Dear Editor,
The Ministry of Education is alarmed at the blatant misinformation and inconsistencies apparently aimed at misinforming contained in the recent editorials and articles published in the Stabroek News. We have noted a deliberate attack on the Minister of Education with more than 27 editorials written about her and the Ministry in the last months containing much misinformation and had previously put that down to petty, personalised journalism. In the interest of the children we serve, however, we are duty-bound to offer the public these corrections. In one editorial titled “Box”, published on the 11th day of February 2024, the newspaper said “…the Education Ministry does not negotiate wages and salaries…” This repeats in other editorials in the same newspaper when the paper was trying to make a particular point. Only the day after, in another editorial titled “Ministry in Disarray” when the paper is trying to make another point it says “the [education] ministry has failed, mainly due to low wages and poor working conditions….” Which one is it then SN? When one says something because it is convenient on that particular day, without regard for the truth, it is easy to conclude the effort was to deliberately mislead.
In only one editorial several other blatant inaccuracies are noted, some of which will be highlighted here. The claim that Guyana has “failed both absolutely and comparatively to other Caribbean education systems at CSEC and in tertiary enrolment” is preposterous. We ask how? The Caribbean has a tertiary enrolment rate of about 12-15% while Guyana has one at about 10-12% while Guyana spends half of what our counterparts spend on each tertiary student. The issue in Guyana has been accessibility, something by which the flat Caribbean islands are not hampered. The University of Guyana has set its sights and is working on making at least 1 out of every household a graduate by 2040 while the GOAL programme has offered 21,000 plus persons many of whom before had no such opportunity, the ability to access or attain tertiary education. Additionally, Guyana has one of the most robust TVET post-secondary programmes with another 6 new facilities being built out now in coastal and hinterland communities. Guyana has repeatedly topped the Caribbean, not only with the most outstanding student, but also in several areas such as sciences, humanities, business and TVET and continues to outshine our counterparts generally.
In 1990, Guyana’s pass rate in Mathematics was 16.89% and in English, it was 13.36%, while the Caribbean’s pass rate in mathematics was 48.7% and in English, it was 65%. By 2022, Guyana’s pass rate in mathematics was 34.28% and in English 70.84% while in the Caribbean it was 37% and 74% respectively. Consi-dering until recently Guyana has spent less on each child than her Caribbean counterpart how is this not comparable? From where is the SN getting its information? Another preposterous claim is that 50% of hinterland children drop out of high school. We ask where and when? This is not only a blatant untruth, but also insulting to the parents, teachers and children of the hinterlands. We have no such record and although the predictions around the world were that post Covid there would be significant learning loss and early school leaving, Guyana has not recorded anything close to what was predicted and nothing close to 50% that the SN claims. In 2022, we recorded a dropout rate of 12% (across levels) in the hinterland. Too high for us but far lower than the worldwide prediction for places with similar conditions and definitely far lower than the SN’s made up 50%. The SN makes a bold assertion that “there was not one Grade One pass for hinterland or riverine schools”. Again we ask from where the newspaper has gotten its information. We note that the same information was posted by Nigel Hughes who once told this nation that 33 was not bigger than 32 and that the court would vindicate his preposterous claim. We all know how that turned out.
One hundred and ninety-nine hinterland students in 2022 earned Grade Ones in various subjects. In 2023, 289 students earned Grade Ones. In any event everywhere in the Caribbean grades 1-3 are passes and we have seen remarkable increases in the pass rate in hinterland communities. We are aiming for far better and will get there. We are certain of this. But not in the most fertile imagination did the students earn “zero grade ones” that the SN asserted. “Another measure worth considering is the retention of employees/ teachers. On this the ministry has also failed…. many teachers are simply heading overseas where they can enjoy a far higher salary…” is another unfounded, untruthful claim. The number of teachers resigning from both board and non-board schools across levels has been consistent. In 2019, there were 42 resignations, in 2020 there were 24 resignations (Covid year), in 2021, there were 30 resignations, in 2022 there were 33 resignations, in 2023, there were 38 resignations. In 2019, we graduated from the Cyril Potter College of Education 377. In 2023 we graduated 1,796 trained teachers. Where then is this massive bleed that the SN writes about? We could go through the editorials sentence by sentence and point out all the misinformation contained therein. But we believe the point is made.
We call on the newspaper to issue corrections and if they find that hard then at least to be careful with sticking to facts. Our children deserve no less. We remain available to offer statistics that we hope will be helpful and constructive in any nation-building conversation. Assuming of course that it was a constructive conversation for which the SN was aiming.
Sincerely,
Anara Khan
Senior Public Relations Officer
Ministry of Education
Editor-in-Chief’s note:
There was no contradiction between the editorials `Box’ of February 11th and `A ministry in disarray’ of February 10th on the question of salaries. One pointed out that the ministry was not responsible for negotiating salaries while the other said that the ministry had suffered as a result of low salaries.
As it relates to the claimed errors of fact, these will be examined and where necessary corrections will be issued.
