USA-based GUTSY (Guyana United To Serve Our Youth) Inc has officially launched its online programme in collaboration with the Ministry of Education (MoE) in an effort to service the social and emotional needs of children through character education.
The MoE in a release on Monday informed that the GUTSY Backyard website was officially launched at the National Library in Georgetown.
The organization’s mandate is to coach and mentor children to develop conduct and behaviour that enable them to grow into responsible adults. The GUTSY programme covers six pillars of character, also referred to as the six core ethical values that transcend religious, cultural, and socio-economic differences, the release said.According to founder and president of We Are GUTSY Inc, Janice Hall, “The six core values are trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, care, and citizenship. We turn them into behaviours so that they are understood by students, caregivers, teachers, and everyone.”
At the launch, the organisation distributed 70 electronic tablets to schools to enhance access to online learning. This, the release stated, will allow students, teachers, caregivers, and parents, to access the online portal “for a wide range of educational resources.” GUTSY also intends to provide skills training at several primary schools in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.
Chief Education Officer, Marcel Hutson, during his remarks stressed the importance of the efforts of ‘We are GUTSY’ to impact the education system in Guyana. “No school could do well if the leadership is weak. Every school must have a plan for improvement by leveraging the resources and skills of the community.”
Hutson noted that COVID-19 had highlighted some areas that need advancement in the education sector. He expressed confidence that the GUTSY programme will help children to eradicate negative conduct such as fighting, violence, the use of molly, selling marijuana, taking an air pistol in one’s school bag, and attempting to fight teachers. He added that if children develop character then they will know how to conduct themselves. The education official posited that technology has a vital role to play in the educational system and despite the pandemic, the children of Guyana did reasonably well at the Grade Six Assessment this year. Hutson referenced the Ministry of Education holistic approach towards school violence and emphasised that the religious groups also have a vital role to play.
Meanwhile, Head of Diaspora Affairs Unit, in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Rosalinda Rasul, lauded the GUTSY initiative and assured that the ministry will support the organisation in whatever way it can to help execute the programme.
The schools that received the awards were Josel Education Institute, St. Margaret’s Primary, Providence Primary, Carmel Better Hope Primary, Stella Maris Primary, MMIA and Malgre Tout Primary. The Headteacher of Malgre Tout primary school in an interview with Stabroek News stated that the children at the school are very under privileged and the donation of the tablets to the school will be like a luxury to them. Further it will be of a great help to them because when COVID-19 hit Guyana, many students were at a disadvantage because they did not have devices. She also noted that it will help to make the work of the teachers easier.
