Major infrastructure works are expected this year, Minister of Education Priya Manickchand said yesterday in defence of the government’s $94.4 billion allocation to her sector.

Addressing the National Assembly during the second day of the budget debate, Manickchand said the allocated sum paves the way for the construction and rehabilitation of new and existing schools, works on dormitories, and the construction of teachers’ quarters, among others.

In every region, she explained, infrastructural works will be undertaken with new schools being constructed at Hosororo, and Kwebanna, in Region One; Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo and West Bank Demerara; Orealla Corentyne; and Jawalla, Upper Mazaruni. This year’s budgetary allocation, she added, will see the reconstruction of the schools that were destroy-ed by fire and the completion of the Yarrowkabra and Good Hope Secondary Schools. She pointed out too that dormitories will be upgraded and constructed at Paramakatoi and Kopinag in regions Eight and Nine respectively.

Taking a jab at the opposition’s failure to implement such major projects, the Minister noted that the level of investment within the last two and half years by the government is more than what the coalition government spent during their five years at the helm of government. 

“In five years, the APNU+AFC did not build one single secondary school. Not one secondary school was started and completed under the APNU+AFC government,” she pointed out as she spoke of the civil works to be funded under this year’s budget.

The Education Minister said that it is necessary that these investments are made now, as she pointed out that the student population has grown from 185,000 in 2019 to 193,000 in 2022. 

“Providing access is hugely important to ensuring the delivery of quality education… Education is valuable…” she underscored, positing that the country will see the results of today’s investment in a few years.

According to the Minister, these advances in infrastructure will not only support the sector’s objective to achieve universal secondary education, but will also permanently change the trajectory of any country and fortunes of any family and community to ensure provisions to educate communities and individuals are supported.

Manickchand added that she is open to working with the opposition to move forward in the education sector and urged the opposition side of the House to support the allocation.  She stressed that a child’s education should not be used to score cheap political points.

Free university education

Manickchand said that free university education remains part of the government’s promise to the nation. Rebutting opposition members’ questions about free tuition in this budget, she said the manifesto promised to deliver on this in the first term. 

“We said very clearly that we are going to find a pathway to remove the debt that students had already incurred, former and current students… and we are going to make the university free in the first five years,” she assured. 

She utilised the opportunity to slam the now opposition for not implementing this promise although it was a part of their 2015 manifesto. Manickchand stressed that instead of the coalition government delivering on their promise for free university education, they supported the hike in tuition fees for students. Tuition fees she said climbed drastically as most courses moved from $127,000 to $220,000 by 2020 when her party returned to office.

In response to hecklers while on the floor, she said “Do you know why people are not worried? Because every other promise we made has been fulfilled and so political parties have to have  some amount of credibility when they speak.”

Continuing to highlight what Budget 2023 offers, she stated that $3.7 billion will be spent on the production of textbooks. She explained they have seen the benefits of students having access to textbooks from improved performance at the national examination. She added too that through this initiative, parents will be able to have more disposable cash in their pockets. 

Turning her attention to the relaunched school feeding programme, the Minister said that 250 persons (241 cooks and nine monitors) were hired to support the programme. Some $2.1 billion has been allocated for this project.

The Minister told the House that no child is being discriminated against in the programme. She chastised the coalition government for poor implementation of the programme and questioned why it was not rolled out to students from areas where sugar estates were shut. 

This year’s budget also covers the online rollout of training for teachers via the Cyril Potter College of Education. Some 2,500 teachers will graduate as trained teachers, she explained, as a result of the courses being offered online. Focus is also placed on training teachers in special education needs. The minister said 303 individuals have registered for the programme.

The Minister added that with investments made in the Education Channel, they have 1,800 programmes airing with coverage in over 85% of the country. By the end of this quarter, she said, 100% coverage is expected to be achieved.

 “In two years, 1,800 programmes, all the Grade Six concepts and topics, all the Grade Five concepts and topics available now to 85 per cent of the Amerindian villages who never had the Learning Channel before… in the next three months, it is going to be 100 per cent,” the minister assured.

