The Ministry of Education in collaboration with Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF) commissioned the Number 77 Nursery School complex recently at Number 77 Housing Scheme, Corriverton, Berbice.

The project was completed in seven months and cost $82.3M, making it Berbice’s 57TH Nursery school and the nation’s seventh such Nursery school complex that was constructed according to the requirements of the Caribbean Community under its early childhood education stipulations. Construction was carried out by Satar Mohamed Construction, while Deen & partners Chartered Architects were the Consultants to the project.
The student population at the school stands currently at 60. The school complex is built to accommodate 120 pupils, six class teachers and one headteacher and boasts six classroom spaces, a headteacher’s office,a staffroom,open classroom and parents’ waiting area, a kitchen, sick bay,entrance court, sanitary block and utility room, corridor and circulation spaces, a guard hut and storeroom. Additionally, the complex is equipped with general fire safety equipment, general landscaping, minor timber revetment, access bridge and gate, and several disability ramps strategically located around the school campus.

Minister of Education, Ms. Priya Manickchand and a team of senior officers within the Ministry of Education were present to commission the facility. During her feature address, she said it was one of Berbice’s most beautiful nursery schools.
She underscored the importance of parental involvement in the education of children and related that the government can only do so much; the rest is left up to the parents and the home community. “Nursery education for us is extremely important,” she added. Manickchand said that it is important because it is the starting place where the 80 per cent of children the government is promising will know to read in the next five years, start their education. “We have created a whole new set of workbooks, the Roraima Readers,” she posited. Those books are specially created for Guyana, locally written, “and every child would have their own Reader and workbook, and that again is a resource costing us millions of dollars,” she said.

But the benefits and effects would be far reaching, Minister added. She reminded all about the African proverb, ‘It takes a village to raise a child.’ “Everybody has to play their part,” she asserted.
“It is still that (the parents) job to wake that child up in the morning; comb their hair; give them their tea and walk them to school—the government cannot come in your homes to do that for you,” she said. The parents’ job is not over. In the afternoons, parental supervision during school work in the afternoons is especially important. “Parents have a huge role in this village,” she noted.
“This school….is a state of the art school; it has the Caricom Standards…elaborate and extravagant,” she said. “It’s large and has a play area; it is colourful and bright…suitable for young children and ready for children with disability,” she posited. It also allows for good ventilation. She urged parents and teachers to truly embrace their roles at the school to ensure its conditions are maintained.

Remarks were also made by Region Six Chairman, Mr. David Armogan, Regional Education Officer, Ms. Volika Jaikishun, and BNTF’s Mr. Michael Singh, while the programme was chaired by Education Officer, Mr. Claude F. Johnson.

Also attending yesterday were, Headteacher of No. 77 Nursery, Mrs. Rita McAllister, students and teachers of the school, Advisor to the Minister, Assistant Chief Education Officer, Mrs. Melcita Bovell; Education Officer, Mrs. Bhagmattie La Cruz; Education Officer, Mrs. Bibi Ally and others. After the cutting of the ribbon, Minister Manickchand and team toured the facility.

 

 

Source: https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2015/04/13/manickchand-opens-82-3m-nursery-school-at-corriverton/

Education Minister Priya Manickchand has declared that persons who have expressed concern over Clinton Urling’s move to the PPP are all Blue Caps supporters and the organisation is “anti PPP” and she is convinced that the supporters are also “Anti-PPP”

On the same day that the founder and former Chairman of the Blue Caps youth group Clinton Urling declared that he will be supporting the People’s Progressive Party Civic, one of his new PPP colleagues has fired off a “feral blast” at the group and has declared that it is “anti PPP” and she is convinced that its supporters have always been “anti PPP”.

Education Minister and PPP Civic candidate, Priya Manickchand turned to her Facebook page to address some of the comments that have been thrown at Urling over his decision to join the PPP Civic campaign.

Manickchand lumped all of those who have raised concerns about Urling’s decision into a group of “supporters of Blue Caps” and chastised them for their criticism.

She wrote “The supporters of Blue Caps, that new NGO, are all upset that Urling is reported to have joined the PPP’s slate and call him a sell out and a person who has betrayed them and their cause. They have actually gone further calling for a boycott of his business enterprise etc as they are wont to do. I dont understand. I thought the Blue Caps and their supporters had insisted and maintained that they were neutral. So how could joining one party, as opposed to another be a sell out? Why would you be upset if in the first place you were not supportive of one political party over another? It seems from these cries and venom being spewed now that these Blue Caps supporter folks were always anti PPP. Who started up this anti PPP group again? Interesting times.”

