A senior Guyanese educator currently serving in the state school system has told Stabroek Business that some books delivered to schools by the Ministry of Education’s Book Distribution Unit (BDU) have included copied texts, which constitute a violation of the copyright law.
The educator said there was no question than that large numbers of copied texts had been delivered to various state schools by the BDU. Asked whether this meant that the Education Ministry was or had been complicit in the pirating of text books the official responded: “I am making no such accusation. I am simply telling you what the facts are.”
This is not the first occasion on which public pronouncements have been made which suggest that the Education Ministry has been doing much more than turning a blind eye to pirates whose replicating and marketing of school texts rob writers of royalties and deny overseas publishers and distributors millions of dollars in sales. Last year, a local bookseller told this newspaper that he had been provided with similar information by a teacher who claimed he had actually witnessed the delivery of the pirated texts to a school by the BDU. Another media house had publicly raised this issue with former Education Minister Shaik Baksh who had undertaken to look into the charge that the Education Ministry had been involved in book pirating. However, checks made subsequently by this newspaper with both Baksh’s office and his then permanent secretary, Phulander Kandai bore no fruit.
Recently, Lloyd Austin, proprietor of Austin’s Bookstore said he believed the government may well come under direct pressure from overseas publishers, some of whom he said were planning to visit Guyana to raise the matter directly with the authorities. Austin had previously told Stabroek Business that uncertainty over the purchase of original texts in the face of the proliferation of copied ones had led to reduced orders which, in effect, had resulted in reduced profits for both overseas publishers and local booksellers. At least half of the texts currently circulating in state schools are believed to be pirated.
Local booksellers are reportedly contemplating raising the issue of pirated texts with newly appointed Education Minister Priya Manickchand.
Under the tenures of previous education ministers the Ministry of Education had been accused of turning a blind eye to the illegal multi-million dollar text book pirating racket. A few years ago one of the country’s longest serving booksellers, Ovid Holder, closed his Water Street business and left the country, complaining that he could no longer compete with the pirates.
Over the years officials of the Education Ministry appear to have taken the view that it was the high cost of original texts that had resulted in the proliferation of the illegal copying of books.
Both local booksellers and publishers representatives have argued, however, that it was the illegality of the practice and not the cost of texts that was the issue and that since the market for copied texts was state schools, the Ministry of Education was ideally positioned to curb the practice. Parents too have remained mum on the issue, seemingly opting for the less costly option of pirated books. However, the reportedly impending direct intervention by the booksellers could bring to bear new pressure on the authorities to force pirates to end their trade.
Recently, local bookseller Bholan Budhoo drew a sharp response from Baksh including a strong insinuation of legal action when a letter under his name appeared in a section of the media accusing government of awarding a $110 million contract to a local bookseller, whom, he says, operates “a pirated outlet” and “sells infringed copies”.
THE seventh Inter-American Meeting of Ministers of Education was hosted in Suriname recently, through the Organisation of American States (OAS), to devise ways in which to transform the role of teachers to meet the challenges of the 21st Century.
The objective was to analyse the current status of the teaching profession in the various regions and propose policies and strategies that strengthen the functions of professional educators.
The two-day gathering saw government representatives, including Guyana’s Education Minister Priya Manickchand, involved in nine plenary sessions, seeking to determine what kind of teaching today’s student requires and the part governments can play in ensuring quality learning for all.
Twenty-two delegations from member states, among them nine ministers, started discussions on March 1, with the adoption of the ‘Declaration of Paramaribo: Transforming the role of teachers to meet the challenges of the XXI Century.’
Ms. Manickchand, in an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, said the initiative was one of the best ways forward and the education sector will be successful with this international collaboration.
She said she is pleased with the outcome and that Guyana stands to benefit significantly from the recent long term intervention which seeks to modernise the education system worldwide.
Minister Manickchand said Guyana has agreed to be a part of this new dialogue and will work towards improving the sector locally, as well.
She said she and other government officials from the various countries, represented at the March 1 and 2 talks in Paramaribo, agreed that ensuring quality education is one of the pillars of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
FIRST SESSION
The first session focused on ‘State of the Art of Teacher Policies in Latin America and the Caribbean’, as proposed by a university in Chile and supported by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Regional Education Office for Latin America and the Caribbean.
The delegations, comprising ministers and other education officials, were in agreement that the sharing of experiences is key to addressing the many challenges that teaching currently faces.
