A significant number of children are unable to demonstrate the basic competency needed for further learning after six years of primary-level education and Chief Education Officer Olato Sam yesterday said the inability of teachers to deliver the expected content is mainly to blame.
“Many of the weaknesses we see in the children are a reflection of our teachers failing; [as a result], the ministry needs to embark on bridging the gap by offering competency building to the teachers,” Sam told a gathering of 350 primary school head teachers who gathered at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre yesterday to take part in the ‘Educational Leaders as Agents of Change’ seminar.
Sam said he was troubled by the overall output of the education system. Although indicators suggest that the system is improving, he noted that a vast majority of children are still underachieving and the benchmark for literacy at the primary level is not being attained by a significant number of the population.
Therefore, the ministry is embarking on a reform initiative. “Reform our programme at the primary level so that children get excited about learning and find tremendous value in the day to day experiences, well beyond the academics,” he said, while also highlighting the need for students to be connected and happy with the learning experience.
There was distress in his expression as he noted that after six years of exposure to primary education children could not demonstrate basic competency needed for further learning.
Upon investigating, he said he found the major reason for the deficiency in the system was the educators’ inability to deliver the expected content.
Widespread reluctance on the part of many to adapt to the changing educational landscape and implement strategies necessary to ensure learning takes place with a more child-centred approach was also revealed as one of the factors.
Another deficiency identified is a lack of accountability, which was highlighted by Sam as a major disparity between the private and public schools. He noted that the public school system does not have the latitude to fire teachers based on the failure to produce as happens in the private schools. One of the recommendations to address this situation is to institute public declarations of every school’s performance through public report cards.
Despite the troubles faced in the education system, Sam said he remained hopeful because all the factors can be addressed by strong leadership, which was a reason for the seminar.
Education Minster Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine noted that failure to place focus on primary education would make any efforts at development at the post-primary level ineffective.
He said it makes “no sense” to build “a fancy house on a poor foundation. Sooner or later the cracks in the walls of the edifice will appear and in time it will collapse.”
Roopnaraine suggested that Guyana’s destiny over the next 50 years will be defined by the leadership in the education system rather than leadership in the political system and he emphasised his commitment to treat teachers as key leaders in nation building.
In welcoming the teachers, Director of NCERD Jennifer Cumberbatch expressed delight at the realisation of the seminar, which was a dream of hers since 2006. “The only thing constant in life is change. We know that education is dynamic, so change is inevitable,” she said as she beseeched her colleagues to reflect upon the ripeness of the time as change leaders.
Assistant Chief Education Officer Marcel Huston also spoke and urged the head teachers to establish a vision and mission for their schools. He encouraged them to visualise their ideas by drawing what their schools are now and the projected vision of the school. One teacher garnered much support when he revealed his desire for his primary school, in Region 3, to have a cash crop farm, a recycling facility and a modern lab.
Adele Whyte, head teacher of Champagne Primary in Region 5, said she expected participants to return to their schools with what they have learnt, especially with regard to the literacy rate. “Our schools can be different, not just the physical structure but our staff, children and whole community,” she said, while noting that the literacy rate is one of the main issues that she would like to examine at the forum in order to find solutions.
The seminar is a part of the Ministry of Education’s activities for Education Month, the theme of which is ‘Quality Educational Leadership: Improving Schools from Within’. The Ministry of Education facilitated the event, which saw participation of teachers from all ten administrative regions, except Region 8.
