Education Minister orders countrywide audit of public schools

Jul 02, 2015 News

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Premised on his need to know what obtains at “each and every school across the country,” Minister of Education, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine, has issued a directive that audits occur at schools countrywide. This announcement was made by the

Minister as he addressed the Sixth International Reunion of St Rose’s High Alumni this past weekend.
Calling the audits that have commenced, “a matter of importance,” the Minister said that the audit team will be conducting environmental audits of each school. “I need to know which schools need infrastructural work. I need to know about everything that is lacking in our school system,” asserted the Minister as he pointed out that the audits are critical to the implementation of strong evidence based national policies.
According to him, reports have already started to come in and he estimates that the audits will be concluded by the end of this month.
The Minister also announced the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry (COI) to investigate exactly what obtains in the school system and to hold hearings across the country in order to provide a report outlining recommendations for the enhancement of education delivery. The work of the Commission, which comprises teachers, education officials, citizens drawn from across the country and experts in various fields, is also expected to conclude by the end of the month.
Despite moves by a cadre of experts to provide reports of the system, the Minister still saw the need for a COI as according to him he was not quite satisfied as he is yet to see reports that layout implementable action plans.
It is the vision of the Minister to mobilise political parties over the next five years to work together to craft strategies for the education sector with a view of advancing the interest of the people. “Education is not something we need to fight over. A solid education system benefits everyone. Education is the foundation of what we do and what we will do,” he stated.
Already, he disclosed that he has been able to draw on relationships established with his predecessor, Priya Manickchand, and other former ministers of the previous government.
And it is the hope of Minister Roopnaraine that the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) will be among his primary supporters in the sector. Since taking up the Education Minister portfolio he has extended an invitation to the GTU to participate in the development of policies.
“I do not want teachers to believe that they are robots in a classroom…we send them there to execute policies that (they) had nothing to do with making,” he said.  Moreover, the GTU was asked to appoint a working committee to regularly meet with the Ministry so that policies could be created collaboratively.
It is the Minister’s belief that people are more likely to execute policies that they had a hand in forming rather than policies that have been handed to them to execute. According to Dr. Roopnaraine, “We want the parents, the teachers, the union, and the students to be fully engaged in the reform of our education system.”
The Minister in turning his attention to what he termed “very uneven development in Guyana,” pointed out that “We have had a heavy concentration of investment in Georgetown and the Coast and consequent neglect in the hinterland.”
This state of affairs he admitted has caused a development gap between what obtains in schools located in Regions One, Two, Eight, Nine and the Coastland Regions.
Referencing the challenge of finding educators to take up assignments to work in hinterland communities, Dr. Roopnaraine posited that without the fullest development of all resources of the country, “we are not going to move forward.” He has, however, assured the people of hinterland regions that as Minister of Education his attention would be no less attentive than his attention to that which surrounds him immediately in the city.
Since assuming office, the Minister has been reiterating his desire to see the education system develop more rounded students who are academically inclined and exposed to sports, music and other co-curricular activities.
Making reference to the number of subjects students sit at CXC and the extra pressure placed on younger children to attend extra lessons, Dr. Roopnaraine said that, “education is not about quantity; it is first and foremost about quality.”
Over the upcoming vacation period the Ministry of Education will be hosting two special workshops for teachers: the first will focus on the reintroduction of music into schools across the country and another will address sports.
Dr. Roopnaraine is convinced that “reading, literacy and numeracy are better imparted, better implanted, and better digested if parents and educators can make a connection between what they are attempting to teach the child and what the child is interested in.” He therefore stressed the need for a system where children will want to be in school and where teachers will want to be in the classroom.

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