Coming out of these discussions, a report is to be submitted to UNESCO in May, targeting the researches that were carried out in some of the countries, with the goal of analysing, among other things, the situation of teachers in the hemisphere, their education, professional development, work conditions and professional career.
A release from the OAS quoted Surinamese Vice-President Robert Ameerali as stating that education is inseparable from the development of human capital.
He said the education system is a measurement of a country’s development and governments must be fully committed to it.
“When students fail, the teacher has failed. When the teacher fails, the system has failed; when the system fails, we, as politicians, have failed,” Ameerali said.
Having pumped just about $24 million, apart from teachers’ salaries, into the education sector on an annual basis, the government, through the Priya Manickchand-headed Ministry of Education, is determined to reap value for money at this year’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) Examination. A review of current capital type investment has suggested that “we are not seeing the corresponding rise in grades in the two particular subject areas of Maths and English,” according to the Minister. . “This is one of the biggest Ministries in terms of the resources that are plugged into the Ministry but the result has not been proportionate to the investments made…the problem with that is very simple, if our children can’t matriculate with Maths and English then it means they are going to be a lot of doors that are closed to them; in the job area and the further education area and we need to make sure that that changes.”
It was against this background that she saw it necessary to introduce an ambitious programme during the latter part of last year, aiming for drastic improvements come results time.
Manickchand has pointed out that while in the area of English there have been indications of acceptable results, the subject area of Maths, over the past 10 years, reflects a mere 10 per cent increase in the pass rate from about 20 per cent to currently 30 per cent.
“This is where we are at right now and this remains unacceptable in any language. The fact remains that we are seeing some countries having 31 and 38 per cent, but all under 40 per cent, and this is no comfort to me because at the end of the day, what it means is that we have 70 per cent of our children not having some of the doors we have here opened to them.” The Minister as a result questioned “what is the point of developing Guyana or making our country move from a low income, heavily in-debt, poor country, to a middle income developing country if the new opportunities arising in this country are going to be out of the reach of our next generation?”
According to the Minister, the rationale behind striving to improve the rate of performance in the subject areas is geared at ensuring that “our children can go on to universities, whether local or foreign, and be able to access certain jobs. If they don’t have Maths and English, then in a sense we are failing them and certainly we are failing our dear country…” The Minister alluded to the National Pledge, pointing to the fact that the whole theme of the pledge is that we will do what is good for Guyana. “That is not to say that we think teachers have not been doing what is good, but somehow or the other the system has not been able to get those grades up and this for me is not only a matter of concern but almost a challenge or a red flag in front of a bull…We have the potential to make changes and we can combine the potential we have to see actual results for Maths and English if we could improve the grades of at least 1,500 of our children.”
In fact, the Minister is optimistic that the subject area could reflect, at the minimum, a 20 percent improvement when the CSEC results are unveiled later this year.
Her assurance has been reflected by an $85.7M Government approved contract for the procurement of items to boost students’ learning.
These included CXC General Maths Book I and II, the Self-Study Guide for CXC, the collection of revision DVDs, the combined pass papers from 2008 to 2011, Model Solutions to difficult answers, Combined Solution for everything in addition to a Geometry set, graph paper and a scientific calculator, which have been distributed to the participating schools.
Each student slated to be a part of a pilot project introduced by the Ministry of Education has been provided with the procured materials and teachers have been provided with individual syllabuses and a collection of the package to allow them to effectively work with each student.
GUYANA is among several countries of the Americas that will be represented at a meeting of the Ministers of Education of the Americas, being coordinated by the Organisation of American States (OAS) and slated to be held tomorrow and Friday in Paramaribo, Suriname.
A delegation headed by Education Minister, Priya Manickchand is expected to represent Guyana, but it is not known what issues the Guyana team hopes to raise at that meeting because, yesterday, efforts to secure an interview with the delegation failed.
Among the important aspects of the meeting are: the review of works undertaken by the Inter-American Committee on Education (CIE) since 2009; laying the foundations for the CIE Work Plan for the period 2012-2014; and electing new CIE authorities.
The general focus is expected to be on the teachers that today’s students need; on schools as learning communities; and on the role of the government in promoting teachers’ quality through public policy. Additionally, the ministers are expected to analyze the main obstacles to effective teaching, which may be addressed through public policy; and to examine successful experiences through which educational systems have strengthened teaching practice.
