Education on the move!
—Ministry of Education begins drafting ‘Vision 2030’ Education Sector Plan
— plan will transform education delivery in Guyana
DPI, Guyana, Friday, June 28, 2019
June 28, 2019, marks the beginning of a new era for Guyana’s education landscape as the first Education Sector Plan (ESP) is being reviewed for implementation.
The first draft of the ESP was presented at a forum for the Education Ministry’s development partners and stakeholders.
The goal of the sector plan is to contribute to employability and reduction of poverty by increasing performance at all levels and reducing disparities that exist particularly between the hinterland and the coast.
Minister of Education, Dr. Nicolette Henry said that the strategy will stimulate quality equitable lifelong learning and educational growth.
“Our country is on the doorstep of major changes… In keeping with all the changes and adjustments required it has become imperative that the education sector, prepare learners for this change, equip them with the necessary skills and knowledge to ensure that that they are capable, efficient and adequately prepared. If not, they would not be able to cope and master the changes.”
She cited this transformational step as the threshold to major changes within the sector.
The new education sector plan is mandated to address systems that will ensure the education sector successfully addresses all weaknesses.
According to the Chief Education Officer (CEO), Marcel Hutson, this first draft of the ESP 2019-2023 is a move in the right direction. “People matter; and the belief that the investment in people whoever they are and wherever they might be is key to the success of what we do,” Hutson said.
Present at today’s forum were partners and stakeholders from UNICEF, PAHO, IADB, FAO, UNESCO, UNDP, Harvard University, UNFPA, CARICOM, EU, and bilateral partners from China, Cuba, Brazil, Chile, Canada, Argentina, India and Mexico.
“We are all very elated to reach this point as a team,” Hutson said.
UNICEF Representative to Guyana and Suriname, Sylvie Fouet, in her remarks, congratulated the ministry for their commitment to ensuring that students across the board receive a quality equitable education.
Fouet highlighted the “commitment, the ownership and the openness to ensuring that the project meets the learning needs of school-aged children, beginning in at the Nursery level and continuing through Secondary with the skills for employment.”
The plan will entirely transform the delivery of education in Guyana. It serves as another step in the consultation process which began a year ago involving a variety of stakeholders all over Guyana inclusive of teachers, education officials, parents and students.
The Ministry of Education in collaboration with the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) in 2018 hosted a one-week Policy Formulation Workshop to draft the Education Sector Plan for 2019-2030.
Images: Ameer Sattaur