Minister of Education Priya Manickchand on Tuesday night slammed the opposition for opposing and criticising the distribution of the education cash grants which entitles every public school student to $19,000.

General Secretary of the Guyana Teachers Union and APNU Parliamentarian Coretta McDonald posted on her Facebook page that “Headteachers, you were trained as an EDUCATOR not an Accounts Clerk! Distribution of cash to students/ pupils is not your responsibility!”

Teachers are being used to assist with, among other things, identifying parents of students from their schools if the need arises and general logistic operations.

“It is bizarre to me that any person or political party or any of their affiliates would object to Guyana’s families being assisted with $19,000 per child,” Manickchand stated on her Facebook page.

“But then it was bizarre too that Guyana was forced to wait 5 months after our election to have a legitimate Govt.

“The APNU/AFC just doesn’t do anything sensible, logical or lawful.”

Further, APNU Parliamentarian Anette Ferguson on a live programme on social media, also stated “tell us…in which country you see government doling out money calling it Because We Care.”

Minister Manickchand said that she believes that teachers will turn out to support the distribution exercise as they know what it will mean for families. She noted that teachers themselves with children in school will also benefit from the cash grant.

“Reject them (APNU/AFC) as they try to deny you this grant,” Manickchand stated.

“We are here. And we will bring you this goodness. Every public school child. Because we care! See you when I come into your community.”

Manickchand will be on the ground on the Essequibo Coast beginning on Wednesday for the start of the distribution of the cash grants. The distribution locations have been posted on social media and have been advertised in the areas where they will be distributed.

A full schedule is also being published.

Source: https://newsroom.gy/2021/07/13/manickchand-slams-apnu-as-extremely-bizarre-for-opposing-education-cash-grant/

Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, sounded a warning to contractors who are executing works for the Ministry of Education (MoE) to finish them within the agreed contractual timeline or face the possibility of contract termination.

The Education Minister made the pronouncement Wednesday during a visit to the University of Guyana (UG) Turkeyen Campus where she conducted site visits for three projects that are currently being done.

The three projects, valued at almost $500M, will see the UG Turkeyen Campus benefitting from a pump house that will alleviate the constant flooding experienced on the campus when it rains. This project should have been completed during the first half of last year.

In addition to that, there is the construction of a modern three-storied bursary building and the rehabilitation of the sewage system that has been in existence since the campus was established. Both of these projects should have been completed last year as well.

Expressing her dissatisfaction at the non-completion of the three projects, the Education Minister told the representatives of the respective contracting companies that this will not be tolerated.

She explained that because the projects were budgeted for, it meant that there is a need for these and more specifically for the students on the campus to benefit.

“This is a complete failure on the part of the contractors, it is unacceptable, reprehensible and a breach of contract”, the Minister of Education said.

Minister Manickchand said that the ministry is taking a very firm view on contractors who do not complete works within the specified timeframe. She said action will be taken against errant contractors since such tardy behaviour will impact on the efficiency of the campus and its work.

The Education Minister pointed out that her ministry is not insensitive to legitimate issues that might affect contractors. Notwithstanding, she noted that when contractors bid for projects, they have to consider a number of factors such as persistent rainfall, the supply of materials and other considerations that may cause the project to be delayed and have a plan to address this to ensure that it is completed on time.

“There can be no excuses, you have to get it done within the time agreed, and this stops today do what you say you will do.”

Further, she said the argument cannot be advanced that the projects were not completed on time because of financial constraints since all three contractors received advanced payments.

Minister Manickchand said that going forward, the UG Project Implementation Unit (PIU) and the Ministry of Education Department of Engineering, will provide support and guidance to contractors to ensure that the new timelines for completion of the three projects agreed to are met.

The pump station is now set to be completed at the end of March 2021, while the new bursary building is set for a May 2021 finish and the rehabilitation of the sewage system is set to be completed November 2021.

