Education Ministry to introduce Robotics in September

─ will be taught to Grade 4 students

─ as ministry continues its curriculum reform project

DPI, Guyana, Tuesday, April 2, 2019

As the Ministry of Education continues its educational interventions in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics and Spirituality (STEAMS) in order to improve student performance and learning outcomes, Minister of Education, Dr. Nicolette Henry announced that Grade 4 students will see Robotics being introduced to their curriculum as early as the new academic year beginning this September.

This pronouncement was made at the recently concluded Global Education and Skills Forum (GESF) hosted in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which brought together world leaders from the public, private and social sectors seeking solutions to achieve education, equity and employment for all.

The minister said that based on the educational ranking of Guyana and the Caribbean in comparison with more developed countries, the Ministry of Education found it to be the opportune time to intervene to better equip Guyanese learners for the modern world. These more developed countries’ education systems integrate the use of technology-enabled learning in their curricula.

Minister Henry also noted that the ministry is taking steps to curtail the problems existing in the way the old schools’ curriculum was being delivered to students.

In this regard, the ministry has undertaken significant curriculum reform projects in collaboration with the GESIP.

“Guyana is willing to and is committed to stepping up… to develop our education sector. I’m interested in having ICT included in the curriculum and so we are going through the process of curriculum reform and we’re ensuring that we have not only Robotics but Animation and Artificial Intelligence as part of our curriculum… Starting from September, we will be implementing Robotics at Grade Four in all Primary Schools in Guyana.”

The minister explained that this action will ensure that every child matriculating from the primary school level will be familiar with the use of Robotics and STEM as the ministry continues its efforts to prepare all Guyanese learners for various pathways in education.

Minister Henry continuously cites that the integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) into the education system is key for bridging disparities that exist and for modernising the sector.

Prior to these recent timely interventions undertaken by the ministry, the current curriculum had not been updated since 1976.

The technical officers attached to the ministry have indicated that from a technical and pedagogical standpoint, Grade 4 was the ideal level to implement robotics. As such, training for teachers will be done during the August vacation to prepare teachers and educators for the enhanced delivery of education come September.

The Ministry of Education remains committed to revamping the quality of education for all as it continues to facilitate improvements in the education sector by modernising education, eliminating illiteracy and strengthening tolerance.

Nateshia Isaacs.

Images: Department of Public Information.