Failing the young is not an option

Sep 22, 2015 Editorial

In most developed countries, technology, especially cellular phones and computers, are the way of life and the way of the future. Guyana is no different.
For the country in which youths are 65 percent of the population the future of technology belongs to those young people who have the natural skills, talents and knowledge. Youths have been able to manage and handle all technologies without any formal training. They have the intuitive grasp of the various features of electronic devices, even ones with which they are not previously acquainted.
Most adults know that if they have problems in using their cellular phones, tablets, computers or Global Positioning Systems (GPS), they can call upon almost any youth to assist them.
It is no secret that knowledge and information are the new currencies in the 21st century, and that the traditional skills that were taught many years ago may not be as useful, if at all, in the digitized and globalized world.
The challenge now for the APNU+AFC coalition government is: How can the government harness and train this raw ability in youths? The government cannot fail the youths; it must provide the tools which can assist in harnessing their skills and advancing their knowledge if the country is to be developed technologically.
Guyana should take a page from the book that has guided a number of countries including South Korea, Singapore and China into the technological age. These countries have invested heavily in an education system based on the development of modern technology.
South Korea and China, in particular, have ensured that their students are given long periods of teaching in computer science and mathematics courses. A recent study has shown that high school students in South Korea are exposed to the teaching of mathematics several times longer than the exposure of this subject given to American and other Western students.
In addition, the student to teacher ratio in South Korean is very low, in some instances as low as ten students per teacher compared to 45 students per teacher in Guyana and 25 students per student in the U.S and some other developed countries.
A low student to teacher ratio allows teachers to spend more time with students than a higher student to teacher ratio. In Guyana, the student to teacher ratio is very high, with as many as 45 students per teacher. As a result, individual attention to the needs of each student would not be readily available.
The result is that it takes students a much longer time to learn. That is why the government needs to revamp the education system; it needs to concentrate more on the volume of teachers and the school curriculum. There are many subject areas that have no bearing in this technological world. A lower student to teacher ratio enables the teacher to be better equipped to identify and give attention to students who are struggling, or who might have a learning disability and needs special attention. Likewise, the teacher will be more readily prepared to identify gifted students and make provisions to advance them.
In order for Guyana to catch up with those countries with modern technology, and there is no doubt that it has the ability to do so, the APNU+AFC government must address the way students are taught, especially at the primary school level, which is crucial to establish a proper educational foundation in them.
The government must provide more classrooms and ensure that the teacher ratio for students at the schools level is reduced to ensure the personal attention of every student. A mind must not be wasted.
Seeing that youths have shown that they have the right aptitude and skills to learn, understand and manage all aspects of technology, the APNU+AFC government should provide the necessary facilities for them to realize their potential. Youths are the future. Failing them is not an option.

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