Minister Manickchand was accompanied by UG’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Paloma Mohamed-Martin; Permanent Secretary, Alfred King and the Head of the MoE Buildings Unit, Ron Eastman. (Modified press release from Ministry of Education)

Source: https://newsroom.gy/2021/02/03/manickchand-warns-contractors-to-finish-projects-on-time-or-face-consequences/

Full time face-to-face learning will resume for some academic levels in 2022, according to Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand.

During an address to the media on Monday, the minister said that fulltime face-to-face learning will re-commence in January 2022, for grades 8 to 12. She noted that the students have been given sufficient time to get vaccinated and the ministry can no longer wait for persons who are hesitant to get their jabs. According to Manickchand, the schools will be reopened with the necessary facilities to achieve a safe return. Further, an analysis of Ministry of Education (MoE) data, has revealed that students are being highly affected and cannot continue to learn at the required level through the current teaching methods. As it stands, students are being engaged via a timetabled physical classroom schedule for nursery, primary and grades 10, 11 and 12.

However, the students’ learning has suffered. Manickchand pointed out that the consolidated curriculum which was developed to help students at the primary level, has condensed 40 weeks of work into 20 weeks of important topics that students have to learn before exiting the primary level and moving on to secondary education. In view of this state of affairs, the testing for the next four years may likely only encompass Grade Five-level topics. The minister contended that the year of work that was missed cannot be ignored even with the teaching continuing. She stressed that the work has to be taught and therefore students will have to learn the curriculum that would’ve been taught in the previous Grade when they enter the higher level and explained, “Grade Four will be doing Grade Three work and Grade Five will be doing Grade Four work and Grade Six will be doing Grade Five work.”

Manickchand also disclosed that the number of vaccinated teachers had risen above 70 per cent in December. She added that 79 per cent of the teachers at Nursery and Secondary levels for the coastal regions have been vaccinated with 71 per cent at the secondary level, with some regions still showing hesitancy.

And while the schools will be conducting physical classes, the ministry will be working closely with the Ministry of Health to know when the vaccines will become available for the younger children to be inoculated and so allow them return to fulltime classes. Students who do not wish to return to such classes will be required to continue learning through the assistance provided by the MoE, such as the ministry’s website. Parents will be responsible for ensuring that the students are learning at home so as to avoid more learning loss.

Further, Manickchand said that Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions and Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) should also be reopened with the availability of double dose and booster shots of vaccines. In addition, the MoE will be continuing its efforts to provide learning resources and facilities to all regions. The distribution of worksheets is coming to an end in 2022 unless accessed from the ministry’s website but the distribution of text books for each primary level will continue. The minister informed that a total of 17 text books were distributed to Grade Six students for them to prepare for the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA). In addition to those books, the New Junior English, the Students Companion, and other text books that are expensive but necessary for classes, will be provided. The MoE is also working with a Trinidadian publishing firm to have the ‘Science For Our Children’ and ‘Social Studies Around Us’ text books revised for the students. Other local text books, namely the ‘Atlantic Reader’ will finally have Levels 4 to 6 along with the Worksheet while nursery school students will have the new and improved Roraima Readers text books.

These efforts will be accompanied by the Ministry’s Literacy Programme and re-incorporated into the sector. According to Manickchand, the Adult Literacy programme will assist those persons in society who have dropped out of school for whatever reason. She added that 150 persons will be coached to provide help for persons in the programme which will be conducted in regions One, Seven, Eight and Nine. According to the Minister, while English Language has high pass rates at both primary and secondary levels, reading and comprehension skills have decreased, hence the need in society for the programme.

Additionally, Wapishan – an Indigenous tribal language – will be used for teaching in Region Nine and English Language will be introduced as a second language programme to 14 communities in the region.  As part of the renewed curriculum that is being instituted for Grades One to Four, care for environment, material and learning will be introduced to the primary school levels to have students become aware of effects on the environment from a young age.

The expansion of facilities across the nation includes the commissioning of the Martyr’s Ville Nursery in January, 2022 and the expansion of the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) programme to Annandale Secondary, Berbice Secondary, as well as in Region Nine.