The Ministry of Education has distributed television sets, satellite dishes, and solar-powered systems to hinterland communities to achieve the coverage.

Source: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2023/01/25/news/guyana/major-infrastructure-works-coming-in-education-sector-manickchand/

Teachers across the country last week held a ‘sick out’ as part of calls for better salary negotiations but according to Education Minister Priya Manickchand, teachers must consider how this is affecting students.

The Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) initiated the industrial action because proposals for increased salaries were not granted.

Minister Manickchand addressed reporters at the sidelines of an event on Tuesday and urged teachers to reconsider future strike action, noting that it affects students who are already grappling due to learning loss brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are just coming out of a COVID period where we are seeing very forceful the effects of children staying home and being without instruction so anyone who asks children to go without education is someone without a conscience.

“There are very many ways to resolve issues and I am hoping that the various bodies and individuals will address their minds on those consequences. Every time a child goes without teaching I am concerned,” Minister Manickchand said.

She stressed that the government is committed to ensuring that children are learning and all parties are comfortable. As such, she reminded that several salary adjustments are on board for consultations by President Dr Irfaan Ali. Notably, she reminded that classroom grants and other benefits are allotted to teachers.

However, asked whether the ministry will engage the GTU to discuss the issue, the minister said “We met with the union last week…they have different committees where we talk about different issues.”

Teachers have called for salary adjustments over the years and last year, there was an adjustment for teachers who are in training to receive salaries rather than stipends.

Source: https://newsroom.gy/2023/09/20/manickchand-urges-teachers-to-find-another-resolve-worries-possible-strike-may-add-to-learning-loss/

Literacy among students remains one of the biggest problems plaguing the education sector leading to disparity in academic performance and examination results and Education Minister Priya Manickchand said schools across the nation will soon benefit from enhanced literacy programmes to curb the issue.

“We believe once we are able to change the way children read and comprehend, we are going to change whether they want to stay in school and when they stay in school how they perform,” Manickchand said.

Her comments came in response to a question from the Stabroek News, at the presentation of the National Grade Six Assessment results last week, on what is being done to ensure that those who perform poorly benefit significantly in secondary school and do not drop out.

Critics have said top students continue to be celebrated at every announcement of results while little is being done to change the situation for those who perform poorly.

Although she acknowledged that literacy was the main problem in the delivery of education, Manickchand stressed that she will not stop the highlighting of students who excelled as their hard work should be celebrated.

Nonetheless, she also admitted that poor performance at exams by children, who are not able to cope with standards the education sector is looking for, is no fault of theirs. 

“The main problem with children being unable to cope with papers and their work is in their literacy level that has been studied and determined by us. We are sure about that except for children with learning difficulties,” the minister pointed out before announcing that from September they will be rolling out a new literacy programme across the country.

Students who sat this year’s exams were subjected to the COVID-19 pandemic at a critical stage where they were now grasping the concept of foundational literacy and numeracy. The minister said during this time, they had to find innovative and creative ways to build on the foundation of the children to prevent what was gained from being lost.

She stressed the ministry delivered learning packages and aired lessons via television for students to be active and continue to learn in the pandemic.

She went on to state her ministry is working to curb this issue and has created an entire literacy department and appointed another Assistant Chief Education Officer to specifically handle literacy across the nation.

This publication understands the programme will target 15,000 primary and nursery school teachers to be trained in literacy.

At the secondary school level, Manickchand announced, from September every stream must be able to offer subjects beyond the traditional academic curriculum.

She explained the ministry is aiming to introduce a new curriculum where at least one sport, one musical instrument, one foreign language and a TVET subject is taught to students. She stated they will also encourage students to engage in volunteering, allowing them to leave school rounded and with a strong sense of volunteerism.

