At a year-end press conference yesterday where he reported on the challenges and successes which faced the sector in 2009, Baksh told reporters that for last year, 3,400 persons graduated from tertiary institutions including the university and Cyril Potter College of Education. He said this was a positive sign that there is a new pool of qualified persons available, which is vital to the country’s development.
He pointed to changes which have been made at the level of the university’s administration and observed that UG’s plan has been submitted to the ministry and is being studied.
He commended the university administration, headed by Vice-Chancellor Professor Lawrence Carrington, for its efforts thus far.
The 2009 to 2012 plan envisages higher quality teaching particularly in science and technology along with a call by the university administration for it to be funded at a significantly higher level; tuition fees are to be hiked.
The plan sets out four broad goals: achieving higher quality teaching in line with expanded national needs particularly in science and technology; improving institutional governance, administration and management; broadening the financial base of the university and bettering the teaching, learning and service environment.
However, Baksh told reporters in the ministry’s boardroom yesterday that the university’s plan must be one which can make the institution meet the needs of the society inclusive of the private sector, whose calls he said he has noted.
“What we need too is a new dialogue with the private sector. It must also have new dialogue with government,” he said.
Pointing to the fact that the university went ahead to establish and implement a new Master’s in Education programme without any dealings with the ministry, he added, “and we are very concerned about this.”
Baksh highlighted the need for effective quality assurance systems at the university and acknowledged efforts which have started in this regard in collaboration with the University of the West Indies (UWI). But he lamented the actions of some university lecturers who he said have been dilatory in their submission of course work grades.
Meanwhile he said government will be examining new areas of funding for UG. He stressed that there will have to be a strategic plan with specific targets which must be achieved within certain time frames. “But we will be looking at the need for additional funding for UG.”
The ministry is working to reform and expand teacher education and training and to this end government has received approval for US$3.4 million from the World Bank for the reform agenda and institutional strengthening for teacher development in Guyana. According to Baksh, there was a 58% increase in CPCE graduates from last year with 931 as compared to 543 last year.
The ministry is currently in discussion with the university to institute an Associate Degree in Education to replace the current Trained Teacher’s Certificate.
Reporting on the progress in secondary education, Baksh said Guyana has done well when compared to other sister Caribbean countries adding that for four consecutive years the best performing students at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate examinations were Guyanese.
In addition, the pass rate in the main subject areas — English and Mathematics — at the school leaver exams has risen from 17% to 21% over the last year.
In the primary schools, the focus continues in the areas of literacy and numeracy, Baksh said. However the success of the programmes in this regard will be assessed some time next year.
The Fast Track Literacy Programme (FTLP) which has provided support to the National Literacy Programme was implemented in many schools and pushed more interactive teaching. However, Baksh said more time is needed before an assessment is done.
He said an analysis will be conducted at the Grade Two level so that any remedial work necessary could be addressed. And he admitted that supervision of the system had been lacking and was only recently implemented. Regional workshops need to be held for sensitisation on the analysis of data.
He explained that the FTLP targets underperforming students and officers will work with the three lowest performing schools in each region to improve performance.
He also referred to the current review being undertaken of the National Grade Six Assessment with a view to concentrating only on English (Comprehension, Composition) and Mathematics.
Gang violence
The ministry is working to host national dialogue to look at solutions to the sudden upsurge in gang violence in schools, Baksh stated yesterday noting that it appeared to be concentrated in some schools in Georgetown.
He said there was far too much violence in schools for this year which had forced the ministry’s hand on the issue.
Baksh cited his ministry’s refusal to support a ‘keep the peace’ campaign, a proposed interactive forum with Vybz Kartel, the controversial Jamaican singer whose lyrical feud with peer Mavado had spawned violence in that island nation. The forum was intended for the National Park earlier this month and it targeted schoolchildren.
A statement issued by the ministry had said that while it acknowledged that music plays an integral role in one’s daily life, part of its mandate is to promote wholesome and healthy lifestyle choices. Reaffirming its commitment to moulding the minds of young people, the ministry said there is need to maintain an enabling environment where acceptable and desirable activities are fostered and extended a call to partners in education and edutainment to work with the ministry to achieve this goal. The planned forum was cancelled as was an advertised concert as Kartel did not come to Guyana.
Meanwhile, Baksh said some 700 teachers are part of a distance education programme in education management as, according to him, leadership is integral to performance of schools.
Further, he stressed that teacher commitment was still an issue for his ministry since “way too many teachers are not dedicated”. He said meetings were planned with teachers across the country. (Heppilena Ferguson)