Source: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2021/12/22/news/guyana/face-to-face-learning-to-resume-for-grades-8-to-12-manickchand/

There has been a return to face-to-face classes as part of efforts to curb pandemic learning losses but as unvaccinated teachers are locked out of schools, the News Room was able to confirm that some children are not being taught online or otherwise.

Since the reopening of schools on September 06, there have been reports of students’ workload being greatly lessened when compared to the last term.

A parent on the East Coast of Demerara said her child, who is in Grade Five, only attends school one day per week for only half a day. And, it is only during this period that he is being taught; there are no online classes for him during the remaining four days.

During an interview with News Room on Tuesday, Minister of Education Priya Manickchand was asked if there is any provision for students to be taught as teachers continue to be locked out.

“How would there be provision? If you have a school with 23 teachers and 20 teachers are not vaccinated, three teachers cannot simply teach in the school,” Minister Manickchand responded.

According to her, the ministry also found that many students do not benefit from online learning; she referenced data that reveals effective learning happens when a teacher is standing in front of a classroom and so this was done to address gaps in learning generated from the pandemic.

“With a classroom of 32 children or 28 children you have like six children online consistently; so it doesn’t mean anything; it makes for a great headline and it could trick us all into believing we are teaching but the learning loss has been very evident,” the minister said.

Last week, Manickchand revealed that approximately 1,000 children in primary schools have dropped out as a result of the pandemic and closure of schools for over a year. Others in the secondary level have reportedly dropped out too.

Meanwhile, the updated COVID-19 Emergency measures for the month of September state that unvaccinated persons, including teachers, must present a negative PCR COVID-19 test before entering any building. Minister Manickchand said schools have been following this protocol.

Currently, only children 12 and older along with adults can be vaccinated in Guyana. These children are receiving the US-made Pfizer vaccines.

In the meantime, schools will remain open to continue to engage children. Minister Manickchand said this is necessary to prevent further learning losses.

“We have to be very careful that we didn’t fail our children in this time so that when they become adults, they wring their hands and say 30 years ago there was a pandemic and the government of the day or the teachers of the day, didn’t deal with it properly and as a result, we and our children and our whole lives are in shambles, we don’t want that to happen,” Minister Manickchand said.

Source: https://newsroom.gy/2021/09/21/covid-19-online-learning-just-doesnt-work-manickchand/

Even as the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) has been protesting decisions made by the Education Ministry to help keep teachers safe through vaccinations, and levelling criticisms against the Minister of Education Priya Manickchand, the minister says she is open to talks with the union.

She said this on Wednesday at the sidelines of an event held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre at Liliendaal, Georgetown.

Over the past few weeks, the union criticised actions taken by the ministry and the government at large. These actions that are criticised include the move to reopen schools and the vaccination requirements instituted for teachers.

But Manickchand contended that the union’s actions are counterproductive and not serving teachers’ best interests. Even so, Manickchand said that she is willing to engage the union on plans for the future since she believes that they are an important stakeholder.

“The union has to reorganise itself and determine what it wants to do.

“I am prepared to engage anybody in the interest of children and teachers who teach and in fact, I truly hope that they can reorganise and come back because I think they have great value, once they operate as a union,” Manickchand said while speaking to reporters.

During remarks at the launch of a Teachers’ Welfare and Support programme at the venue, the minister said that this programme was not crafted in response to the protest action organised by the teachers’ union.

Instead, she emphasised that the ministry was trying to find ways of providing other benefits to teachers. This comes on the heels of a cabinet outreach to Region Two (Pomeroon- Supenaam) last weekend, where President Dr. Irfaan Ali told residents that his government was focusing on providing a menu of benefits including scholarships and houses in addition to salary improvements.

Manickchand said that the ministry is ready to support the professional development of teachers, too, but emphasised: “…. we will not let petulance, personal interest or political intervention stop us from what we have to do.”

