IRI programme for impact assessment in 2017

GINA, GUYANA, Tuesday, December 6, 2016

The Ministry of Education will be assessing the Interactive Radio Instruction (IRI) Mathematics programme with the aim of improving its delivery.

Acting Chief Education Officer, Marcel Hutson

Acting Chief Education Officer, Marcel Hutson

Acting Chief Education Officer, Marcel Hutson in a recent interview with the Government Information Agency (GINA), said that a review of the programme by Mathematics experts from the National Centre for Education Resource Development (NCERD) found that there needs to be improvement in the delivery of the programme.

There will be a concentration of training teachers to effectively deliver the programme and this will be undertaken in the new year, Hutson said.

“We talk about maths being fun; if you listen to the programme you hear Jennifer Cumberbatch, how she does that, and the children, you know if the teacher could become lively just like the presenter the thing (Maths teaching) could be fun,” Hutson explained.

Hutson noted that teachers’ review of the IRI programme is mixed, and that an assessment to determine the impact of the programme to improve mathematics performance at the primary level will be undertaken in 2017.

The IRI programme was introduced in the primary education system in 2006 for Grades One to Three. The CEO admits that “there was a kind of slackening” in the programme since. Hutson added that an examination of introducing the IRI programme to Grades Five and Six is also being considered.

The assessment of the IRI programme is the short -term plan which is part of the emergency education interventions for improved Mathematics performance.

These interventions are part of a holistic strategy by the government to address the poor performance in Mathematics. Cabinet has approved $48.6M for implementation of the immediate phase of the plan.

 

By Tiffny Rhodius

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