall communication between the Regional Administration and the Education Department.
He stressed that there is a direct link between the REdOs and the REOs and noted that though the latter are busy, they must have linkages and enough information at their disposal to be able to fully understand what is taking place, adding that the Education Ministry has recognised that the REOs are overwhelmed with work and as such has sought approval for Administrative Officers to be placed in each region.
He said as soon as permission is granted by the Public Service Ministry, the Education Ministry will quickly recruit people to fill these positions. With these appointments, there will be no excuses and it is expected that information will flow from the regions, he said.
Baksh said in terms of the delivery of education, there seems to be a disconnection between the schools and the Education Department. He observed that many programmes which were established, such as Information Technology, the Six- Year Grade Assessments and the Literacy programmes, are not functioning properly at present.
For his part, Lall said his Ministry will zero in on each school to make sure that all Regional Executive Officers (REOs) and Regional Education Officers (REdOs) are doing their job and those not performing, “will have to go,” Minister of Local Government and Regional Development.
To improve the delivery of quality education, he said his Ministry, along with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Public Service, are working closely to remedy some of the issues existing presently.
He said whatever happens in the Education Ministry should be as a result of a collaborative effort, but it has been observed that people tend to compartmentalise their responsibilities and stick to them rigidly, as if they are not a part of the entire system.
He pointed to the issue of coordination which he said should be dealt with in a better fashion, especially when it comes to placing, moving, promoting, dismissing and educating teachers. He added that many teachers are unsure of whom to submit their reports to, because of a lack of proper coordination.  Furthermore, he said some teachers do not take possession of the assets belonging to the Ministry.
Therefore, as a proposed solution, he said the Ministry will have to resort to community-based education which will see many of its technically qualified officers moving to different regions in an effort to share their knowledge.
These are assuring words from these ministers and one would now await the expeditious implementation of the proposed solutions to remedy the irritants.
It is also very encouraging to see that a collaborative effort between ministries is being mounted in the search to find answers to existing difficulties.
It is not known whether the workshop dealt with the issue of teachers being away from classrooms too frequently but is it is one of the major problems impinging on the quality of education delivery and output
There are many instances of teachers being present for work but do not report to their classrooms and this is totally unfair to the students and most irresponsible and unprofessional behaviour. But apart from short changing the students it leads to indiscipline and behavioural problems because when children are left unsupervised or unattended it is very likely that they will gravitate towards mischief and problems. And this leads to an overall breakdown of discipline in the school system.
Some teachers are granted leave to attend classes at the University of Guyana and this is another reason why they are not in the classrooms. This situation has to be remedied expeditiously or else it could get out of hand. On this score one of the ways of resolving this issue is through coordination between the Ministry and the University to have classes in the evenings to accommodate teachers and other workers who may wish to further their studies.
With respect to education we do not have an option. It has to be a top priority because it is a key tool in the fight against poverty and socio-economic advancement. Therefore no effort can be spared to ensure that the education system functions at optimum efficiency.