| – Govt. commits to enhanced transparency of allocationMore than half of the nation’s students sitting national examinations are unable to establish that they have general proficiency in the foundational subject areas of Mathematics and English.This revelation was made by Finance Minister Winston Jordan, when he presented the 2015 national budget to the National Assembly on Monday.“We cannot ignore the abysmal results for Mathematics and English in this country,” said Jordan as he disclosed Government’s intention to undertake a detailed and objective study of what he described as “the weak links” in the education system. This move, according to the Minister, will seek “to determine at which points we are failing our children as they progress through school, and use the results to craft appropriate policy responses”.But the delivery of equitable and inclusive education has always been seen as a gargantuan task. It is maybe for this reason that the sector has for many years easily qualified for the lion’s share of the national budget.This year the budget amounts to $221 billion and according to the Finance Minister, 14.9 percent of this sum has been allotted to the education sector. This translates to $33 billion towards plans to improve the delivery of education.Last year the sum allocated to the education sector under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic was $32.3 billion. According to the Finance Minister, “by 2020, our Government would have increased the proportion of the national budget that is expended on education and would have strengthened the sector’s ability to deliver quality education.”Finance Minister Winston Jordan spoke of strengthening the Education sector’s ability to deliver quality instructionGovernment, he added, is also committed to enhancing budget transparency for the education sector, whereby performance statements will be produced so that all stakeholders can be informed and effectively engaged in meaningful discussions about progress and challenges.EQUIPPING TEACHERSAs part of the effort to attain improved education delivery, Jordan spoke of plans to ensure that teachers are equipped with the appropriate technological resources to deliver the intended curricula at all levels. For this reason, he said that Government has already taken a decision to have the majority of a shipment of 10,000 computers coming from China to be distributed to teachers, educators and education officials.This will in fact represent a new programme being dubbed One Laptop Per Teacher (OLPT) which is a departure from “the discredited and corrupted One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) programme of the past regime,” Jordan explained.He also announced that moves will be made to ensure that existing rules and guidelines are enforced in the quest for greater accountability in the system for all those who are entrusted with delivering quality education.The Finance Minister emphasized a position that was earlier made public by Minister of Education, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine, that “we are actively considering removing the points allocated for Grades Two and Four Assessments, so that the exercises are used to provide a diagnostic of each child’s individual performance and guide teaching plans.”ACTIVE COLLABORATIONAccording to Minister Jordan, an effective education system requires active collaboration among all sectors. For this reason, he noted that focus will be directed to strengthening collaboration between the education, health and social protection agencies, which is vital for ensuring a holistic approach to early childhood development.“We will strengthen the linkages among education delivery, labour administration and the private sector, so as to ensure that there is sensible, forward planning and seamless transitions between schooling and employment for our youth,” the Finance Minister asserted.He therefore stressed the importance of fostering greater multi-stakeholder involvement with parents, teachers, the private sector, Non-Governmental Organisations and others in the development of an improved education sector.“This Government will move beyond the platitude of proclaiming the centrality of education to tangibly ensuring that education indeed becomes both a means to, and an end, of our sustainable development. Education occupies a prominent role in the post-2015 development agenda, and at a national level we will work towards the realization of a vision where all of our citizens have equitable access to high quality education and learning opportunities, and where education is positioned as the key intermediary through which we lay the foundation for a robust and competitive economy, as well as an inclusive and socially cohesive society,” Minister Jordan stated emphatically.CRUCIAL EXPOSURESPointing to the fact that “we live in a globalised environment in which the knowledge economy is a key driver of development,” the Finance Minister sought to underscore that knowledge, technology and information are seen as critical for productivity and economic growth. And according to him,Jerseys NFL Wholesale China Online, closely associated with the drive towards a knowledge economy, is emphasis on STEM education – Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.“We need to ensure that our students are exposed to these subjects and that they learn to apply them to the important challenges facing Guyana.”“We have only to look at the ever-present threat of coastal flooding, or future potential climate-related risks to provide the impetus for greater emphasis on ensuring that our students are trained to be technical and creative problem-solvers,” the Minister added.The need to prioritize the intrinsic humanizing value of liberal arts within the education system was also labeled as an area of importance by the Minister, who stressed that “we have already taken steps to expand music and music theory in our schools”.In fact he predicted that by 2020 local children, and young people alike, must be exposed to an appropriate mix of STEM subjects, liberal arts, and sports and culture, that together will ensure well-rounded individuals who are capable of excelling in their chosen path. |
