All private education institutions are to be regularised under the new Education Act.
According to a GINA press release, the Ministry of Education has designated an Education Officer who is responsible for private schools.
Technical Advisor to the Minster of Education, Vincent Alexander said that the Education Act does not have sufficient guidelines regarding private intuitions hence, the revision of the Act will provide for such.
“The Education Act as it is does not have sufficient teeth, so to speak, in regards to regulating private schools. It is envisaged that the new Act, will be strengthened in terms of what the ministry can do to regularise private schools,” the release quoted Alexander as explaining.
The release noted that ten percent of private schools are registered as Non -Governmental Organisations (NGOs) or Not for Profit while 14 are registered as profit making organisations, however only 57 percent are registered with the GRA.
“… this will only be perfected when we finalise the legislation which will then provide for the ministry to regulate the private schools in a manner which it is not provided for (in the current Education Act),” the release quoted Alexander as saying. According to the release, there is a draft Bill and the intention is that after the Commission of Inquiry (COI) into Guyana’s education system report is completed, the ministry will then be acting on two major documents; the sector’s strategic plan, for which a review will be done, and the finalisation of the draft Education Bill, Alexander stated.
“It’s a work in progress in terms of upgrading the Education Act. It is far gone, it’s just for us to do a slight adjustment to that Bill in terms of what the COI comes up with,” the release quoted Alexander as saying.
