Dear Editor
Guyana is emerging as one of the largest oil producing nation in South America and has the potential to become the most prominent nation in the world. As oil and gas will soon contribute hugely to our economic GDP growth, education is a vital force to acquire economic prosperity. Without education, common issues such as unemployment, poverty, and disparity between groups, will continue to run rampant in Guyana. Although, Parliament’s newly proposed NRF bill has been a source of debate and division among political parties, the importance of the funds from this bill should not be underestimated; such funds can significantly impact our education standards. Without proper and adequate education and literacy, Guyana would not be able to compete with the oil giants. For Guyana to compete as an aggressive economy, it is necessary to upgrade its educational standards and keep students in country, rather than sending them abroad. To such ends, the NRF can provide more than enough funds to bolster the quality of education by improving schools, enabling teachers and professors to earn higher wages, providing better facilities, and giving scholarships, and grants to pursue studies in a wide variety of subject areas in schools. With the ongoing Pandemic, our education appears to have taken a turn for the worst; it is therefore, necessary for us to provide adequate technologies to help students earn an education regardless of where they live in Guyana. For example, such technologies would include stronger and faster internet, computers, and accessible and safe transportation to and from schools or learning centers. If Guyana is to become like Dubai, a popular country for comparing oil developing countries, Guyanese must have a strong education and training foundation that will allow them to become more productive. Ultimately, by having an educated society, citizens would be in a better position to take on more highly skilled and specialized jobs which would further increase productivity and raise the GDP in Guyana. Citizens would be able to earn more money and be able to save or spend their excess money. Just as Rome wasn’t built in a day, Dubai took 30 years develop into what it has become today. Guyanese expected a change in lifestyle and influx of money the moment oil started pumping from the wells. However, without strong educational roots and foundation, Guyana will forever remain at the bottom of the barrel. Education is the key to a strong foundation that will solidify future generation’s security and prosperity. While I do agree that other factors, such as, healthcare, infrastructures, and cost of living need to be addressed, education needs more emphasis because most of Guyana’s social, economic, and political problems can be solved through an educated society. The Ministry of Education has set the attainment of quality Universal Secondary Education as a major objective in its current Education Strategic Plan which collides with vision 2030 strategic development plan and with the NRF. This goal can be obtained before 2030 by utilizing funds from the NRF to fund Schools and Universities. With the NRF, the Ministry of Education can enhance schools which will then be able to pay teachers higher wages, provide textbooks, upgrade facilities, transportation, and security. In future years, oil and gas will be Guyana’s main source of economic revenues and the NRF goal for education should be to contribute to employability and reduction of poverty, increasing performance at all education levels and reducing the imbalance between sub-groups. On a concluding note, the NRF bill can boost the education sector and set the platform for sustained prosperity.
Sincerely,
Mohamed Rahaman