The recently installed Chairman of Blue Caps, Michael Leonard responded to Manickchand’s statement and said “for the record, no Blue Caps member has labeled Urling a sell out or has called for a boycott”.

He said all members of his organization are free to exercise their constitutionally guaranteed right to join any political party or form their own party should they desire. Leonard said Blue Caps aims to increase youth participation in decision making and leadership, especially the political process.

Manickchand followed up and said that while she did not say “members”, she maintains that supporters of the youth group who were waving “pom poms” for Blue Caps have been leading the concerns against his decision.

She called on the Blue Caps Chairman to call on the “supporters” to desist from their position even as she admitted that she should be forgiven for thinking that the “supporters” are knowledgeable of the activities of the group.

Leonard made it clear that he does not have control about what anyone says on their personal Facebook pages or other Facebook pages.

Urling walked away from the Chairmanship of Blue Caps back in March to explore his political ambitions.

He still served as a regular member, but over the weekend, other members became concerned as he removed himself completely from their WhatsAPP chat group, without any explanation.

 

Source: http://newssourcegy.com/news/priya-manickchand-blasts-blue-caps-as-anti-ppp-group-blue-caps-responds/

A STATE-of-the-art nursery school, built to CARICOM standards at a cost of $82.3M with funding from the Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF), and equipped with ramps at the entrances and exits to cater for disabled children, was Wednesday commissioned at No.77 Village, East Berbice Corentyne by Education Minister Priya Manickchand.

The minister described the impressive edifice as the most beautiful and modern nursery school in that part of the country; and in highlighting the importance of early childhood education, she noted that the early childhood years are recognised by psychologists, teachers and policy makers as being very important years in children’s lives.

Minister Manickchand said the Government makes no bones about prioritising education. She highlighted that the Number 77 Nursery School is the 57th such school in Region Six, and noted that the education sector budget has moved from 5 percent to 15 percent of the national budget, and this is spent across the sector.

The minister explained that the administration has undertaken a programme which has a vision to ensure that all students are able to read and understand what they are reading by Grade Four. This project is expected to see results by 2020.

HIGHEST ENROLMENT 
The Minister pointed out that 85% of nursery school-aged children in Guyana are enrolled in schools. This, she noted, is the highest enrolment figure in the entire Commonwealth Caribbean, and has been made possible only because the administration has created the facilities that are needed.

The Education Minister urged that parents give their children the jump start; and do so early, so that they can do better than their parents.

She said building schools is one thing, but having the trained teachers to teach the children is another. Accordingly, she highlighted that government has also invested heavily in the training of teachers. She said that 80% of the nursery school teachers in Berbice are trained.

She related that many were applying to be trained at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE), but they didn’t qualify in one of the core subjects. Today, she said, the situation is different as, consciously, the PPPC Administration has been providing for teacher training.

She cited as an example that Region Six has about 12 nursery age children to a teacher. “We have now brought the number down… so much so (that) a teacher can spend time with the children. So when you know a child is really good, you can give them extra work; and when the child is slow, you can bring them up; and that is what having smaller classrooms do….

“It didn’t happen simply because we desired it or we wanted it to happen. It happened because we had a vision that we want to see smaller classrooms, with trained teachers, with children who were graduating with skill; and we pursued that vision, we funded that vision that your children are benefitting from.”

Explaining how the Ministry was able to attract more teachers, Minister Manickchand said the education system is doing well, and more children are passing Maths and English and can go on and become teachers.

In 1992, just 8 percent of students passed English, and 18 percent passed Maths; whereas in 2014, 46 percent passed English and 36 percent passed Maths, which is similar to what obtains in the Caribbean.

Also, to allow a greater intake of students, children were entered into the formal education system in September at three years three months old, six months earlier than previously obtained. This, however, was done after an assessment and the children were taught basic things at home before starting school, Minister Manickchand explained.

She said that such a policy will not be reversed, unless the parents call for its turnaround.
Further, with the administration being keen to support groups and parents, it has ensured that programmes are put in place to do so; hence there are projects covering fortified snacks, hot meals, uniform assistance, free exercise and text books, along with the new cash grant programme launched in 2014.

The contract for construction of the Number 77 Nursery School was signed in April 2014, and was completed approximately seven months later.
The school was welcomed by the staff of the facility, especially the head teacher, and by the residents.

