Two more courses will be added to the curriculum of the New Opportunity Corps (NOC) after a Curriculum Assessment Report by a Jamaican volunteer found that the programme was male-centred.
Jamaican volunteer Dr Rohan Williams reviewed the curriculum earlier in the year and presented his findings to Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr Frank Anthony on Friday.
A Government Informa-tion Agency (GINA) press release said the Curriculum was done in 2010, with support from UNICEF and the first batch of students graduated under this system. However, when Dr Williams assessed it in July he found some shortcomings due to the environment from which the students would have come.
The following month there was severe unrest at NOC including a mass escape on August 22 and arson on August 23 that razed the female dormitory and a craft shop. Dozens of the inmates subsequently appeared in court.
In his address at the institution on Friday, where the presentation ceremony was held, Dr Williams said, “The curriculum seemed male centric because the programmes offered tend to attract more males than females. Females need soft skills like cosmetology.”
As a result, catering and home management will be immediately introduced at the NOC through the support of Eerepami, a non-profit foundation whose work encompasses supporting remote area development, biodiversity conservation, as well as the exchange of science, culture and education between Germany and Guyana.
Agriculture theory will also be added to the curriculum, as the students are already involved in the practical training. More training programmes to address life skills will also be added to the syllabus.
In his remarks, Dr Anthony said he was grateful for the work that is being done at the institution, noting that the children are given a second chance to correct their mistakes and educate themselves. A number of remedial programmes were designed to address literacy and numeracy challenges that the students might have. Students are also trained in joinery, masonry, carpentry, welding, handicraft and construction. The facility also boasts a modern computer laboratory.
The NOC is considered a special institution because some of the students enrolled there would have passed through the court system. “These are special children with special needs,” GINA reported.