The meeting will also be addressing the current status of the teaching profession in the region, and proposing policies and strategies that strengthen the role of professional educators.
In a press release issued by the OAS, it was pointed out that this Seventh Meeting of the Ministers of Education will be inaugurated on Thursday, March 1st by Surinamese head of state, President Desi Bouterse; OAS Secretary General, José Miguel Insulza; and Suriname’s Education and Community Development Minister, Raymond Sapoen.
The adoption of the “Declaration of Paramaribo: Transforming the role of teachers to meet the challenges of the XXI century”, and the final text of what had been agreed upon during the meeting are among the final activities of the two-day session. OAS Assistant Secretary General, Albert Ramdin is also expected to attend on the final day, the release stated.
Within a matter of months the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate Examination (CSEC) is scheduled to be undertaken and drastic improvements are anticipated given the visionary move by Education Minister, Ms. Priya Manickchand, to direct more teaching efforts into the areas of Maths and English.
But while the task was entrusted into the hands of teachers to better their teaching capabilities, having been equipped with the necessary tools, Minister Manickchand has asserted that the onus is not only on teachers to help realize improvements at the upcoming examination. “What do we expect of our students? We expect you at this time to be disciplined; we expect you to understand that you should to be putting all of your attention and focus into your school work…particularly in the subject areas of Maths and English but do not neglect the other subjects.”
“It has to be a focused thing…if you’re accustomed to watching television shows up to about two hours in the night you have to decide that you’re going to cut that out. Your parents can’t do it for you, the government can’t do it for you and certainly the teachers can’t do it for you…You have to make this choice.”
The Minister pointed out that the ability to choose a profession be it a doctor, lawyer, accountant, teacher, policeman or even a home maker, can only be had if students are able to pass their subjects.
“Without an education your life is going to be hard, people are going to feel they can do you what they want, treat you how they want, you’ll have no choices and you will have to stay where you are because you did not get the grades you were looking for…So you have to decide what kind of life you are looking for,” the Minister warned.
According to the Minister, Students must recognize their role even as she pointed to the fact that parents have been playing their part as well by making sacrifices in some instances just to put food on the table.
According to Chief Education Officer, Mr. Olato Sam, although the pilot programme to improve Maths and English at CSEC started with just about 30 schools, a few others have since requested to join, bringing the total to 36. The introduction of the ambitious programme, he noted, has channeled heightened awareness which has generated greater general interest on the part of students, teachers and parents. He related that the Ministry has been conducting a number of workshops and efforts were recently made to conduct an entire CSEC mock examination to ascertain the efficacy of the programme.
According to Sam the result of that examination is still being analyzed but “things are going according to plan…we are going to continue to monitor things but we expect to get the desired results.”
The improvement programme is being dubbed a four-prong partnership involving teachers, students, parents and the government. Earlier this year, Government approved an $85.7 M contract for the procurement of items to boost students’ learning. These included CXC General Maths Book I and II, the Self-Study Guide for CXC, the collection of revision DVDs, the combined pass papers from 2008 to 2011, Model Solutions to difficult answers, Combined Solution for everything in addition to a geometry set, graph paper and a scientific calculator which have been distributed to the participating schools.
Each student has been provided with the procured materials and teachers have been provided with individual syllabuses and a collection of the package to allow them to effectively work with each student.
Minister Manickchand, upon assuming office last year, sought to amplify the need for urgent improvement in the subject areas of English and Mathematics countrywide. The latter mentioned subject area saw a significant decline reflective in a below 35 per cent pass rate last year, thus suggesting that there is a need for even more attention, according to the Minister. She speculated that the existing low mathematics grades may very well be linked to the fact that the confidence level of the country as a whole may be equally low and observed that this dilemma is not unique to Guyana as it is very evident the Region over.
“Some of us feel almost beaten because we do so poorly in the area (Maths) and some of us who stop to recognize that it is not Guyana alone, use it as an excuse that, ‘Oh! Is not we alone! Is everybody doing badly and so it is alright for us to do badly’…I am saying we don’t have to do badly.”
However, despite the evident poor performance rate, Manickchand said that the Ministry has recognized that there is capacity within the system to help foster improved performance thus the introduction of the strategic programme.
New Minister of Education Priya Manickchand has said that she has heard enough grumbling about the ‘No child left behind’ policy to persuade her that there should be a countrywide consultation about the policy and whether it should remain in the school system.
