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Education is key to national development – Education Minister –says if education fails, the nation fails
Education is, and continues to be, the key to national development. This assertion was made by Minister of Education, Nicolette Henry even as Education Month was launched on Monday at the Ministry’s Carifesta Avenue Sports Ground.
A section of the gathering at the launch
Chief Education Officer, Marcel Hutson
Minister of Education, Nicolette Henry
Education Month this year is being observed under the theme: “Education: the Key to National Development.”
Choosing the theme, Minister Henry said, was premised on President David Granger’s deliberate focus on education as a strategic tool to aid national development. Given this tactical move, the Minister made it pellucid that “if education fails, the nation fails.”
To ensure that education is able to take its rightful place in 2019, Government allocated $52.2 B to the sector. This represents a 15 per cent increase from what was allocated to the sector from the national budget.
“This investment in education is crucial and critical to the development of this nation,” said Minister Henry. She went on to point out that in the formal education system, government has made a priority to bridge the gap between the hinterland and coastland with the view and understanding that the development of a nation is dependent on the entire nation. This in essence means that development cannot be sought without the development of the nation’s people.
“Education is the bedrock of any meaningful development.”
Even as she stressed the importance of education, the Minister said that the public education sector is performing well and this is possible because of the commitment and dedication of each person who serves with purposeful commitment.
In this vein, she commended the teachers, education officers and other staffers of the Ministry for their dedication and commitment, and in some cases sacrifice that resulted in this laudable performance.
Chief Education Officer (CEO), Marcel Hutson, in delivering remarks at the education month launch, said that Education Month 2019 marks the beginning of another chapter in the history of the education system.
He said that progress as a nation can be no swifter than the progress in education. The CEO said that Guyana must do everything to protect and enrich its human resource. He pointed to the fact that education performs many functions including the transmission of culture through the instilling of social norms, values and beliefs into the next generation. At the same time, it serves to facilitate social integration, career selection, socialisation, rational thinking and patriotism, CEO Hutson said.
Turning his attention to students, CEO Hutson stressed the need for them to be focused on learning in the classroom and to be respectful to teachers. He encouraged teachers and head teachers to continue teaching and leading with purpose, knowing that they are liberating the minds of young people.
Each year the month of September is observed as ‘Education Month’. This year the Ministry of Education has planned over 20 activities across Guyana to engage all stakeholders in education.
During the launch, there were performances by the National School of Dance, the Buxton Steel Orchestra and the South Ruimveldt Secondary School.
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