Meanwhile, BNTF representative Michael Singh said the school is equipped with sick bay, kitchen, administrative department, and washroom facilities among other departments; and has the capacity to house 120 students, or 20 per classroom.

BNTF is a Government of Guyana programme, and is responsible for implementing projects and providing infrastructure for capacity building through funding from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

The project undertaken falls into the 7th and 8th BNTF cycle, which deals with education and human development. Under this aspect, US$2.7M were expended on the construction of the Diamond; Ithaca; Tuschen; and the latest, No.77 Village Nursery schools among others, along with the refurbishing of others.

The 8th cycle, which is currently ongoing, will see the injection of US$804M into the education sector.

Meanwhile, Region Six Chairman Mr. Permaul Armogan lauded the education sector and the importance that government has given to nursery education, which is the backbone to more intellectual development.

He recognised that the government is not only pushing nursery, but all forms of education, with a special focus on technical and vocational areas.

 

 

 

Source:https://guyanachronicle.com/2015/04/02/education-minister-commissions-state-of-the-art-nursery-school-in-region-6

 

 

 

–  Monitoring of STI policies seen as key
As a three-day workshop on Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) was launched by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with UNESCO, the importance of moving beyond traditional economies to “new, dynamic ones” was highlighted as a necessity for the success of the STI field in Guyana.

The workshop, which kicked off yesterday at the Grand Coastal Inn, will see lengthy discussions on policy and indicators for STI. The Office of the President is also a key institute working along on the workshop.
During the workshop’s opening ceremony, Minister of Education Dr. Priya Manickchand said that Guyana is at a crossroad in getting the population to understand that progress can only be achieved if traditional means of educating people are moved past.
Manickchand said that this need had long been recognised on a policy level. However, she said, translating this understanding to the relevant stakeholders in the population is a work in progress.
“I think it would be fair to say that across the world it’s a work in progress where we’re trying to get the world to understand that traditional methods and traditional economies are not going to suffice in this new, dynamic world,” Manickchand opined.

Further, the Education Minister said that her ministry was pleased to be the host of the UNESCO workshop. However, though she expressed pleasure, Manickchand emphasised that she was not surprised that Guyana was chosen by UNESCO.
According to the minister, Guyana has taken leadership in the STI field by using the country’s natural resources scientifically to match economic needs.
“We have been remarkable in leading across the world and in showing how you can use what you have in a scientific way to meet economic needs and demands of a population,” Dr. Manickchand said. She continued, “We are a good example of how largeness or size and GDP really doesn’t matter in how we can contribute and we’ve been a great leader across the world; people are still using us as an example.”

Manickchand said too that Guyana’s leadership did not happen “by accident”. She said that the position was achieved through a conscious decision by the Government of Guyana to make STI an integral part of the education system. She added that STI was present from the nursery level all the way to the tertiary level.
“If you look at the policies that have been implemented across the board, you would see that there is a conscious and strategic move to make us more conscious of the value of investing in this area,” she said.
Meanwhile, the importance of monitoring policies was also highlighted as one of the necessities for the success of STI policies.

Martin Schaaper of the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) recognised STI as one of the main drives for economic growth across the world. Schaaper said that a recent perusal of Guyana’s STI policy indicated the need for a more evidence-based or science-based country. He said too, that there are “lots of plans and policies that need to be set in place”. However, Schaaper said, these policies could only work if adequate monitoring mechanisms are established.
“You can only know if you’re being effective – if you’re reaching your objectives – if you also monitor the policies,” Schaaper noted.
He went on to say that UNESCO was aiding Guyana in the recognition of its STI goals. He added that UNESCO strongly believed in evidence-based policies.
The UIS representative said that there are a range of indicators that can be used to mold policies and over the course of the workshop these indicators will be presented and analysed. “The objective of this workshop is to give you an introduction to these indicators and tell you how you can reflect these indicators,” Schaaper said. He continued, “I think it is important to know where you are so you know where you’re going and you can track if you’re going there.”

Similarly, Manickchand emphasised the importance of monitoring established policies.
“We are happy that this particular workshop deals with indicators. We find that in Guyana…that the weakest part of most policies is monitoring, evaluating and determining where we are mid-policy and regarding meeting the indicators,” Manickchand said.

The three-day workshop is a Ministry of Education and an Office of the President initiative and was supported by UNESCO. The workshop is aimed at linking Guyana’s policies with STI indicators. UNESCO has supported the development of the National Science Technology and Innovation Strategy for Guyana during the years 2009 to 2011. This policy was recently approved by the Government of Guyana. The re-establishment of a National Science and Technology Council forms part of the implementation of the policy.
For a number of years, UNESCO has provided funding in excess of US$500,000.