Source: https://newsroom.gy/2021/09/16/despite-protests-criticisms-manickchand-open-to-talks-with-teachers-union/

The Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, has announced that the National Grade Six Assessment 2021 will be administered to Grade Six students in August.

The Grade Six exams are usually held in April but because of the COVID-19 pandemic they were postponed last year to July 1st and 2nd.

Manickchand during a press conference yesterday explained that following consultations with stakeholders, the Ministry has decided that the exam will be administered with Papers 1 and 2, but testing will be done up to Grade Five material on August 4, 2021  and August 5, 2021.  She explained that options including using the Grades Two and Four results to place students and writing of only Paper 1, were considered along with many others before the final decision was made.  In addition, those parents who wish to exercise their option of having their children sit out the exam, will have to subscribe to the ministry’s policy on placement. This means that using the regional average, a child who does not write the examination for one reason or another, will be placed at a secondary school chosen by the ministry.

Manickchand informed that a curriculum has been extracted from the usual 40 weeks but assured that the methodology and content taught will remain the same. She noted that the curriculum was crafted by experts from the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD) and consultants. In view of the prevailing circumstances, the minister said that the ministry will be more supportive this year as compared to any year before and that the teachers and students will receive support in the form of training for teachers, and the provision of resources. She however acknowledged that this may not be the only assistance needed at this time.

While the schools might not be reopened to the Grade Six students ahead of the Assessment unless further advised by the Ministry of Health, the Minister disclosed that students will receive a care package from the ministry which will contain learning material to better prepare them for the sitting of the exam. This package will contain text books for the core subjects and systems will be put in place to have these books returned following the examinations. Also, considering that some parents may not be able to make time to uplift the packages, all the resources that are not copyright protected will be made available on the Ministry of Education’s website for students and parents to access at www.education.gov.gy. Revisions will also be aired in the evening on the Guyana Learning Channel. Meanwhile teachers will be trained immediately to prepare students to write the NGSA. A mock exam will be administered before the exam is written.

Manickchand also addressed the sitting of the exam for private school candidates. She said that these students have the option of opting out since some private schools offer examinations which the Ministry of Education does not control. She also said from consultations she has held with private schools, she is aware that these private candidates are prepared to sit the exam should they wish to. She mentioned that they have been engaged in at-home learning before the MoE began its blended approach in September, 2020.

Source: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2021/03/12/news/guyana/ngsa-exams-to-be-held-in-august-manickchand/

 

The National Assembly last Thursday passed unopposed a $25 billion budget for the Ministry of Education which Minister Priya Manickchand has described as “all about responding to COVID-19”.

Addressing the Assembly during day three of the 2021 Budget Debate, Manickchand challenged her predecessor’s contention that the Budget has nothing for the management of COVID-19.

“Given the global focus on modifications for education in light of the pandemic I was expecting to see a more robust and sustainable plan to mtigate effects and aftershock of COVID-19,” APNU+AFC MP Nicolette Henry had told the House.

In response Manickchand stressed that the Education budget is all about COVID-19 “if you know how to read it.”

“When we increase print and non-print by 9% its to cater for worksheets (published in daily newspapers). When we increase [the allocation for] Janitorial and Cleaning supplies by 26.4% it is to cater for the excess cleaning we know we will have. We increased Cleaning and Extermination Services by 41%, its for the cleaning we know we will have. These are all lines in the Budget,” the Minister passionately declared.

The Minister went on to attack her predecessor’s record for the implementation of Capital projects telling the House that Henry completed nothing.

 “All those projects you started we rolling them out now. You couldn’t get it done,” Manickchand said before adding that Henry like the rest of her government was unable to deliver on any project begun.

“You started Good Hope [School construction] can’t finish it. We gotta come and finish it. Started Parfait Harmonie [School] can’t finish it. We gotta come and finish it. Started the Spotlight Initiative [aimed at combating domestic violence] can’t finish it…the Smart classroom can’t finish it,” she declared even as Speaker Manzoor Nadir cautioned that all presentations should be addressd to him rather than across the aisle at other Parliamentarians.

