Nursery, primary curricula appear ‘too packed’ – Education CoI

The preliminary report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Education Sector has called for several changes in the way in which education is administered in Guyana.

The 28-page report submitted to now former Minister of Education Dr Rupert Roopnaraine on April 28, a month before it was submitted by him to President David Granger, highlights several “broad strategic guidelines for the enhancement of public education” including reconsideration of a nursery and primary curriculum which appears “too packed’ to allow for adequate assimilation.

The first in a three-volume submission is divided into six parts inclusive of an Executive Summary and a General Body.

The executive summary contains findings in 10 areas including financial management, policy, administration, expenditure, curriculum, welfare programmes, infrastructure, training, external factors and ethos.

In the area of curriculum, the commission notes that timetables for both nursery and primary schools appear to be ‘too packed’ making the time spent on a subject too short for good assimilation. While highlighting concerns about the placement of the subjects and other activities on the timetables.

The workload is reportedly so heavy that “in nursery schools children have very little time for play” which has been identified as integral to the child’s development at that age.

Since the suggestion to have the day extended has not found favour with any teacher of the nursery schools surveyed, the commission has instead recommended that the nursery programme focuses mainly on numeracy, literacy, skills development and moral values.

“Elements relating to Social Studies and Science could be taught incidental to the teaching of numeracy, literacy and moral values,” the commissioners suggested.

Additionally, a call has been made for a review of the impact and effectiveness of the Radio Instruction Programme.

According to the report the Interactive Radio Instruction (IRI) Programme was a cause for concern at many of its consultations.

“The benefits cannot be derived until teachers are fully trained to utilise such an intervention,” the commission noted before recommending that training in the area of IRI be part of one of literacy/numeracy activities during the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Programme in August 2017.

The commissioners also called for a review of the programme’s methodology and noted that many schools reported non-functioning equipment and lack of student focus and participation.

“There were many calls for this programme to be abandoned,” the report stressed.

The commission took time to specifically note that the vast majority of issues that were found related directly to, and resulted from, a lack of integrity, negative attitudes, egotism, inflexibility, a lack of consultation with teachers on the ground and a lack of respect for teachers by Officers who supervised them.

“There seemed to be a lack of care and concern by Officers in the execution of their duties,” the report stated saying that in correcting this situation “the education system should seek to complement academic learning with a strong sense of integrity, morality and service, particularly in secondary schools when patterns of thought and behaviour in adolescents are becoming fixed.”

Concerns were also raised about the manner in which funds were being allocated and spent within the 11 education districts.

According to the report, grants provided by the Ministry to schools are generally inadequate to provide the necessary materials needed for them to function efficiently School grants should be increased and It has therefore been recommended that headteachers should be allowed to determine how the funds are used as well as for funds to be set aside, at the level of the Regional Administration for scheduled ongoing and routine maintenance and

refurbishment of school buildings and furniture.

Also recommended is that teachers should be consulted when policies are at the draft stage so that they can work on the ground and in all the Regions, and that they receive the support and cooperation of all those who have the responsibility to implement them.

“Several policies were found to be unsuited to the peculiarities of hinterland communities,” the commission found. Also highlighted is a shortage of teachers, particularly in the remote Regions of the country.

“Teachers from the coastland would be encouraged to move to these areas if the remuneration, risk allowance and accommodation are improved and enhanced,” the report suggest, noting that it was found that in these areas, teachers’ quarters were in deplorable states of disrepair and/or lacked adequate furnishings.

Further it was discovered that in the remote areas of the country, the cost of living has a severe impact on a teacher’s ability to live on the current salaries being paid.

“Remuneration and living allowances need to take the cost of living of a region into account, and should be updated every five years. Current allowances being paid have, apparently, not been updated in years,” it is explained.

The members of the Commission of Inquiry (COI) were its Chairman Ed Caesar, Ronald Austin Jr. representing the youth education and training sector, Jennifer Dewar representing the religious community, Lance Hinds representing the information & communication technology sector, and Ramesh Persaud representing the private sector. Other members of the team were Legal Officer/Secretary Kellyann Payne-Hercules, Rapporteur Clayton Hinds, and Public Relations Officer Suelle Findlay-Williams.