Dear Editor,
I want to comment on an ongoing discussion on education reform, specifically in Guyana, and what lessons could be derived from the Caribbean region. I will begin by briefly examining what the conversation is like in the country of Barbados regarding reforming their education sector. I will then show why Barbados has the right perspective on education reform which Guyana can incorporate into their education reform efforts.
During her speech in the House of Assembly, the Prime Minister of Barbados, the Honourable Mia Mottley, advocated for a “comprehensive reform” of Barbados’ education system, which has not been thoroughly examined since the time it was inherited from the former British Empire. In an article featured on the news media website of Barbados Today, titled ‘Comprehensive education reform’, Mottley declared “too many children leave school without certification, and too many children are leaving school because they have become superannuated. We have to pause and get our education system right.” The message is profound since too often reformists and decision makers resort to knee-jerk reactions when addressing problems affecting the education sector. However, as much as getting an education system “right” is important, equally important is for Government to ensure that the job market is ready for recruitment.
Furthermore, as each generation fades, the job market landscape changes due to the advancement of the global technology industry and new sociopolitical challenges that emerge. So, job availability by skill-type must be taken into consideration in the reform process. Of course, there are skilled jobs that are in high demand but little work force available to fulfill that demand. Therefore, Prime Minister Mottley exclaimed that the education system needs to fill this demand by “training artisans like joiners, plumbers, mechanics and masons.”
Now, some may be concerned about children who do not aspire to become plumbers, mechanics, and masons. But the Prime Minister assures that child autonomy remains intact—they remain free to choose what careers they want. However, good guidance is necessary. In her statement, she said “we need to help them to decide which subjects they like, such as sciences, languages, commerce, auto mechanics, carpentry and the like, so they can choose the areas in which they want to specialize.”
Currently, most schools in Guyana and the Caribbean have various ‘streams’ of academic concentrations by subject or technical matter. So, for instance, we have the ‘Science’ stream which consist of subjects that aim to equip the student with foundational knowledge and some amount of hands-on basics of laboratory use. The same approach is seen in other streams, such as the ‘Technical’ and ‘Agriculture’ streams. But these streams do not teach kids about the work life in any real sense, nor do they offer an elementary course in entrepreneurship to learn about creating industries of their own and innovating existing ones.
What the current framework lacks is the inclusion of an actual real-world educational package that students can use to be able to seamlessly integrate into the work force, especially the jobs they aspire to. How, then, do we apply this within Guyana’s national education reform efforts? If we follow the approach Prime Minister Mottley has in mind, we can come up with a viable alternative to make High School graduates integrate more efficiently into the work force. Perhaps by tailoring job potentials by industry, followed by listing job title possibilities under each industry heading with an outline of what ‘stream’ or subjects would need to be pursued to be qualified for that desired job. For instance, Information Communications Technology Services is an industry. Under this heading, various job prospects are proposed, such as System Analyst, Network Engineer, and Software Engineer, with a brief description of responsibilities and scope of work, then followed by the required subjects or courses to suitably qualify. We keep intact the demands of society while affording some degree of autonomy onto the student.
Education reform in the 21st century is important. Societies are rapidly evolving with new demands while those of yesteryear are left dormant. We have access to incredible tools and once unimaginable opportunities than ever before in this transformational age Guyana is presently undergoing. If we aspire to have a competitive, professional, and innovative society, then we must find ways to inspire children to pursue their aspirations or dreams without hindrance. Therefore, I urge Guyanese thinkers and leaders to take these points into consideration, and to unite to craft a better education system for every Guyanese.
Yours faithfully,
Ferlin Pedro