Ernesto Polcuch of UNESCO’s Montevideo office expressed hope that the organisation would not simply be viewed as a beam of support, but rather a partner for the sharing of expertise and dialogue.
He emphasised that the workshop was an opportunity for Guyana and UNESCO to work together. He further said that the workshop was timely since oftentimes it is difficult for UNESCO to adequately establish dialogue with all of the 33 countries they serve in the region.

Finally, he said, the established policies should be viewed as a “living document” and should be used to achieve new goals along with existing ones. He added that the job does not conclude at the end of the workshop on Wednesday but rather that there will be need for follow up.

 

 

Source: https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2015/03/31/time-to-move-beyond-traditional-economies-education-minister/

THE National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) examinations will be held today and tomorrow at hundreds of centres across Guyana. Approximately 15,200 candidates are registered to write this examination. Guyana has attained universal primary education, a millennium development goal. This means that all Guyanese boys and girls of primary school age can access primary education. This exam is a placement exam offered at the end of the primary cycle to determine the secondary school students will be placed. Four subjects will be assessed, namely English Language, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies. Each subject will consist of two papers. English Language and Science will be administered today and Mathematics and Social Studies tomorrow.

 

 

 

Source: https://guyanachronicle.com/2015/03/31/good-luck-15200-children-write-ngsa-exams-today

Dear Pupils of Grade Six,
On Wednesday April 1 and Thursday April 2, 2015 you will be writing the National Grade Six Assessment. English Language and Science will be written on Wednesday and Mathematics and Social Studies will be written on Thursday.

I am asking you to do your very best at these assessments. They are important. Ensure that you answer each question very carefully. On the multiple choice paper, choose only ONE answer, the best answer. Think well before you answer.

Please be calm and don’t get nervous. You have studied hard. Your teachers have done their best to prepare you for this and your parents and guardians support you. Do everyone proud! We believe in you.

Everything should be ready now –
Your uniform, Shoes and socks.
Pencils, eraser, ruler.
Timetable.

Great!
May God bless you all.

Priya Manickchand, 
Minister of Education

 

 

Source: http://education.gov.gy/web/index.php/mediacenter/item/1411-message-to-pupils-of-grade-six

Dear Editor,

Recently, at Babu John, former President Jagdeo challenged the opposition to discuss substantive issues facing the nation which they believe need to be addressed and in which they believe the PPP has under-performed. I welcome this initiative by Mr Jagdeo, especially in light of mutual accusations directed by each of the two parties at the other, levelling charges of maintaining platforms of rabble-rousing and rhetoric without intelligent discussion. Perhaps it may be possible to elevate the tenor of our national political debate by conducting a discussion in your forum of issues which are important to the voting public, with the hope that we might provoke thoughtful responses from the powers that be and the powers that want to be. I trust you will permit space in your paper for this first sally, on the topic of education.

Education is an area of paramount importance in Guyana. However, the quality of many of our teachers is unsatisfactory, and the quality of our facilities is dismal. The few competent teachers at primary and secondary level often dilute the energy and professional dedication which they can bring to school by the prevalent practice of offering lessons after school, at a price, of course. Those among them who are less scrupulous conduct their official school time classes in such a way that only part of a given syllabus is covered, so that the paid lessons become a necessary supplement for a student to complete the syllabus.

Generally, the quality of teaching is reflected not only in examination results at CXC, CAPE and GCE, but also in the level of indiscipline among students in the schools, including absenteeism, rowdiness, violence and sexual permissiveness. The selection process into secondary school ensures that less than 5% of each common entrance class has a hope of qualifying for entry into one of the recognized secondary schools. The rest are condemned. The overall result is a low literacy rate, unemployable young adults, social deviance, and an unproductive work force. A publication of the Sustainable Development Networking Programme, a joint Government of Guyana and UNDP project which terminated in 2004, neatly captures the position in respect of education:

“Although Guyana’s educational system was considered to be one of the best in the Caribbean during the 1960s, it is probably among the weakest today. Its decline is due to a number of economic and social factors… These factors have led to a most unsatisfactory and unacceptable state of affairs: learning rates in the schools are extremely low; a large proportion of the teaching force is unqualified and untrained; absenteeism on the part of both teachers and students is rife; and textbooks and other instructional materials are often unavailable. Guyana’s success in attaining universal access to primary schools in the early 1970s has been eroded, and has been replaced by rising repetition and drop out rates. Moreover, a survey of school-leavers and the adult population has revealed alarmingly high levels of functional illiteracy.”

