Government has allocated a total of $56 million to establish an Educational Televi-sion Broadcasting Service this year, as part of its drive to push education through ICT.
Preparatory costs of over $147 million have already been incurred for the station, which aims to start transmitting educational programmes to all communities across the country in the first half of this year.
Minister of Finance Dr Ashni Singh, presenting the 2011 budget yesterday, noted the government’s plan to use Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in improving the education sector.
Singh said that a major effort to upgrade teach training capability will also be undertaken this year with the commencement of the US$4.2 million ($840 million) Guyana Improving Teacher Education Project, of which $200 million is being budgeted in 2011.
The aim, he said, is to improve the quality and efficiency of teacher education delivery, while building human resources and capacity for more effective teaching and learning.
Further, he said $919 million has been budgeted for teacher training towards the medium term target of achieving 70 per cent trained teachers in the system by 2013.
The finance minister said work will continue during 2011 on the design of a US$10 million project to strengthen the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Guyana as a permanent academic and research institutional presence, geared towards mainstreaming the environment by addressing the national priorities flowing from the implementation of the Low Carbon Develop-ment Strategy (LCDS).
In addition, Singh said that this initiative would be accompanied by the establishment of a world class Centre of Excellence for Biodiversity Studies and Research at the university.
Additionally, some $769 million has been allocated towards the operations and maintenance of the Turkeyen and Tain campuses, and a further $450 million has been provided for student loans.
Singh said the $24.3 billion to the education sector this year will push the National Education Strategic Plan for 2008-2013, noting that the School Feeding Programme will benefit from an additional $1 billion while the School Uniform Assistance Programme will continue this year.
He said another $1.6 billion has been budgeted for technical vocational education towards the completion of construction works at the vocational centres in Regions 3 and 5, the construction of a student dormitory at Essequibo Technical Institute, and provision of tools, equipment, materials and furniture for institutes countrywide.
Singh also mentioned that some $2.8 billion has been allocated for the continued maintenance, rehabilitation, extension and construction of educational facilities countrywide including the construction of Diamond Primary School, the extensions of Annai Secondary, St Pius Primary, St Christopher and Albouystown nursery schools along with the completion of Leonora Secondary School, dormitories at Charity, Kwakwani and Sand Creek, and construction of science laboratories at a number of schools.
