Diverse Education System to Explore Negative Internalized Attitudes and Stereotypes

Jun 14, 2019 News

The Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Cohesion held a two-day Diversity Education and Inclusion Training for the Heads of Departments in Social Studies.
The partnership was established in July 2018 and has been taken across the country.

The Heads of Departments in attendance with the officials of the ministries seated.
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The programme is aimed at addressing stereotypes which govern society today as well as negative internalized attitudes which may stem from these stereotypes. It is the view of the ministries that the education system be inclusive of all kinds and that all be seen as equal.
Ms Tiffany Roberts, the Quality Assurance Officer and Senior Education Officer, Georgetown, said, “The Ministry of Education fully embraces the implementation of a diverse education system. Diversity goes beyond color, ethnic background, custom, culture, religious experience, political views and even sexual orientation.
As you the heads of departments are sitting among us today it is important to impart this knowledge and to ensure that a diverse education is implemented and monitored throughout Guyana. It is our belief that this programme will allow students to be exposed to a wide array of ideas, culture and individuals.
She added that in her opinion it’s much easier if there is a diverse education system as it’s easier to impact students because they get to interact with basically all kinds of people and experiences are shared. This type of education system will not only have effects on the secondary level but the tertiary level as well.
She said that she hopes that all participants of the workshop would have acquired the necessary knowledge to take back to their schools and to train the relevant persons to implement and pass the baton on.
Programme Coordinator, Natasha Singh-Lewis, gave her remarks on behalf of the Minister of Social Cohesion Dr. George Norton saying “Educators all, today I feel very happy to be with you this morning as we continue our partnership.
“This partnership started in 2018 as a more organized relationship with the Ministry of Education. The Department of Social Cohesion started out training in 2017 at a community level in the regions, and at [every] training we would have had teachers from the various schools, within the community we were executing our training”.
She went on to say that that two-day session was particularly targeting the heads of departments for Social Studies. It was a strategic move for them to make the heads of department and the Social Studies teachers the key stakeholders for the year 2019.
She said that they will be in Region Two in July. However they know that across the region they will not be able to gather 40-45 heads of department because of the geographic location but they would be able to extend the training to the Social Studies teachers including those at the primary level involved.
She wished those in attendance well and informed them that she is looking out for the community projects that will come out as a result of what they would be learning over that two day period.