“We want to diversify what we offer. It is not going to be just the traditional academic subjects we are trying to cater to the needs of the country that are arising and the interest of children. We are tweaking [the curriculum] where every stream must offer IT and EDPM. We are looking from very early, from first form, where children will want to stream off into a variety of different things we are doing to improve secondary education,” she detailed.

Additionally, with children experiencing learning difficulties the minister said a collaboration with the Ministry of Health would see all primary school children screened for health issues and early identification of learning disabilities.

Hinterland performance
Turning her attention to the hinterland students’ performance, Manickchand explained this year’s results continues to illustrate a gap between the coast and the hinterland.

“Performance in the hinterland continues to not measure up to the performance on the coast… for a variety of reasons. We have not been able to catch the gap there,” she said in response to a question.

The minister stressed however, that the ministry is striving to achieve a goal of having all teachers in the system trained by 2025. This will allow students to have better access to the type of education they access in the hinterland.

The minister had also indicated that they have been investing in expanding the learning channel reach and installing televisions at schools in the hinterland to bridge the learning gap.

While addressing the top performing students, education officials and stakeholders at the examination results ceremony, the minister emphasised on the initiatives her ministry is taking to ensure students have an equal opportunity across the country.

According to Manickchand, investments in the sector have demonstrated and produced positive results, “we’re convinced of that so we won’t stop investing in our children.”

In this regard she pointed out that while they have expanded the capacity of top national schools allowing them to place more students in classrooms, the ultimate goal is to create an equal access to education opportunity.

Following this year’s exam, Manickchand announced, 860 students are being placed in the top national schools as opposed to 738 in 2019.

“I wanted to say this, for all the children watching particularly, if we could have placed 1,000 children in first form or grade seven at Queen’s College… all the children who are going to the Grade ‘A’ list schools could have ended up at Queen’s College if we had the capacity because you have the ability and we know if we put you in any school you’ll do well,” she said.

She said the choices of students should not be limited by geographic location or which school they attain and they should have access to the same quality of teachers to guide and mould their skills and talents.

 “Our commitment to you is that there will be the same service in all the schools. Our monitoring from the Education Departments in the country will apply, to effectively make sure all the services reach you and do not disappear after the placement of this exam,” the minister said.

She told the students, their whole lives were ahead of them and they were living in really exciting times in the country.

“There are [going to be] many, many, many opportunities in different fields in different areas and your schooling is going to prepare you for participation in a meaningful way,” she related.

Source: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2023/07/10/news/guyana/ministry-of-education-to-roll-out-huge-literacy-programme/

Following the devastating fire at the female dormitory of the Mahdia Secondary School that claimed 20 lives last month, the government is now moving to implement several measures across all schools and dorms to make them safer.

This is according to the Education Minister, Priya Manickchand, who reminded reporters on Wednesday that there is provision in the 2023 budget for five dorms in Regions 1, 7, and 9 to be fixed, “and the procurement process is happening as we speak.”

“I can tell you that certain measures are being taken across dorms and schools right now that should make them a little bit safer, including personnel…at the end of the day, you have human beings manning a system…

“So, you can have a perfect system with a human being who doesn’t execute perfectly…and you could still end up with all kinds of issues,” the Education Minister told reporters while answering questions at a contract signing ceremony.

She did not provide details on exactly what these measures are. A total of 20 children – 19 girls and a five-year-old boy – died in the horrific fire which occurred on May 21 in the remote Region Eight community; 19 of them were burnt to death while the 20^th victim succumbed to her injuries at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

Several girls are still nursing injuries. The children were trapped inside the heavily grilled dormitory and the doors were keyed; the ‘house mother’ could not locate the keys in time as the fire quickly ripped through the building.

Even though the fire was deliberately set by another student, the government came in for heavy criticism for not having any safety measures in place at the dorms.

It was subsequently revealed by the Stabroek News that a United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) assessment of all 24 school dormitories across the country last year highlighted a series of deficiencies to the Ministry of Education.

According to the Stabroek News, the report of recommendations ‘Gender Sensitive Standards for Dormitory Schools in Guyana’ had a section dedicated to fire protection systems, including that smoke detectors be installed and drills conducted regularly.