“I am not going… to answer you now to say whether or not we are going to keep it in place; what I can say is that we will be consulting widely across the country about how people feel about it and whether it should be something that stays in place,” the minister told the Sunday Stabroekin a recent interview.
In the past the policy has come under strong criticism from many quarters, with some labelling it “harmful and useless,” but according to Minister Manickchand from what she has been told, her predecessor, Minister Shaik Baksh, had the full support of his technical staff in the implementation of the programme. “All the bigwigs in education seemed to have supported it,” the minister told the SundayStabroek.
In late 2010 Cleveland Thomas, the headmaster of Wismar/Christianburg Secondary School was taken to task when he refused to promote children who had not passed their exams, in defiance of the ‘No child left behind’ policy. Many parents, students and teachers had rallied behind him.
Following this, the former minister in defence of the policy had told a media conference that the circular about the policy sent out to schools “clearly states that we are not going to just [give] automatic promotion… We are saying, that whilst you promote the child, the school has the responsibility of developing interventions, strong remediation, continuous remediation to ensure that those children catch up so to speak… It is not an automatic promotion without systems in place.”
He subsequently said that given the abundance of resource material in the schools, and with the adherence to the guidelines, a large percentage of students should be moving through the system. Stabroek News had reported him also as telling the media that the needs of every child in the class had to be assessed and certain remediation “effected to bring them up to a certain level.” This, he had emphasized, was the responsibility of the school.
‘Harmful and useless’
On the other hand Minister Manickchand said that even before she became the education minister persons had complained to her about the policy, and since her appointment to head the country’s education system in every place she has gone one or more persons without fail asked her about the programme.
“[They] claimed that it was harmful and useless and so on, and while I have heard and read the policy that was put in place, and there is some merit about why it was put in place, we cannot fail to hear what the recipients of this policy are saying, [those] being teachers, students and parents,” the minister said.
But Manickchand went on to say she was not sure that a proper evaluation was done to ascertain whether the policy had or had not produced results.
“But I know we can’t fail to hear what people are saying…” the minister conceded.
“I have heard my staff, senior policy-making staff who say it is working and that it is necessary, and I am hearing from others that say it is not, and I never like to make decisions without hearing from all stakeholders, so we would be doing that shortly.”
‘Unacceptable’
Meanwhile, the minister has sounded a warning that she is not going to accept schools not being in a proper condition to accommodate students at the beginning of a school term.
In the past every time a new school term begins there have been complaints from parents around the country about the readiness of the school and in some cases, for example, Golden Grove School last term, parents and students protest and close the doors of the school concerned.
“We should not be weeding school yards on the morning of school opening,” the minister said.
“If you have a school in a region that is not capable of opening or it doesn’t have furniture it means that a lot of people in that regional system fell down on what they were supposed to do, and that is not something I am prepared to tolerate,” the minister told Sunday Stabroek.
She said it is “unacceptable” that such problems exist in the regions and as such people “will have to do what they are expected to do or maybe we could find a place that they are better suited for.”
The minister said that the ministry has furniture, but if the region does report the need then the furniture cannot be sent to the school.
“The head teacher is the minister for that school, every school has a minister and every school has a CEO… and they have to be proactive too. Some of the schools I visited the head teacher never went to find out if the school is ready,” Manickchand said.
She said the regional education officers should visit the schools in their regions or have a system in place where they are aware of what is happening at each school.
And according to the minister, the government is providing exercise books for each student and these must be in the hands of the students and not sitting in some regional department or some head teacher’s office.
There is also the issue of schools using their own books and not the textbooks handed out by the ministry, she continued, as result placing a tremendous burden on parents.
“These are some things I want to streamline, but like I said I know where we came from and I know that I have met it at a point where it is the most streamlined, but there is still more work that we have to do.”
The minister said that she wants to ensure that the things the government invests in are beneficial to the students, and as such the ministry would be publishing things such as how many exercise and textbooks a student is entitled to, and if the child did not receive the books then a number would be listed for them to call.
Dropout rates
Meantime, in an effort to address the dropout rates of students the minister said she has spoken to the welfare department of her ministry and they have to play a larger role and have to assist in the identification of students who start having problems very early. Students who are absent for a week or a few days, should be visited at home by the officers in effort to find out why they are not attending classes. If they have stayed away because they are not academically inclined then their talent or interest should be identified.
