Dear Editor,
The announcement last week of Guyana’s performance at the 2019 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) assessments gave Guyana much to celebrate.
My opinion is that these results validate what is often said about investments in education; and that is, that the results will not be overnight but rather long-term. It is the investment in education, the new strategies and initiatives that have been implemented, which have led to the improved performance, particularly at the CSEC level while CAPE remains constant.
The performance has so improved that this year Guyana was able to record its best performance yet with an overall pass rate of 73 per cent at the General and Technical proficiencies for grades One to Three. Last year’s performance was 69 per cent.
Editor, if we are to look at the performance over the years, we would notice that from 2016 to present, there has been a steady climb in the overall performance.
In 2016, there was a 64 per cent pass rate; in 2017, a 63.8 per cent pass rate; and, in 2018, there was a 69 per cent pass rate. Now is a good time for Guyana. These improvements can be credited to several factors.
The hard-working staff of the Ministry of Education must be congratulated for their dedication and persistence. I can only imagine how proud they must feel to be seeing the effects of their work.
The teachers too must also feel a sense of pride. It is not easy working year after to year to get a process right so as to help their students to produce noteworthy performances.
Leadership in any sector is very important to its performance and development. As such, we must not fail to acknowledge the heavy interest the government has placed on education.
The government’s interest follows its recognition that it is only through education that Guyanese can stop the cycle of poverty and be able to access better jobs and a better standard of living.
The Minister of Education Nicolette Henry has done well thus far and with the continued support by the government, Minister Henry, through her leadership, will continue to guide the education sector in the right direction.
The government has committed to continue investing in the education sector through the national budget. This commitment, I notice, has been all over the news recently.
Important to note, in 2015, the government plugged $33.8 billion into the education sector; in 2016, $40.3 billion; in 2017, $43.1 billion; and, for 2019, $52.2 billion has been provisioned for the sector.
Thus far, we are seeing benefits, positive outcomes from the increased investment and positioning of good leaders. Editor, if we continue to invest in education, Guyana will continue to achieve greatness.
Finally, I would like to congratulate again the Ministry of Education, the minister, the teachers, parents and our bright children for the hard work that was done to produce the results that were announced recently.
We must continue along this path for the sake of the betterment of Guyana and its people.
Yours faithfully,
Tracy Franklin