When asked on Wednesday why the plethora of recommendations by UNICEF were not implemented, the Education Minister highlighted that the report was given to the “relevant authorities” since schools and dorms outside of Georgetown are not within her jurisdiction.

Manickchand clarified that the assessment by UNICEF was commissioned by the Education Ministry when she assumed office because she wanted to have a clear understanding of the weaknesses and gaps in the various learning institutions across the country.

She also reminded reporters that these dorms are managed by the local government organs and not the ministry.

“If we commissioned that report knowing fully well that we have no responsibility or jurisdiction in local governance structure or in those facilities, then I think you can surmise two clear things: that we wanted to learn what were some of the weaknesses and gaps in the various facilities that existed forever…we wanted to learn what those problems were so that we could fix them…and 2 , that if I knew from the beginning that I couldn’t fix them, that I would have shared it with whoever it needed to go to and we are maintaining that we did…,” Manickchand contended.

No consideration for closure of schools/dorms

She explained that consideration was not given to closing dorms or schools in order to fix the issues identified because of the major learning loss and dropouts Guyana was grappling with as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“One of the issues we face in the world…you take children out of school, especially in those communities, communities that have homes that are far from each other and far from a centre, getting them back into school is a really hard thing. So, the world said after the 2020 closure…that one of the things we would suffer…early school leaving and learning loss.

“Having come out of that period where we are experiencing both as a country…to say ‘close as we fix’ is a hard thing for us educationally, because we will lose students to the system, to education.”

The Education Minister cited reports on this that were issued by the World Bank and the United Nations.

She believes that a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) to investigate the causes and circumstances of the fire and to inquire into related issues is the best way to move forward.

Source: https://newsroom.gy/2023/06/08/measures-being-implemented-to-make-schools-dorms-safer-manickchand/

A policy by the Ministry of Education to address the recurring incidents of violence in schools is being finalised, Minister of Education Priya Manickchand has said.

The policy was expected to be introduced for the new school term which commenced on September 4.

However, Manickchand Monday said there was a setback following the sudden death of Education Specialist Olato Sam, who was tasked with spearheading the policy.

“We had begun and we are looking at the completion of a draft policy that Olato Sam was working on,” Manickchand said during an interview with the News Room at the Bishop’s High School in Georgetown.

She said the policy would not only address the immediate issue of violence in schools, but it will also consider options for handling children who display violent tendencies and care for those who face violence.

“It’s a very holistic plan. We are sort of trying to put together…what was presented so far and try to work from there,” she said.

The policy is being drafted through consultations with stakeholders.

In recent months, there have been several incidents of violence in schools involving students, teachers and even parents.

Manickchand has repeatedly said these incidents will not be tolerated.

Some measures to address the issue have included enhanced security at schools and counselling for students.

Source: https://newsroom.gy/2023/09/12/policy-coming-to-address-prevent-violence-in-schools-manickchand/

As the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) continues to press the issue of a multi-year agreement, the Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, has said that that such matters are dealt with at the level of the President’s office. 

 “As you are aware that the Ministry has never negotiated, it’s always been from a level of Office of the President.” Minister Manickchand said when contacted.

Responding to a recent question about talks with the GTU on a comprehensive package, President Irfaan Ali said that his plans entail travelling and listening to teachers across the country, to get an idea of what is needed.

This however does not sit well with the GTU, as some of the executive have expressed their dissatisfaction at the process of negotiations, noting that while the President continues to not look at the body as its true representatives, the meetings they have attended are going nowhere and that the government seems to be using a tactic to eventually give an across-the-board increase rather than what the union would have bargained for.

Manickchand however disputed such claims and noted that they have been meeting with the union frequently on several matters and ironing out the concerns but when it comes to the agreement, that will be dealt with by the President.

“We are meeting with the union on professional issues and we continue to do that and the President addresses especially those issues you are now asking.  The multi-year agreement was also derived from the Office of the President”, she told Stabroek News.