The minister noted that other technically based programmes have been created to assist these students in the schools and an examination of that programme is currently under way to ensure it is working, and if it is not what is needed to make it work. The aim is to have a technical centre in each region so that students who are not academically inclined would have an option.
“We have to make sure that we challenge and channel those children into the right area and make sure that those areas are properly staffed, they have equipment, that they have the necessary challenge and it is not just something we say we are doing but we are not seeing the necessary results.”
The minister also told the newspaper that she is working on a “huge project” in the ministry trying to attain universal secondary education. She said it is going to be an expensive undertaking but it is not something they can “put off.”
EDUCATION Minister Priya Manickchand, following a visit to three Region 3 schools yesterday, said school managers and head teachers must be cognizant of the buildings’ readiness prior to their opening after an end of term, and must report unpreparedness to the Regional Education Departments and Central Ministry, so that the necessaryactions can be taken, including notifying parents/students of delayed opening or interventions to ensure their surroundings are suitable for the delivery of education.
Along with a team of ministry and regional officials, the minister visited the Nismes Primary School, West Bank Demerara, and the Uitvlugt Primary and Leonora Secondary schools, West Coast Demerara. Articles of these schools’ unpreparedness at the start of the school term were highlighted in two dailies.
Minister Manickchand emphasised that the state of the schools should not have attracted her attention, for there are systems in place to address the issues.
With regard to Nismes Primary, Minister Manickchand stated that she was a bit perturbed , contrary to what she was told, the pond in the school’s compound has not been filled. She added that it is clear that the school was not visited prior to its re-opening.
“This is unacceptable… we have decided that persons who are put in positions of management and supervision have to honour the terms of their employment, and do these things before school reopens,” Minister Manickchand emphasised.
She reiterated that while the parents’ concerns are now being resolved, they should have been addressed a week prior to the start of the school term.
Classes will now recommence from Monday at the Uitvlugt Primary, and parents are urged to send their children out. Notably, efforts will be in place to ensure that any class time lost during the first week of school will be recovered during the coming months.
Minister Manickchand explained that the anticipation is that such an incident would not have to be addressed again, since measures will be put in place to make sure that when project instructions are issued, that they are executed and monitored to ensure completion.
Contractors
While at the $293.5M Leonora Secondary that was opened in November, Minister Manickchand stated that the work on the school will be completed by this weekend and explained that it was incomplete because the contractor was awaiting the arrival of eight specially ordered sinks from overseas for the science labs. With the arrival and installation of these, the remaining work will be complete.
Minister Manickchand noted that while the work was incomplete, school has been in session, and this is evident with attendance by both teachers and students. Additionally, since school reopened, the school has had a Parent Teachers’ Association meeting, engaging parents of Fifth Form students who will be sitting the CSEC exams this year.
With regard to the timely completion of works done on education institutions, Minister Manickchand disclosed that in December, the ministry’s officials met with the contractors, hired through the tender process, who are currently working on schools and dorms around the country.
She stressed that at that meeting, it was made clear that they abide by the contractual terms, especially as it relates to the completion and delivery of quality work; and if they fail to honour their agreement, then the Ministry will not hesitate to implement the contractual terms to penalise them.
The year 2011 will go down in the annals of Guyana’s history as an interesting one for many reasons. There were high points and low points for the year which was made even more interesting by a few individuals, some of whom contributed significantly and selflessly towards the upliftment of their homeland.
On the political scene there was a historic election along with the classic tit-for-tat between the Ministers of Government and their shadow colleagues, and lively yet sometimes hollow debates in the National Assembly.
Some of the Cabinet Ministers have been accused by the Opposition Parties as well as other sections of society of a host of things not limited to illegality and downright corruption. However, there was one who from the beginning who has always managed to elude chastisement and deservedly so.
Priya Devi Manickchand’s term as Human Services and Social Security Minister came to an end a few weeks ago and based on her stellar performance she was upgraded/promoted to Minister of Education.
Entering the political scene in 2006 as one of the youngest Ministers anywhere in the world, Manickchand has undoubtedly made a significant impact on the lives of literally thousands of Guyanese and not always with the fanfare and press publicity.
Now married and with a young daughter she has over the years been at the helm of a Ministry with responsibility for dealing mainly with the vulnerable groups in Guyana. For anyone that knows or had any form of interaction with this young Minister they would quickly relate to you that she is one of the most down-to-earth and humble persons.
