Dear Editor,
In celebrating Indigenous peoples heritage and also education month this September, I would like to wish all my fellow Indigenous people and all Guyanese a happy heritage and education month. First of all I would like to recognise the great service our teachers in the hinterland are doing.
Guyana, like other developing countries has its own struggle for better education. With respect to Indigenous people and mainstream education, we have a right to our model of education, which could be an additional burden on the government, I know, although it is open to new perspectives on same. This model of education uses the realities of indigenous livelihoods or traditional educational systems, instead of using a national curriculum which tends to ignore indigenous peoples’ history, cultures and languages, instead of utilising textbooks and other educational materials that reflect the values, norms and traditions of mainstream society.
Contemporary Indigenous educators using social anthroplogical views critize mainstream education in the Americas saying that many Indigenous youths experience the loss of an important part of their identity in their dealings with mainstream values and norms, while not fully becoming a part of the dominant national society. Thus, it would be good to introduce education to Indigenous people by using their traditional methods of learning, and recognising the right to integrate their own perspectives, cultures, beliefs, values and languages in mainstream education system.
There is a growing recognition of the need for an intercultural bilingual education, rooted in one’s own culture, language, values, worldview and system of knowledge but which, at the same time, is receptive, open to and appreciative of other knowledge, values, cultures and languages. It also entails learning the majority language and thereby gaining the opportunity to participate in public life, to have access to higher education, to influence political decisions and embrace economic opportunities.
A flexible, inclusive and culturally-relevant educational system based on interculturalism and bilingualism will provide Indigenous children with the knowledge and skills necessary to function fully as effective members of both their own communities and mainstream society. If properly implemented, it will contribute to achieving individual and community empowerment.
The responses of Indigenous peoples to assimilation were varied. Some of us, especially the educated ones, gave in to the assimilationist projects in the hope of assisting our unfortunate ones and also obtaining the basic necessities of life as our other Guyanese brethren have done.
The British education sytem was imposed so sucessfully that our people’s minds have been conquered to embrace it as their own. Unfortunately, this has led to the loss of some of our cultural identity, so much so, that many of us have become ashamed about calling ourselves Indigenous people or even speaking our native language or Guyanese Creole, because we want to sound American or British.
In the name of nation-building, Guyana´s mainstream education is geared to produce students for advancement of the country, which is execellent. As a result, the dominant culture is homogenizing all the different Indigenous groups in the country which in the long term will eradicate Indigenous culture and identity.
If this happens it will be sad; however, there is hope for preserving them, because it’s good to see the Indigenous local NGOs and others showing concern, including President Granger who has endorsed the importance of preserving and promulgating Indigenous languages.The president´s statement is very encouraging, and hopefully top-bracket educators can revise the education system.
There are several UN declarations on Indigenous people and education, but how many of us simple people on the ground are aware of these rights? And even if we are aware how proactive are we to take up the challenge to make education better for our children? We must know that we Indigenous Guyanese also have a say in our children´s education; after all we cannot blame the goverment or the teachers too much, for they are doing their part. If it’s possible it would be execellent to have Indigenous education made law in the Constitution of Guyana in the future such as other countries in the Americas have done.
The challenge for a better education geared to make us critical thinkers and active protagonists to live our lives proud of our culture must not only be an issue for Indigenous people alone, but for all concerned Guyanese.
Yours faithfully,
Medino Abraham