Focused on improving the lives of students, the Education Ministry on Tuesday launched the Edu-Trition breakfast feeding programme at the Windsor Forest Primary School, making the meal available at several primary schools across Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara).

During a brief ceremony at the school located on the West Coast of Demerara, Minister of Education Priya Manickchand said the rollout of the nutritious breakfast programme is part of the ministry’s efforts to continuously improve the level of education offered to children.

“We want to see your children doing better. We want to see your children shining. We know that you spend your whole life as parents trying to make sure you can give your children a better place in this world and you have given them less struggles, and have given them live a life of no wants and we as a government are here to support that,” the education minister said.

Regional Chairman Inshan Ayube and Opposition Member of Ganesh Manipaul were also in attendance.

The programme will provide children with a healthy breakfast every morning. An effort that will also ease the burden of parents.

Manickchand said that since the programme was introduced to schools in different regions, many persons have requested to have their children a part of it.

“We’ve said every school regardless of how your mommy voted, regardless of how you’ve done, regardless of what you look like, regardless of where you live, regardless of your class.

“…every child in every school in every community in Grade Six will receive breakfast because when we serve, we serve equitably and equally in the interest of all,” the minister said.

The programme coordinator, Mahendra Phagwah encouraged the children to use the breakfast to fuel their energy for studies.

Notably, the programme will provide 51 persons with employment. It consists of a five days menu which will change every term.

The parents of the children said this programme will assist them because now they don’t have to make breakfast every morning. They also said it will assist parents who cannot afford to make a meal for their children every day.

Since the launch of the programme last month, more than 10,000 pupils from 245 primary schools have benefited from programme. The programme has been launched in Region Ten and Region Two.

For this year, $267 million is being spent on the breakfast programme for Grade Six pupils in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six and 10. Hinterland pupils are already provided with meals as part of the hinterland feeding programme.

Source: https://newsroom.gy/2022/10/18/nutritional-breakfast-now-offered-at-region-3-primary-schools/

As a result of the huge learning loss that children suffered during the two-year physical closure of schools, the Ministry of Education will be revising its teaching methods.

This is according to Minister of Education Priya Manickchand, who on Monday emphasised that it is time “for a change” of the teaching methods as educators are now seeing the effects of schools’ closure as a result of the pandemic.

Even though the ministry has already implemented a consolidated curriculum for teaching, Minister Manickchand explained that a complete revision of teaching methods is needed to help students recover from learning loss.

The Education Minister made these comments after questions were asked about bridging the gap between Grade Six pupils who are now back in the classroom after missing months of teaching and students who have been continuously taught.

“It has to be a complete revision of what we have become accustomed to – the completion of syllabus and curriculum and so on has to be based on how children are responding to that and that is what we are trying to get over to teachers,” Minister Manickchand said.

She revealed that over 900 of the 1,300 children who were found to be absent from school are now back in classrooms following the government’s successful ‘Operation Recovery’.

Minister Manickchand said a range of issues were also unearthed for the pupils’ absenteeism.

“We saw reasons ranging from poverty to carelessness. We saw children not coming out because they were babysitting other younger siblings, these are 10 and 11-year-olds doing the babysitting,” Manickchand revealed.

She said children were out of school for so long that they were on the verge of being dropouts.

And while the ministry has been providing support for these children, Manickchand also urged teachers, schools, and education departments to be more “conscious” when children are absent for long periods.

“That is a whole renewed thing by the ministry that we shouldn’t wait until we have end of year statistics that will show that we have these dropouts, we know what is likely to happen and we have to defy that.”

Operation Recovery will be a prolonged exercise, and while it started with Grade Six pupils, once schools fully reopen on April 25, all grades will be assessed to find absent children.

“Operation Recovery was never intended to be a one day or week activity.

“Once everybody comes back out and is duty-bound to come back out, mandated to come back out we can look to see who was absent,” Minister Manickchand said.

