CONGRATULATIONS to all the students who sat this year’s CSEC! Each and every one has succeeded in a complex world which includes negative influences, socio-economic challenges in household and society, and an imperfect education system.It took steadfastness and determination to persevere, and such would have also been impacted by peers, teachers, parents and other positive influences. This newspaper sees each and every student as a success, with the world as their oyster, to create their own endless possibilities and opportunities.

Special congratulations to Fatima Karim of St Rose’s High, who gained 19 Grade Ones and a Grade Two; and Kayshav Tiwari of Queen’s College, who obtained 19 Grade Ones. It is instructive that both students have an interest in pursuing petroleum engineering at the tertiary level at a time when Guyana is preparing to drill for oil. Such interest and pursuits are worthy of the attention of the policy makers.

The statistics of the pass rates, including national percentage and per subject, have been made known by the Ministry of Education. These results, though yearly critiqued by representatives of the ministry and dissatisfaction is expressed, will be meaningless in the presence of non-acceptance that the national policy in addressing the education sector may have serious deficiencies. What the nation puts into education will determine the results received.

President David Granger is on record as saying that the teachers must be the nation’s highest paid public servants. And this statement is indicative of the premium the nation’s Head of Government places on education in the nation’s developmental thrust. Making this possible requires a meeting of minds between the policymakers and planners to address, in a holistic manner, various aspects of education.

It should be said that when education is seen through holistic lenses, it will factor in the diverse abilities and preferences of students, and put systems in place to meet the various talents and potentials. Where development takes a holistic approach, it would factor in the truism that one size does not fit all.

The establishment of community high schools was aimed at educating students that are industrial arts and technically inclined, and at meeting an aspect of the nation’s human capital diversity. That this form of education was disbanded without similar replacement is not only tantamount to throwing out the baby with the bath water, but denying those so inclined, or interested, the needed opportunities.
There is a need for labour from the least to the most skilled, and for students that are interested, motivated and alert. Where a society looks at increasing life expectancy as part of the developmental agenda, education should factor in health and wellness, such as returning some form of physical education to the curriculum. It should not be lost on society that the high achievers have attributed extra-curricular and physical activities as part of their intellectual regimen.

Our teachers are vital in education delivery, and any developmental strategy must factor in giving them the deserving attention, not merely to ensure they are being equipped with the knowledge and facilities to teach, but also examining incentive schemes that will attract and retain a professional corps that is second to none.

Where actual salary increases may not reach the level touted by the President, the Ministry of Education can enter into agreement with the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) on deferred income arrangements, as was done in the late 1970s and saw the issuance of Defence Bonds. These bonds were issued to teachers, and were later redeemable for cash.

The issue of duty-free motor vehicles for head teachers can see the pool expanding to other teachers, inclusive of looking at motorcycles, lower motor vehicle cylinder capacity, and aiding in the provision of access to affordable payment plans.

The last agreement signed by the GTU and the Government of Guyana has seen complaints from the union that this administration is reluctant to implement it, which in itself serves as a disincentive and demotivation, and poses the question as to premium placed on teachers in education delivery and nation-building.

It takes a village to raise a child, borrowing from the Ghanaian proverb, and here is where, outside of the policymakers, teachers and the staff in the education system, the parent and community have their roles.

Parent Teachers Associations need the technical support in examining and understanding why this critical partnership in the child’s development is no longer seen and/or treated with deserving seriousness, and thereafter systems put in place to correct the anomaly.

Education forms the bedrock in the development of every society, and we have to get it right with our education system. And this requires approaching education frontally, making the needed investments that would always factor in what the nation intends to be the desired results. Our children live and act out what they see and learn, and where any child is so denied, work had to be done. The celebration for those who have reached this far must also see efforts being put in place to bring within those from out of the fold, thereby leaving none out from the yearly celebration, recognition and accolades.