The Ministry of Education says preparations have started for observances for Education Month which will open with a technology fair in keeping with its efforts to implement ICT programmes in schools.
Deputy Chief Education Officer Bibi Ali has been appointed convenor of the month of activities which will begin in September under the theme ‘Transforming Guyana through technology in education’, the ministry said in a press release.
President Bharrat Jagdeo is expected to open the fair, a date for which will soon be announced along with a roster of activities. Other activities being planned include the launching of the JOF Haynes debating competition, children’s parliament, the GUYAID essay competition award ceremony, the National Awards Ceremony, the national spelling bee competition sponsored by GT&T and a children’s rally to observe World Literacy Day. Gifts will also be distributed to newborn babies on World Literacy Day.
The ministry said this year 2000 teachers countrywide will be trained to use the computer as a teaching and learning aid; one of several steps it has taken to ensure that every teacher in the school system and those graduating from the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) are equipped with the requisite skills to use the computer to enhance classroom learning.
Under the World Bank US$4.2M-funded Teacher Reform Project, new state-of-the-art laboratories will be built at the CPCE and the Faculty of Education and Humanities at the University of Guyana. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is a major component of the 2008-2013 Education Strategic Plan to equip all secondary schools and 50% of primary schools with IT laboratories by 2013. Work on 70 of 110 schools has been completed and the remainder is expected to be completed this year. In addition, 60 primary schools have been equipped with IT labs and another 40 will be outfitted this year.
According to the release, government has also approved US$1.4M to procure computers for secondary schools and the Global Partnership for Literacy has committed to installing systems in 50 schools, six of which have already been done. Several alumni associations, NGOs and other agencies have also offered support.
Recently, the ministry also partnered with the Commonwealth of Learning and Microsoft to focus on implementing plans to boost teachers’ capacity to use technology more effectively in the classroom. Through this partnership a new set of training modules for teachers will be drafted.
Last year, through partnership with the Commonwealth Secretariat, a roadmap to implementing UNESCO’s ICT Competence Framework for Teachers was developed, the ministry said. It also said this internationally recognised framework provides clear pathways for teachers to expand their abilities to use computers effectively to support teaching and learning. The ministry also said it is moving to double the number of students writing IT at the CSEC examinations.