For all of the achievements that she has had at the helm of the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security Priya Manickchand insists that she merely continued and finished where others left off and further there is still a lot to be done at the Ministry. She emphasises that she was part of a team that had an excellent blueprint and she merely executed what she was tasked with.
Manickchand operates on a wavelength some would term, “above and beyond the call of duty.” As a result of her stint at the Ministry of Human Services, the landscape for the nation’s vulnerable children, elderly, poor people, the disabled and particularly women, has forever been changed in a positive light.
Manickchand said that during her tenure in that designation, it was through consultations across the country that the Ministry was able to include the people of Guyana in the decision making process and it even embarked on things that had never been previously envisaged. Many needs of the Guyanese people were realized through the outreach approach that the Ministry had assumed under her guidance.
In the words of the modest servant of the people, everything that was achieved at the Ministry – from the smallest input into the life of one single Guyanese to some of the more eye-catching events that caught the attention of the media, “every-single thing was really important to bring together the workings of the Ministry.”
She explained that it is not just clearing off a checklist in terms of, “oh we promised this, check and it’s done….it was more about what we were doing for the lives on the ground and putting the most important things into perspective.”
In terms of the elderly, Manickchand believes that streamlining the pension system was a sterling achievement. The ruling Peoples Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) Administration had removed what was called a ‘means test’ which had been in place by the previous administration and as such every person over the age of 65 became eligible for pension.
Manickchand acknowledges that it was not the easiest of programmes to have streamlined conceding too that, “we had problems with getting it out on time…our service was not as kind as it could have been.”
When it comes to the children of Guyana, under Manickchand’s watch there was a record number of interventions from the highest level in the form of modern legislation to the simple taking care of a child in need of care. She said that one of the areas that she was able to see immediate benefits to children was with the establishment of what was then called the Childcare Protection Unit.
Although it seemingly took forever to Manickchand, as a result of the various consultations and other initiatives that had to be undertaken, eventually a record seven Bills were passed in the National Assembly which were subsequently assented and enacted into law.
The Protection of Children Act, The Adoption of Children Act, The Status of Children Act, The Childcare and Development Services Act, The Custody, Contact, Guardianship and Maintenance of Children Act were all passed under her watch.
Manickchand also managed to get through the National Assembly the Childcare and Protection Agency Act which in turn established that Agency with its own rules, regulations and governing legislation making it at present an almost autonomous body devoted to the sole purpose of Childcare and Protection of Children.
The pieces of legislation that she spoke of can be described as revolutionary in their outlook and objectives.
Manickchand explained that one such piece of legislation that deals with the Status of Children deals with a topic that most persons don’t necessarily like to discuss.
“What happens to a child who is born out of marriage…what is his or her status?” The question is an important one because there are laws that cater for how children born to a wedded couple are treated but what about those crudely referred to as “bastards?”
Further she queried “what is the status of a child born by test-tube procedures…this is our child, this is Guyana’s child!”
The mandatory provisions for children born out of wedlock were not clearly defined in the laws of Guyana, despite the prevalent existence of this phenomenon, and for Manickchand this was something that had to be addressed.
She was forced to question where such a child would fit into the scheme of things in terms of inheritance and other such instances where children born in wedlock were clearly defined.
Manickchand spoke of the genesis of the adoption of children and said that she was eager enough to ensure that the process was made friendlier for the children and the persons interested in adopting a child.
“Protection of Children was a huge piece of legislation for me because it really defined how we are going to go forward as a nation.”
She speculates that two decades from now persons will not be seeking to talk to her about the piece of legislation but the nation as a whole would be able to see its benefits.
Manickchand spoke of the obligations of service providers such as teachers, police and social workers among others as it relates to children adding that “so often we hear people say that oh, I am only the teacher, and it is not my responsibility.”
This is a thing of the past now, because the legislation which was piloted by Minister Manickchand now places obligations on persons such as teachers and pastors, among others, to have to disclose information that they may know in relation to a child being in harm’s way. There is the classic case of Neesa Gopaul, a troubled teen, who despite some officials knowing such information, was still brutally murdered.
“We said no you don’t have confidentiality when it relates to a child being in jeopardy.”
Manickchand also spearheaded the establishment of the Childcare and Protection Unit which commenced with just five persons who were tasked with dealing with a range of matters relating to children, but this soon became an Agency with its own Law.
Under Mission Child Protection, an entire home was built to remove children from the streets, and at present this facility houses and provides care for more than 80 children, with a capacity for more than 150.