Manickchand accepted the caution and restructured her references stating instead that APNU+AFC was nothing but talk.

“The APNU problem is just that…they are talkers. Just that sexy talkers, sensational talkers. Everything sounds right that’s how they rolled into office. Their problem is they could not deliver,” the Education Minister declared.

She charged that though Henry held the post of Education Minister for 143 days after COVID-19 surfaced here , the Minister did nothing to adapt the Ministry policy to cater for its impact.

“Not a single worksheet, plan or draft yet it is the same officers who are working now. All they needed was policy guidance,”  the Minister said.

In a similar period, from August 2,2020 to Boxing Day the Ministry had crafted worksheets, employed the Learning Channel towards instruction and re-opened schools for examination classes.

In 2021 the Minister indicated that her Ministry will be expanding the Learning Channel to six channels dedicated to learning. These channels will also  be introduced to Amerindian villages.

“We are going to the villages with television sets, solar systems, electricity and satellite,” Manickchand promised while declaring that equity must be more than talk. “It has to be something we do that’s tangible,” she said.

The Ministry is also expected to have its own radio station so that there can be a dedicated learning channel on radio since there are still places in Guyana where radio is the only means of communication.

These projects are catered for in the Ministry’s Capital Expenditure of $5.455 billion.

Under Program 402: Training and Development the Ministry has allocated $664.6 million to the Resource Development Centre  as a provision for learning and radio channels, equipment and payment of retention.

Specifically the project which is funded by government  includes the completion of satellite and solar power systems and the provisions for attenna, satellite downlink and solar systems, televisions, transmitters and computers. The objective is to improve access and connectivity to the radio and learning channels by December 31,2021.

A total of $324.8 million is recorded has having already been spent on the endeavour in 2020.

Similarly the “COVID-19 Accelerated Programme” funded by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) sees $550 million allocated for the development and production of learning packages, the provision of interactive radio, television and web-based lessons, the provision of a COVID-19 sensitisation programme and psychological support, the provision for hygiene hubs, sanitary facilities and personal protective equipment for learners and teachers as well as the provision of training.

According to the budget this project was introduced in 2020 and has already seen an expenditure of $175.2 million.

The Safety Nets for Vulnerable populations project is another Capital project under the Ministry which is expected to provide pandemic relief.

According to the Budget this two-year $3.19 billion project funded by the Inter-American Development Bank is expected to develop educational resources for radio and television, fund the distribution of textbooks, improve water supply solutions and provide student loan relief for students of the University of Guyana.

Source: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2021/03/11/news/guyana/manickchand-underlines-covid-focus-in-education-budget/

Having engaged extensively with the Commonwealth of Learning (CoL) to launch the Workforce Recovery Initiative in Guyana along with Coursera, Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, has been recognised as a Commonwealth Wise Woman and is now a mentor on the Commonwealth Wise Woman Mentoring Project.

The Education Minister was instrumental in launching the Workforce Recovery Initiative program in Guyana that offered 4,000 free online courses to Guyanese from reputable Universities through Coursera, a press release from her ministry noted on Saturday.

Since launching this program on September 5, 2020, over 53,371 Guyanese registered to pursue courses in various areas, and 43,305 certificates have been issued to 9,473 persons. Guyana has become the leading country under the Workforce Recovery Initiative as it relates to persons registered and graduates. According to the release, the advocacy for continuous and lifelong learning and the proactiveness of the minister most likely came to the attention of the Commonwealth of Learning because of the successful rolling out of the Coursera program spearheaded by the minister and the outstanding response from Guyanese.

According to the Commonwealth of Learning, through the Commonwealth Wise Women (CWW) Mentoring project, the organisation plans to engage girls and women at the grassroots level in underserved communities to become part of the program. Through the CWW project, the Commonwealth of Learning plans to promote change by empowering girls and women to become leaders.