Source: https://newsroom.gy/2022/03/22/time-for-a-change-education-ministry-to-revise-teaching-methods/

Minister of Education Priya Manickchand was recently conferred with the title of Honourary Fellow of the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) in recognition of her outstanding service to the advancement of quality education and social justice which has made a positive difference in the lives of her fellow Guyanese.

The title was conferred on September 14, in Calgary, Canada.

According to a Ministry of Education press release, Manickchand’s servant leadership, boldness in tackling difficult issues, and results-oriented, solutions-focused approach came in for high commendation and were noted to be of significant relevance and importance in the delivery of quality education generally and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In all her roles, the Honourable Minister has given practical expression to her love of country, her spirit of service and her alma mater Queen’s College motto Fideles Ubique Utiles (or Faithful and Useful Everywhere),” COL was quoted as saying.

The release noted that the award of Honourary Fellowships was instituted by the Commonwealth of Learning in 1999 and is intended to honour carefully selected individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the growth and development of technology-mediated learning in their own country, and internationally, and to the advancement of education in the Commonwealth generally.

The award was conferred at the Tenth Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning, held in partnership with Athabasca University – Canada’s online university from September 14 to 16 under the theme “Innovations for Educational Resilience.”

The release said the COL has credited the minister’s countrywide consultations for her success in achieving goals and milestones as it evidences her respect for diverse perspectives and her conviction that everyone counts.

It further noted that under Manickchand’s leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic, Guyana saw a steadfast return to relative normalcy in the education sector, has seen the expansion of the country’s only teacher training college, the expansion of the Guyana Learning Channel, the establishment of a radio station dedicated to education, the provision of textbooks to all primary school children, expanded TVET offerings, the establishment of GROW a second chance programme for those who did not attain secondary exit qualifications, new curricula and sensible practical responses to COVID 19 closures including the consolidating of relevant curricula, the preparation of curriculum-aligned, teacher-crafted worksheets for each topic from grades 1 to 9 and a commitment to delivering universal secondary education.

The release added that it was Manickchand’s leadership that saw Guyana enter into a partnership with the Commonwealth of Learning and Coursera, which in less than six months had realised more than 43, 305 certificates issued to 9,473 Guyanese making Guyana a leading country as it related to registrants and graduates.

She also launched nationally the ProFuturo programme where teachers are trained in the usage of ICT, which became even more necessary during the pandemic.

More than 50% of the country’s teachers have enrolled and begun the training.

Source: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2022/09/20/news/guyana/manickchand-named-honorary-fellow-of-the-commonwealth-of-learning/

Earlier this year there were multiple reports of violent behaviour portrayed by students at secondary schools across the country, prompting the need for intervention by the Education Ministry. Now, however, trained staff will be stationed at secondary schools and are expected to counsel students in need.

Education Minister Priya Manickchand on Tuesday disclosed that the ministry intends to place counsellors at every secondary school in every region. But considering the capabilities of persons in each region, the ministry will start with the schools that have the expertise available.

“We are going to have in every secondary school staff dedicated to guidance and counselling, as far as we can find because you know there are some secondary schools that might not have the expertise but that is our aim and we are working feverishly to get that done,” the Education Minister said.

The News Room understands that these persons will have to be qualified and capable to provide counselling services to the students of each school.

Indiscipline and violent behaviour were observed in schools with instances being recorded and uploaded to social media. This year alone, reports of violence and other unacceptable behaviour by students in schools across the country became topical after the police were called into the Lodge secondary school and an air gun was found in a student’s bag.

This was in June and another incident followed with ‘gang related’ behaviour disrupting the Campbellville Secondary School. The incident was just one day after teachers protested about the prevailing gang-related issues at school.

Following these events, Manickchand said the government is articulating a plan to deal with these problems. Manickchand met with religious leaders, such as pastors and other influential speakers, to secure their commitment to go into schools and provide mentorship to students.

She also said the Education Ministry would not turn a blind eye to violence in schools and operate like it is not happening.

