A call for improved Home Economics education in Guyana, not only in industries but in families as well, was made by members of the Guyana Association of Home Economists (GAHE), who believe the subject can lead to major development in the country.
The proclamation was made during a press conference last week to inform the public of the 21st Biennial Meeting and Conference of the Caribbean Association of Home Economists (CAHE), to be held here next year.
Lois Moseley, treasurer of GAHE, noted that Guyanese possess a skewed view of Home Economics. “You don’t necessarily have to be a Home Economics teacher per se to be interested in Home Economics,” she pointed out. “Once you are interested in self-development and developing others… We have members of GAHE who are custom brokers.”
Stacia Skinner, President of GAHE, admitted that there had been a breakdown in traditional family structures and attributed the breakdown in part to poor Home Economics education in Guyana.
“Yes, there has been a breakdown and probably because there has been a change in what we know as a traditional family form or traditional family structures. We know of nuclear, extended and single parent families but now we have all kinds of modern family forms coming on board, coming on stream. And so we now have to – in our own classrooms, in our own teaching – add those kinds of family forms and also help to create an appreciation for those family forms,” she said.
She continued, “There has been some amount of breakdown in terms of child rearing and other issues that might be happening in the family and I think it comes back to Home Economics. What we do in Home Economics – the skills we learn in Home Economics – can be carried through to the family. Budgeting, things about money management, things about home management, things about child rearing, caring for vulnerable groups or people in various stages of the life cycle… They’re all topics that we deal with in Home Economics that can be carried on back into the family and eventually into the community.”
Skinner said, too, that the subject is perceived wrongly in Guyana and is underappreciated. “I have to say that for some reason some of us are not able to see Home Economics in that light and I think probably there needs to be a better appreciation for Home Economics and for us to start looking at in that light as… those life skills that we can learn to carry through to family life and even carry through to our work lives,” she said.
“We believe – in fact we know – that our influence in the classroom is very, very great. We are disappointed at what is happening in the wider society; we are disappointed by what is happening at the family level and in some of the traditional institutions like the churches, and the mosques and the temples and so on. We are a bit concerned but we know that our influence is great and so we believe that as we teach the children the questions come; we talk about stuff like family values and… we have discussions with them and we are able to show them how things can be addressed and how they as children can bring about little changes.”
Visibility issues
GAHE believes that the honour of hosting the 21st CAHE conference will present it with the perfect opportunity to capture the attention of the relevant stakeholders to effect a change for Home Economics in Guyana. During the press conference, it was noted that GAHE had a major problem of not being as visible as it should be.
“The conference will let the organisations and the Human Services Ministry and stuff know that we exist; we want them to know that we exist and what we are doing and what we have to offer and how they can work together with us to make our society better,” Moseley said.
Skinner, in agreement with Moseley, added, “Home Economists are seen only as being capable of standing in front of the classroom and being teachers. But our skills exceed far, far, more than that. These ministries and other institutions can partner with us, with home economists, with GAHE, in probably a consultancy way…we are professionals in the area.”
She continued, “Home Economics is a profession, it’s not just a job. We are thinking that at some point we should be called upon – which is not happening. We should be called upon by these various institutions, whether it be in hospitality or childcare, to have a voice, to give some advice and recommendations as to the way forward.”
It was also noted that GAHE’s lack of visibility played an integral role in the poor standard of the hospitality industry in Guyana. “Sometimes I want to think that the non-professionals are called upon,” was the general opinion of the home economists present.
“Some institutions or organisations actually prefer to use the non-professionals for economic reasons. If we want to be realistic… as soon as you’re talking to a professional you have to approach them differently. So, lots of institutions prefer to use someone they can haggle with and say ‘this is what I can afford’,” one GAHE member said.
Though the efforts of businesses in the industry were commended, there was still a noted problem of there not being enough professionals in specific fields to make a major impact.
In the hospitality industry, especially in restaurants and hotels, it was noted that hundreds of people are trained locally by institutions such as the Carnegie School of Home Economics but do not make it into the industry. “You may find that some of the people are out there in the hospitality industry but then together with them there are lots of persons not qualified to be in those positions,” Janis Mason said. “But again, they are what we like to call ‘cheap labour’… and that begins the breakdown in standards,” she added.
She continued, “Ever so often I’d go to a restaurant and according to my husband I’m constantly teaching there. You don’t want to embarrass the staff but at the same time you cannot sit there and accept these things that they are doing obviously so incorrectly. In some cases they thank you and say that they never knew this or they never knew that.”
GAHE plans on using a multitude of strategies to increase its visibility and will be working closely with various hotels and restaurants. The CAHE conference is slated to attract more than 300 home economists to Guyana next year and, with the influx of persons, GAHE will amp up its efforts of collaborating with the hospitality industry to ensure that everything is up to scratch. “We want to make the best possible presentation,” Moseley said.
Though GAHE hopes to continue its partnership with different stakeholders, it was noted that perspectives tend to change once the immediate benefits are no longer visible. “People change…each of us really have to want to continue this after the conference and not just do this for the conference and after the conference we just sink back into the shadows,” Moseley said.
Another member added, “Some hotels and restaurants would be very willing to participate now because they know at the end of it there’s something there for them. But after all of their guests would’ve left, we’re not sure of what kind of relationship they’ll want with us.” “Remember, people don’t like you coming in and ‘directing their show’ and making changes,” Moseley said.
GAHE is currently working closely with the Ministry of Education to promote Home Economics in Guyana. “The ministry has an active interest, I would say, right now… There’s a lot more to be done to boost the work of Home Economists… but there is an active relationship,” Penelope Harris, Principal of the Carnegie School of Home Economics, said.