Minister Manickchand joins other global leaders as mentors such as the Chief Executive Officer of the Commonwealth of Learning, Professor Asha Kanwar; Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of the West Indies Open Campus, Dr. Luz Longsworth; United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, Dr. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Patricia Scotland QC and fellow Guyanese Dr. Paulette Henry.

Minister Manickchand also plans to launch the Guyana Chapter of the Commonwealth Wise Women Mentoring Project here in Guyana to assist girls and women to recognise their value and achieve their full potential. She plans to involve mentors from all sectors to help with the successful mentoring of candidates from all across Guyana.

Source: https://newsroom.gy/2021/03/14/minister-manickchand-named-commonwealth-wise-woman/

Guyanese students in Grades Two, Four and Nine will not have to write the national assessment this year since classes were affected by coronavirus restrictions.

The Education Ministry has assured parents that “the absence of these assessments will have no negative impact on the learners’ record.”

Schools in Guyana were closed in March when the first COVID-19 case was detected.

Institutions were briefly opened in June to facilitate exam prep for students writing the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA), Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations.

At a media conference in August, newly installed Minister of Education Priya Manickchand announced schools will not reopen as planned on September 7 following consultations with stakeholders.

Manickchand noted there was not a clear structure to engage students during the school closure.

Source: https://caribbean.loopnews.com/content/guyana-no-assessments-grades-two-four-and-nine-students

Registration for first and sixth form students will begin at secondary schools countrywide this week.

According to notices placed at schools, students who have recently received their National Grade Six Assessment results can start registering at the schools they were placed at between September 30th and October 2nd. To gain access to the admission form for the respective school, parents are advised to visit the school’s website and they will be contacted in order to finalize the registration process by October 6th.  Students registering for sixth form are also advised to follow suit.

Minister of Education Priya Manickchand has said that while the Education Ministry never made an announcement to have schools start registration, some schools went ahead. She said that this move was applauded and encouraged.

Registration started in August and ended before schools were to be reopened in September. Parents were able to register their child or children by contacting the schools by telephone or visiting and in some cases online registration was done. Once students were registered, information regarding class teachers and booklists that would be needed for classes as well as what platforms would be used for virtual classes and timetables were provided for through group chats which parents were added to, or through direct contact with teachers.

Since March, when the first COVID-19 case was detected in Guyana, the Education Ministry had all schools closed to prevent the spread of the disease in the classrooms. The schools have remained closed since, except for during the sitting of the NGSA and Caribbean Examinations Council regional exams. These were written in July. Students were also asked to return to school, while following strict COVID-19 guidelines, for some two weeks prior to the first exam sitting.

However, while schools have been shut for almost six months, some teachers took the initiative to continue educating learners via online platforms and sending worksheets to students for them to work while at home. This was mainly a teacher-led initiative and the effort was praised by the Ministry as no formal instruction for continued teaching had been announced.

In August, Manickchand finally announced that the schools would be reopened but not physically. During a virtual announcement she said that after meeting with stakeholders, it was decided to have the schools reopened so learning can continue. The Guyana Learning Channel was revamped and educational programmes were selected to be broadcast. Radio broadcasts are also being used to ensure that students who didn’t have access to television sets would also be able to benefit from this initiative. For areas where connectivity to internet or online classrooms, television or radio was available, the students have access to worksheets and workbooks, which the ministry has provided for the students. These can be uplifted at the various schools and Neighbourhood Democratic Councils.

However, this decision was met with a backlash as the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) has argued that the Ministry did not consider teachers’ capabilities and the Amerindian Peoples Association has suggested that the ministry was not catering for the disconnection which hinterland and rural area students would face.

But Manickchand has repeatedly explained that while the Ministry is aware of the many challenges being faced by both teachers and students, the Ministry needed a plan to recover from learning loss. She said that the blended approach is not perfect but its better than doing nothing.

Source: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2020/09/29/news/guyana/registration-for-first-and-sixth-formers-ongoing/