“First of all, I don’t think it’s something we should pretend is non-existent. Secondly, I don’t think it’s something we should become paralysed in fear about. So, getting the police involved, getting welfare involved, there are other people who could possibly influence the young people we’re talking about,” Manickchand previously said.

This has been a long overdue initiative that was previously promised by former Education Minister Rupert Roopnarine. In 2016, he said there is a need for counsellors to be installed in every school to ensure that students receive guidance and to instill discipline.

A central counselling Unit was established at the Ministry of Education in an effort to have trained counsellors placed in schools across the country. It is unclear whether the Education Ministry will use this unit as it implements this new system.

Source: https://newsroom.gy/2022/11/25/qualified-persons-to-soon-provide-counselling-at-secondary-schools-manickchand/

Teachers attending the University of Guyana (UG) will no longer have to leave school during class hours or wait in line to attend the institution as the university has launched its International Centre of Excellence in Educator Innovation, Learning and Development (ICEEILD).

The centre, which will feature a blended learning environment whereby persons can attend classes online or in-person, aims to train teachers in their own time, Dean of the Faculty of Education and Humanities, Dr. Roslin Khan said during the launch on Wednesday at the university’s Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown campus.

The centre will see trained or untrained teachers being able to attend university between 17:00hrs and 22:00hrs, eliminating the need for them to leave their jobs during the day to attend university.

Teachers will also no longer need permission from their headteachers to attend classes or have to wait in line for a chance to attend the university. Additionally, hinterland teachers will now have an equal opportunity to attend university.

Dr. Khan said the facility seeks to be practicable, adaptable, accessible, relevant, flexible, affordable and to prepare people to earn as they learn.

Minister of Education Priya Manickchand said teachers from small schools in far-flung communities, which only allowed one teacher to undertake training at a time based on the system, will benefit significantly.

“If we placed you at a riverain school where the teachers really need you and there’s already a teacher who just started UG, you have to hope that the teacher dies and you get to go next and that’s assuming there’s nobody in the line before you,” Manickchand said.

But this new system allows for any teacher to access training regardless of where they are from, the size of the school they are stationed and how many other teachers are also undertaking training at the school.

“It means we are going to be able to put more and more trained teachers in the classroom. Quantitatively, we’re going to have more teachers…but qualitatively they ought to be more effective at delivering education as they came to school and learnt how to teach,” Manickchand said.

President of the Guyana Teachers Union Mark Lyte expressed the union’s full support of the initiative; he said based on feedback, teachers are pleased.

Current students of the faculty of education and humanities and the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) lauded the initiative which they say will enable them to save time and money while attending the university.

“I can attend classes from the comfort of my sofa rather than the uncomfortable chairs in the classroom. In addition, I can take much-needed restroom breaks, get up, stretch my arms and my legs and even eat something which is not possible in a classroom situation,” Valissa Peters, a final year master’s student told the News Room.

A resident of the West Coast of Demerara said she incurred costs of up to $3,000 per week to travel to classes at the university, something which online classes eliminates.

Latchmie Sharma, who is currently pursuing studies in early childhood education at UG, said transportation issues were eliminated as she was able to study from the comfort of her home.

A resident of Berbice, Sharma said her programme is only offered face-to-face at the university’s Turkeyen campus, therefore online classes allowed her to remain home while undertaking her studies.

Dexter Somersett, a student at the CPCE said the initiative will allow teachers adequate time to meet deadlines and better manage their time.

Vice-Chancellor of UG, Professor Paloma Mohammed said the university saw the opportunity to put the courses offered at the faculty online and to rationalise and reorganise the faculty.

“When we did our surveys within the last couple of months, students and staff basically said, most of them said, we want to remain online, so we’re now reconfiguring our campus and our offerings to a blended campus,” she said.

Source: https://newsroom.gy/2022/06/02/teachers-no-longer-need-to-leave-school-wait-in-line-to-attend-ug/

Minister of Education Priya Manickchand, on Friday gave teachers and trainee teachers a stern warning about “beating children black and blue” in the classrooms.