“For me the establishment of the Childcare and Protection Unit and then the Agency was hugely, hugely important…I saw immediate results from that particular intervention…we saw lives change right before our very eyes.”
She said that some of the children that they had assisted through that intervention could have probably ended up at the New Opportunity Corps, “and God knows where!”
This, Manickchand reflected, was achieved not with little endeavour as “there was a lot of effort put into it by the officers…we saw the results almost instantaneously.”
In terms of women, Manickchand reflected that one of the interventions that she would herald as being massively successful would be the Women of Worth (WOW) Programme. This is a programme where the Ministry teamed up with the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry to provide loans for Low Income Single Parent women without having to put up collateral. Those targeted in this programme fell into criteria that allowed for them to establish or expand on a small business which would in turn assist their entire family.
This was a crucial venture, as according to Manickchand, women make up half of the world’s population but control a minimal amount of world’s wealth, “and in Guyana it is no different….You don’t have assets, you don’t have a car or a bus or a house to put up as collateral to borrow some money.”
This she says leaves a vicious cycle where the woman is in a position to not be able to borrow any money to assist, even if it is to expand a small catering business or a modest stall selling small items at the front of her home hereby continuing, “this vicious cycle of repetitive poverty.”
This is another programme that Manickchand says that she was able to witness change before her very eyes.
Already more than 2000 women have accessed this facility, and in the case of defaulters on repayment, Manickchand said that it was a simple case of not just providing the women with the money, but the Ministry also assisted them in properly utilizing the money, thereby allowing them to be in a position to repay so that others could access the fund.
“It has changed the way they live their lives,” Manickchand asserted, adding that “it has also allowed for the children to have their lives positively impacted as well as in some cases other dependants.”
One of the more significant contributions that Priya Manickchand has also made is spearheading the passage of the Sexual Offence Act. She said that this process has seen Guyana move from a place where conversations could be had using words like ‘sex’, and ‘penis’ without evoking giggling and rather deal with the darker sides of sexual offences towards the benefit of all.
“We have now become a country where more easily…to a point… we can discuss these issues.”
Manickchand recalls that when she first embarked on the journey, persons were afraid “to look at me straight in the eyes to talk about sex and rape and the other ugly phenomena that exist, and that the Act had to entail”.
Speaking to growth of a country that is not always easily defined, Manickchand says that Guyana is now at a place where “we see people holding placards and saying this must stop…we see people speaking up…it is not an issue that we are hiding from as much as in the past.”
She said that when persons can speak out on these issues then there could be help, even as she pointed to the fact that there is an increased number of reports of rape.
Manickchand is of the opinion that this is not because there is an increase in rapes but rather it is now that persons are more inclined to make a report if this heinous act is committed.
“The fact that we are seeing more and more reports should tell us about the kind of success that we have had because of the countrywide conversation that we have had on this issue.”
These are some of the interventions that Manickchand believes that were big undertakings under her watch at the Ministry and for which the country will continue to see results from for many, many years to come.
She has also been able to expand Legal Aid Services to cover the majority of Guyana, inclusive of the hinterland, and even now provide for children to access legal services among a host of other contributions.
But what exactly drives this young professional woman to have achieved what she has, despite having no experience in politics or the inner workings of a Government.
Manickchand says that she is not sure that she can isolate any one trait that motivates her, but what she knows is that she is a very results-oriented kind of person, in that as long as she is handed a task, she can be able to project what she wants in terms of results for that particular task for 10, 15 or 20 years in the future.
In what could be deemed as advice to fellow servants of the public, Manickchand states that she firmly believes that if ever there comes a time when a person is not feeling motivated to do what they are required to do then take a walk out of the office and meet the people that benefit from what you do or for whom you serve.
“Get up, get out of your office and go talk to people…it’s easy after a couple of months to get tired because it is a tiring job or it is easy to get bogged down.”
She says that whenever she encounters someone who has directly benefited or has been positively impacted as a result of something she has done, “that for me is all the motivation in the world.”
Manickchand stresses that she feels frustrated and lethargic if she cannot accomplish the desired results, but says that she relies on patience in order to see real benefits being directed to the people of the nation. She added that being Minister for Human Services and Social Security has forever made her a better person and that she has over the years had numerous memorable experiences that she will forever cherish.
She reflected on a memorable moment when as Human Services Minister she along with others from the Ministry, through a collective effort, were able to place a single parent mother of six children in a decent home of their own.
