World Bank approves $1.4b grant for education

-says `There have been improvements, however the learning outcomes remain low’

The World Bank has approved a US$6.7m ($1.4b) grant from the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) for the Guyana Education Sector Programme Project.

A release yesterday from the World Bank said that the project aims to improve learning in nursery schools, expand technology use in primary schools, and heighten functionality of the national education management information system.

“Guyana’s education sector has made progress in the last 15 years,” said Ozan Sevimli, World Bank Resident Representative for Jamaica and Guyana.

He added “There have been improvements, however the learning outcomes remain low, and improving the quality of education at all levels will be the priority for Guyana to develop its human capital.”

“As the impact of the pandemic on education is still being felt around the world, GPE’s support to strengthen education in Guyana is more critical than ever,” said Alice Albright, GPE Chief Executive Officer

“GPE will continue to help make Guyana’s education system more resilient and effective so that the most vulnerable girls and boys can go to school and learn”, she added.

At the nursery level, the release said that the project will support teacher training to bolster pedagogy and delivery of a new curriculum. The training will encompass foundational skills, as well as student-centred pedagogy, formative assessments, and socio-emotional aspects, which are of particular importance during the pandemic.

The project will also provide learning materials and deliver parental education. At the primary level, the financing will outfit schools with computer tablets to enable them to use technology for foundational skills like mathematics and literacy, as well as smart classrooms to support learning.

“Given the inequitable access to learning during the school closures, technology-assisted learning can facilitate teaching and cater to more learning styles for students with different needs. Finally, the project will finance the further development and roll out of an integrated education management information system at the national level in the nursery, primary and secondary sectors. This enhanced system will generate information, enabling stakeholders across levels to make informed and evidence-based decisions”, the release added.

This project will complement two ongoing projects financed by the World Bank’s International Development Association. These are the Education Sector Improvement Project which aims to improve mathematics education and the University of Guyana’s Faculty of Health Sciences. The Secondary Education Improvement Project is aimed at strengthening innovative teaching methods, increasing enrollment in secondary schools, and supporting school construction.