Manickchand, while addressing trainee teachers at Vreed-en-Hoop, Region Three (Essequibo Islands- West Demerara), reminded teachers that they are responsible for nurturing children.

Therefore, she said, their attitudes and behaviours at school- whether good or bad- will leave a mark on the students in their classrooms.

Just last week, a teacher at the Mon Repos Primary School on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) was accused of severely beating pupils.

After this incident was publicised on Facebook, Manickchand expressed her dismay.

“You can’t beat people’s children black and blue. You can’t abuse people’s children and believe somehow or the other, that is the way.

“You must inform yourselves of what is the new civilized behaviour,” Manickchand told the teachers.

Further, teachers were warned that not only will the Ministry respond to reports of children being abused in classrooms but the parents will also hold them accountable for their actions.

“People are going to demand more of you because people want to see a better world and country.

“When you get into the classroom you have to understand that every single child in there could be adversely affected by your terrible attitude or really feel like the most valued human on earth by your attitude. It’s not how you teach, it’s how you make children feel,” she explained.

It is important to note that Guyana signed onto the United Nations (UN) Rights of the Child Convention which sets out universal legal standards for the protection of children against neglect, abuse and exploitation. It also guarantee children their basic human rights.

Source: https://newsroom.gy/2022/11/21/no-black-and-blue-manickchand-issues-stern-warning-to-teachers-abusing-children/

Minister of Education Priya Manickchand says systems will be established to avoid any recurrence of food shortages in dormitories.

In a video statement, Manickchand said that the ministry, while maintaining its reliance on people, will soon commence the use of software which will give off alerts when food starts to run low.

“We are trying very hard. Food is not something we would skimp on. What we have to do is to make sure we are better able to learn quickly of these kinds of issues.

“The Ministry of Education is putting a system in place that will still have reliance on people on the ground but a software in place where we can learn when stocks are going down,” Manickchand noted.

The Education Minister was addressing the recent food shortage which affected teachers and students living at the D.C. Caesar Fox Secondary at Waramadong, Region Seven (Cuyuni Mazaruni) dormitory.

She further explained that it remains difficult to get information from some communities in far-flung areas, however, she promised that these situations will be assessed with adequate solutions to minimise any recurrence.

“Where you have a large collection of persons you are more likely to have someone who doesn’t do what they are supposed to do. Sometimes communication and what is intended is not understood…and you have something like this which for us in the PPP/C is unacceptable,” the Education Minister lamented.

Manickchand assured that the children and teachers have food now and said similar challenges in all far-flung areas are being addressed.

“That exposure caused ration to be sent in so we are trying to make sure that this doesn’t happen again,” she noted even as she explained how electricity shortfall was affecting the storage of meat, however, other solutions are being sought in this regard.

Following the circulation of the Facebook post last week in relation to the Waramadong issue, Manickchand said then that an investigation will be launched at the school’s dormitory as concerns were also raised about the quality of the food served to children staying there.

“For me, I am glad we know about it so that we can address it. Not only in the short term, but in the long term so that we can avoid it.”

Albeit, she pointed out that while central government has stepped in to bring relief, it is an issue that should have been handled at the regional level through supervision by the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development.

Source: https://newsroom.gy/2022/06/10/software-to-tackle-food-shortage-at-dorms-manickchand/

Minister of Education Priya Manickchand on Wednesday indicated that she is looking to have schools at every level fully re-open after the Easter break.

Minister Manickchand made the announcement at the sidelines of the launch of the distribution of textbooks for primary school students in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

The Education Minister explained that a full return to the classroom will mean no rotations and no online engagement being facilitated at the nursery, primary or secondary levels.

She did say, however, that the benefits of integrating distance delivery will be integrated as far as it can in the face to face delivery of education.

According to the Education Minister, this move will allow the education sector to better address the issue of learning loss. Minister Manickchand added that having children back in school fully will mean that all Guyanese have to act responsibly as it relates to COVID-19 since it is not going anywhere.