The GTU and Government, would on a yearly basis engage each other on wages, benefits, and salaries. This engagement comes within the ambit of a collective bargaining agreement.

Since 2018 under the APNU+AFC administration, teachers across Guyana were able to benefit from a multi-year agreement that would have taken some time to construct. After six hours of negotiation on October 12, 2018, the Ministry of Education and the Guyana Teachers’ Union  struck a deal on salary increases for teachers for the period 2016 to 2018, with union representatives accepting an across-the-board increase of 8% for 2018.

For 2016, then Minister of Education Nicolette Henry told reporters after the meeting, the parties had agreed to a tiered increase of 12% for junior teachers and 8% for senior teachers. There was no increase for 2017 and the 8% increase for 2018 applied across-the-board. The arbitration process, which was initiated following nine days of strike action by teachers nationwide was aborted.

In 2019, teachers received 8.5 to 9 per cent salary increases in line with what was administered across the board to public servants.

In early 2019, the GTU then submitted a proposal for an agreement to cover the 2019-2021 period. That proposal never got off the ground as was discussed with the Ministry, and was delayed due to a number of issues, including the holding of General and Regional Elections in 2020.

After a lengthy pause caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, a reworked proposal was re-submitted to the new government.

Fast forward and the issues remain under the PPP/C government, which since taking office in August 2020, has not signed a multi-year agreement with the GTU.

Currently, the union and the government are discussing another multi-year agreement and its provisions, which include inter alia, duty-free concessions for teachers, scholarships for post-graduate programmes, the housing revolving fund, salary increases, better remote-area incentives for teachers in the hinterland, more clerical support at schools, resolution of the 2016 fiasco where salary scales for new teachers were changed, increments for additional qualifications and less academic workload on Headteachers and Deputy Headteachers, etcetera.  

Source: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2023/07/25/news/guyana/presidents-office-not-ministry-deals-with-gtu-multi-year-pact-manickchand/

Pro Chancellor’s Award presented to Best UG Law student:

Minister of Education Priya Manickchand on Friday afternoon presented the Pro Chancellor’s Award to Rea Cilicia Harris, the University of Guyana’s best graduating Law student for 2021. In a statement, the ministry said award was presented at a simple ceremony at the Minister’s 26 Brickdam Office. It noted that the 21-year-old began her academic journey at the university in 2019 and will be graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Law with a 3.8 GPA. She is currently enrolled at the Hugh Wooding Law School, where she is reading for her Legal Education Certificate. Manickchand, the statement said, congratulated Harris on her achievements and encouraged her to continue striving for excellence. (Ministry of Education photo)

Source: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2022/01/29/photos/pro-chancellors-award-presented-to-best-ug-law-student/

Five of seven of the members of the new Teaching Service Commission (TSC)  were yesterday  sworn in by President Irfaan Ali, who said the Commission is not subject to any political directives in the execution of its functions.

The members who took their oath of office and were given their instruments of appointment are Maydha Persaud, Doodmattie Singh, Joan Ann David-Monkhouse, Shafiran Bhajan and Mohammed Saddam Hussain.

The two other nominated members, Avril Crawford and Sattie Jaiserrisingh were absent from yesterday’s swearing in ceremony which took place at the Office of the President.  They are expected to be sworn in at a later date.

The commission will function for three years. A Chairman and Deputy Chairman for the commission will be elected by the Commissioners at their first meeting.

The TSC is responsible for appointing, promoting and disciplining teachers.

The appointments came close to two years after the term of the previous Commission expired.  The last TSC was appointed back in February 2018.

Since taking office, there have been delays by the Government in making key constitutional appointments.

Yesterday’s swearing in ceremony commenced one hour and a half late. No reason for the delay was provided.

During brief remarks yesterday, Ali said teachers are the “backbone” of the education system as they are responsible for moulding the minds of the nation’s children and preparing them for varied roles in society.