During her tenure she tried her utmost to avail assistance to the family and was elated when it was just about time for her to demit office in November that she was able to hand over the keys to a new home to the family. This she recalled was done “out of the limelight” without the presence of the media and was certainly not intended to score political points.
Now tasked with heading the Ministry of Education she is confronted with the realization that it is no easy task, but assures that she will work to the best of her abilities, together with the stellar staff at the Ministry, to take the nation’s education sector to new heights.
“In a moment our life can be taken so we must make our time on earth count in every way.”
With an instant reflection on the goals that were set by the Government for the Ministry of Education, former Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Priya Manickchand, assumed the role of Minister of Education earlier this month effectively replacing Shaik Baksh as the head of the Ministry.
Her vibrant strides have already started to impact on the new Ministry despite the fact that some may say she is not qualified as an educator. The qualified Attorney-at-law during a recent interview alluded to the notion that some persons seem to think she is not equipped for the task at hand but her unbridled ambition has seen her already making an enormous impact in the sector.
“I see that some people say that I am not qualified in education but the Minister is really a policy maker and a manager…so if you are a good policy maker or a good manager then you can really head up any ministry except for the very specialized ones maybe like Finance or the Attorney General,” she said.
Since taking up the new Ministerial post Manickchand has met with the staff of her Ministry and according to her “they are incredibility talented and skilled people who are very experienced in the field of education and I think together with the political will we have to change the landscape of our country using the tool of education…” And this process, according to the Minister has already begun with the full support of the expertise of the individuals within the sector. However, the renewed efforts that have been engaged are not limited to education officials and teachers as according to Manickchand “it involves listening to people because for me that is hugely important. It is not just what we want or what the experts believe should happen, but we have to take our policies on the ground and have people tell us how we can tweak these and see how it fits their lives and their children’s lives and in a way that would make sense.”
“I think we have the will in this governing party and that is reflected through me; we have the energy to do it and we want to do and I have skilled and talented staff who have been in this ministry for ages and we are going to be talking to people about the things we want to see happen.” In light of the supportive trend within the Ministry, Manickchand is confident that nothing will hinder reformation of the sector with a view of realizing improved performance, particularly in the subject areas of Mathematics and English. “I don’t see anything that we have set as unattainable at all,” the Minister confidently asserted.
Parents and students alike were among the target audience that Minister of Education Priya Manickchand has been reaching out to since she assumed office, even as she seeks to amplify the need for an urgent improvement in the Mathematics and English pass rate obtained countrywide. The Minister, backed by senior education officials, up to the end of the last school term was travelling the country to meet with stakeholders ahead of the commencement of a project aimed at improving the national pass rate in the target subject areas. The aim of this project is to prepare students for the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) Examination next year.
The programme, according to the Minister, represents an earnest collaboration between the government, teachers, parents and students to facilitate the much needed improvement in the subject areas at CSEC. Upon taking up the Education Minister portfolio Manickchand said that she immediately recognized that there was a noticeably low pass rate in the two target subject areas, with Mathematics being more alarming. In light of this she has introduced an aggressive strategy which will see students being furnished with the requisite resources to help bolster their performance. The Ministry has since committed to providing some 4,000 students, who will be a part of the pilot project, with CXC General Maths Book I and II, the Self-Study Guide for CXC, the collection of revision DVDs, the combined pass papers from 2008 to 2011, Model Solutions to difficult answers, Combined Solution for everything in addition to a geometry set and graph paper and a scientific calculator.
And in order to sensitise the relevant stakeholders about the ambitious initiative the Minister had personally raised awareness at a number of target schools which have been identified to pilot the project. Among the schools participating in the project are Abram Zuil, Anna Regina and Aurora (Region Two); West Demerara, Zeeburg, Patentia, Leonora, Stewartville (Region Three); Annandale, Coven Garden, Bladen Hall, Hope (Region Four); East Ruimveldt, Christ Church, North Georgetown, Central, Brickdam, North Ruimveldt, Richard Ishmael (Georgetown), Bushlot, Mahaicony, Bygeval, Woodly Park Primary Tops (Region Five); J. C. Chandisingh, Tagore Memorial, , New Amsterdam Multi, Berbice High, Skeldon LinePath (Region Six); Three Miles (Region Seven), St. Ignatius (Region Nine), McKenzie High, Christianburg and Silver City (Region 10).