The Education Minister further explained that the sector cannot expand its schools at the rate necessary to ensure there is one child seated on a bench or six feet apart.

“If we were to do it, children will be rotating for the next three to four years and that will be the loss of an entire generation for this country. That’s not going to be something a growing Guyana can tolerate.”

Due to the pandemic, schools were closed but were gradually reopened by the Ministry of Education. As a result of school closures and the inability of many students to access online learning, they have suffered from learning loss while some have been absent from school for an extended period.

Those pupils who have been absent are currently being sought by the ministry to have them returned to the classroom. This is being done through ‘Operation Recovery’, a programme specifically designed to address absenteeism.

Minister Manickchand said that the programme was launched initially to locate those pupils who were absent for the first National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) mock examination that was written last month.

She said that as of last weekend the ministry was able to locate 538 students of out 1,300 who did not show up for the examination. (Modified press release from the Ministry of Education)

Source: https://newsroom.gy/2022/03/03/manickchand-looking-to-fully-re-open-all-schools-after-easter-holidays/

Schools will remain closed during the July/August break as per normal, Minister of Education Priya Manickchand announced on Monday.

Minister Manickchand had previously revealed that schools may remain open in order to address the learning loss brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, but following consultations with teachers, this will no longer occur.

“We believe that it would be best, at this point, to have every school close for the July/August holidays as usual and return to school in September refreshed,” Minister Manickchand told the press at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport following the arrival of the special Pfizer vaccine for children.

According to her, “teachers felt particularly tired because, while it is true that we were home, they were still working.”

During consultations with teachers and students in recent weeks, the majority were against the idea of schools remaining open during the holiday, the Education Minister said.

“While there are some teachers who are telling us very, very strongly that we need to do this because we need to recapture the time, there are enough teachers telling us they don’t want to do it and we respect that,” Minister Manickchand explained.

Nevertheless, some teachers will work during the break, especially those who teach exam classes but Minister Manickchand said “this happens every year, outside and inside of COVID where persons try to finish the syllabus, do labs, do extra work, do exam papers and so on in the holiday time.”

The ministry will soon launch mass reinforcement lessons that will be aired on the Guyana Learning Channel and the ministry’s radio station.

“We are going to publish, in an organised way, courses of study in different areas so that if parents want their children to get reinforcement or what we call lessons, for free, they can tune in to the different channels,” Minister Manickchand said.

The programmes will cater to the nursery, primary and secondary levels.

Source: https://newsroom.gy/2022/06/06/schools-will-not-be-in-session-for-july-august-break-manickchand/

A number of new secondary schools will be constructed before 2025 as the government pushes to achieve full secondary education, Education Minister Priya Manickchand said on Monday.

She explained that this is important because inadequate accommodation in schools contributes to school dropouts.
As such, there is a massive push to get children back into schools while ensuring that they are comfortably accommodated and can access a sound education regardless of the school they attend.

New secondary schools are expected in Regions Three, Four, Six, Seven, Eight and Nine.

Notable projects include the construction of two new secondary schools in Region Three, a new secondary school in the Turkeyen/ Cummings Lodge area in Georgetown and the construction of new secondary schools with dorms at Orealla, the Upper Mazaruni area and in communities in Regions Eight and Nine.

Meanwhile, in all of the regions, there are plans to rehabilitate buildings or extend the existing facilities. Already, in Georgetown, extensions to the East Ruimveldt and St. Winifride’s secondary schools have been greenlighted.

Ongoing projects, such as the schools at Prospect, Yarrowkabra and Good Hope, all in Region Four, should be completed soon as well. Manickchand also reminded reporters that schools destroyed by fire are being rebuilt.

With these new and expanded schools all across the country, the Education Minister believes that the country will be able to achieve universal secondary education by 2025; that is, all secondary school aged children should be able to access schools and have all the necessary resources to support their learning.

Source: https://newsroom.gy/2022/11/15/full-education-access-achievable-by-2025-with-new-schools-across-the-country/