“Teachers, therefore, are not only indispensable but vital to the fashioning of responsible citizenship,” he said.

According to Ali, it is necessary that “great” care and attention are taken when making appointments to the teaching profession. “Placing ill qualified and ill-suited persons to educate our children can be disastrous to our children’s future and the human resource development of the country,” he said.

Ali admonished the Commissioners that appointments and promotions must be “fair” and “just”.  He said: “If our children are to benefit from a high quality education, then such appointments and promotions must be based on merit and avoid favouritism, cronyism or nepotism”.

He added that disciplinary actions against teachers must be “fair and in conformity with due process”.

He further noted that in exercise of its function, the TSC is not subject to political directives. “The establishment of the Teaching Service Commission was intended to insulate appointments, promotions and disciplining of teachers from any interference of influence,” he said.

He stated that the functions of the TSC must therefore not be taken “lightly”.

“I encourage you to be faithful to that oath. Your actions will contribute to no small measure in ensuring that the teaching profession is populated by persons who are worthy of educating the present and future generation,” Ali urged the new members of the TSC.

Source: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2022/12/31/news/guyana/members-of-new-teaching-service-commission-sworn-in/

Some 300 students of the East Ruimveldt Secondary school in Georgetown should attend classes more comfortably in about five months’ time when a new $175 million building is completed.

Minister of Education Priya Manickchand, who addressed a gathering at the school on Monday, explained that this expansion is being pursued in response to long standing spacing issues at schools across the country.

“One of the consequences (of more children returning to schools) was that we didn’t have enough space.

“The whole space issue was an issue facing the Ministry for the last couple years and it wasn’t fixed, so it faced us squarely when we came back into schools for face-to-face education,” Minister Manickchand said.

Importantly, she related, the Ministry’s cash grant scheme and its “Operation Recovery” plan also saw more children being brought back into schools for face-to-face classes after the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the return of more children to classrooms is a relief, the spacing issue demanded immediate solutions.

At the East Ruimveldt school, specifically, it was either the children be sent to other schools where there was more space or accommodated in army tents in the school yard.

After engagements among stakeholders, including the Parent Teachers’ Association (PTA), Minister Manickchand said it was decided that the five Grade Seven classes will be housed in the tents.

According to the ministry’s Special Projects Officer Ron Eastman, a modern, flat building encompassing ten classrooms will be constructed to ease those spacing issues.

The new building will also include an administrative block, outfitted with separate washroom facilities.

Eastman said the construction of the new building is expected to last five months. Delph Construction has been awarded the contract for the expansion.

Source: https://newsroom.gy/2022/11/14/more-comfort-for-east-ruimveldt-students-with-175m-expansion/

Minister of Education Priya Manickchand on Friday announced that the most outstanding student at the regional level for the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) is Atishta Seenarine from the Saraswati Vidya Niketan school.

Seenarine copped grade one passes in nine units and was also deemed the most outstanding student in the sciences for CAPE.

Meanwhile, at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate 2022, Outam Heeralall of the Anna Regina Secondary School is the Most Outstanding Overall student at the 2022 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate. Heerall, who secured 25 Grade One passes was also the Most Outstanding student in Technical Vocational Education.

Guyana also received several other awards at the CSEC level. Saskia Twahir of Queen’s College is the Most Oustanding student in Humanities and Business. Twahir got 24 Grade Ones and three Grade Twos. Sheridan Dyal of Queen’s College is the Most Outstanding student in Sciences. Dyal secured 15 Grade Ones and a Grade Two.

Joshua Adrian of the Diamond Secondary School is the Most Outstanding student in Agricultural Science (DA).

A release by the ministry said, “The Ministry of Education wishes to congratulate all students for their exceptional performance. We wish to thank their teachers and parents for giving the necessary support to achieve this feat.”

Source: https://newsroom.gy/2022/12/09/anna-regina-secondary-boy-is-most-outstanding-student-at-csec-svn-girl-tops-cape/