Problem with Guyana’s education system is not at university level

Dear Editor,

In the letter `A hare-brained scheme, President must address questions raised’ (SN, 21st November 2020) Rishee Thakur does not favour UWI being approached to educate 20,000 Guyanese.

There are alternatives in that UG (currently incapable of providing enough graduates to meet Guyana’s needs plus the brain drain) should align itself with top class universities like Oxford University to become a top class regional university.

In any event the problem with Guyana’s education system is not at university level; it is at early learning.

More needs to be done to tackle functional illiteracy in that investment must be made in Guyana’s educational establishment by investing in nursery schools, primary schools, secondary schools, and (as one blogger suggests) Technical Institutes/Colleges.

It is a good idea to raise Guyana’s educational standards by having UWI play a role. However, we must acknowledge that UWI may not be able to churn out 20,000 graduates who will stay and develop Guyana in 5 years unless careful planning is done in introducing courses to meet Guyana’s current and future needs. I am thinking courses that includes a Foundation Year to assess a student’s capability in studying for university courses.

As for the “brain-drain” that can be addressed by getting the investment needed to create jobs and higher paying jobs in Guyana, reducing political, social and economic instability and improving security; not to mention something needs to be done about Guyana’s electricity and water supply systems. We would also need to devolve powers from Central Government to Local Government so that people can get involved in Guyana’s development at a community level.