Recent advertisements by the ruling party remind us that education attracts the second largest allotment of public funds among the ministries, and we can all see how much has been spent building schools throughout the country. The Minister of Education has also said candidly and honestly that if the available resources are insufficient, then a need cannot be met. This is indisputable.

My questions then to both contestants are:

(1) Are you satisfied with the quality of education offered in Guyana at primary, secondary and tertiary levels?

(2) If you are not satisfied, what shortcomings have you identified and what causes have you deduced underpin these shortcomings?

(3) (To the incumbents) what measures have you put in place over the past five to ten years to improve the quality of education?

(4) Are you satisfied that these measures have produced the desired result?

(5) If you are not satisfied, what (further) measures do you propose to put in place in the next five years which you believe will alleviate the situation?

(6) (To the incumbents) why have you not already implemented these measures in the past five to ten years?

 

Yours faithfully,

Timothy Jonas

 

 

 

Source: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2015/opinion/letters/03/30/are-both-parties-satisfied-with-the-level-of-education-offered-in-guyana/

THE Ministry of Education has received an estimated cost to have the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) Examinations, Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE), sittings done on alternative dates due to the upcoming General and Regional Elections slated for May 11. Education Minister, Priya Manickchand, yesterday spoke with the Guyana Chronicle, alluding to the fact that the ministry is in receipt of the approximate cost for the rescheduling of the CSEC and CAPE examinations. Minister Manickchand explained: “We’re in the process of working out the details with CXC and most of our deliberations have been concluded. There are some provisional costs so far and the ministry will offer an update on these developments very soon.”

On January 26, during a press conference held at the National Centre for Education Research and Development (NCERD), Minister Manickchand, joined by the Registrar of CXC, Glenroy Cumberbatch and other senior education officers, informed the media that the new dates for the examinations which should have been written on May 11th and 12th, 2015, are now scheduled to be written on June 15th and 16th, 2015, respectively.
She explained that at all times during the discussions and deliberations; the ministry’s paramount consideration was the best interests of candidates. She said the Ministry of Education is “always keen to ensure that examinations are conducted in a smooth and effective manner,” through consultations with the CXC and other stakeholders.
The Education Minister also assured the media that despite the fact Guyanese candidates will be sitting the exams at a later date; their results will be available on time with the rest of the Region.
“CXC will mark all scripts and issue results at the same time the CXC/CAPE results were originally scheduled to be delivered. CXC will officially inform the candidates about this change in timetable. The Ministry of Education shall also take all necessary steps to ensure each and every candidate is informed of the timetable change,” Manickchand told reporters yesterday.

CXC’s Registrar Glenroy Cummerbatch also added to the discussion, stressing that “the principal concern was to ensure that these candidates who registered to write CSEC and CAPE, had the opportunity to write them in the conditions that they would normally write day-to-day.”
He explained that if schools were to be used as polling stations on the same day, it would mean that the two activities would have been competing. Therefore, it was necessary to ensure that the candidates are not disadvantaged in anyway, he said.

CSEC exams scheduled for June 15 at 9:00 am: Agricultural Science (double award) – Paper 2, Agricultural Science (Single award) – Paper 2, Theatre Arts – Paper 1; and at 1:00 pm: Electrical and Electronic Technology – Paper 1 and Food and Nutrition – Paper 2.
CAPE exams scheduled for the same day at 9:00 am: Geometrical and Mechanical Engineering Drawing Unit 1 – Paper 2, History Unit 1 – Paper 2 and Art and Design Unit 1 and 2 – Paper 2 and 3; and at 1:00 pm: Communications Studies – Paper -2 .

CSEC exams scheduled for June 16 at 9:00 am: Home Economics: Management – Paper 2, and Technical Drawing – Paper 2; and at 1:00 pm: Electrical and Electronic Technology – Paper 2. CAPE exams scheduled for the same day at 9:00 am: French Unit 2 – Paper 2 and Environmental Science Unit 2 – Paper 2; and at 1:00 pm: Pure Mathematics Unit 1 – Paper 2 and Agricultural Science Unit 2 – Paper 2.

 

 

Source: https://guyanachronicle.com/2015/03/18/moe-receives-cost-for-exams-rescheduling