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Ministry must transition away from NGSA, dismantle inequitable education system

May 31, 2021 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
The Minister of Education is reported as clarifying that Government will not abolish the NGSA (National Grade Six Assessment) which now functions as a placement test and a kind of IQ test to identify the academically gifted students who are placed in the 5-6 “top” high schools, and who consider themselves as being lucky to be in “elite” schools. The NGSA is certainly an achievement test used for placement of homogeneous grouping of students in schools and not used for diagnostic purposes to improve education. It’s a “slot machine” that slots lower performing students in lower quality schools. It is a hangover from the colonial era that has no place in 21st century education. The NGSA has become one of the root causes for an inequitable education system.
It has been rightly said the Ministry needs to look at equal schools not only at the high school level but that we should address inequities at the primary level too. I say we need to start at the nursery school level. The research has shown that strong early childhood readiness is the foundation for success at the later educational levels.
At this point, the Ministry of Education has no education plan. They inherited an expired plan from the Coalition. Right now, the Ministry is engaged in what I call “random acts of improvement” versus a systematic, comprehensive aligned design for school improvement and reform. It is essentially a “Christmas Tree” approach of “let’s hang something here, hang something there,” and hope it looks good. The transformation of Guyana’s education system will require strong professional educator leadership, apart from political will.
Here is a good lesson. In North Carolina, some school systems had sued the State saying there were inequities in funding. The Supreme Court of North Carolina, in its landmark Leandro v. State of North Carolina decision, affirmed the fundamental right of every child to have access to a sound, basic education. The courts also ruled that North Carolina was not meeting this constitutional requirement.
There is a new House Bill to implement a plan that will ensure all children, including those from rural and underserved communities, have access to a sound, basic education. The House Bill would spur the State to take action and begin to resolve the statewide funding inequities that predominantly harm rural, low-income, and high-risk students. One legislator said, “The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the inequities that are the focus of the Leandro case, particularly for students from low-income families, and students with disabilities. If we truly want to serve our most marginalised students and prepare them for a more prosperous future, we don’t have any time to waste.”
I submit that Guyana’s education system is in a similar situation as North Carolina and unless the new PPP Education Plan is mainly focused on addressing the inequities in education frontally and urgently, somebody or group needs to file a lawsuit to change this unacceptable situation that has been allowed to continue for so long. After 55 years of Independence, we need bold, new leadership in education. The education system cannot do more of the same, or beat the dead horse harder. We cannot wait for equity to trickle down.
Sincerely,
Dr. Jerry Jailall
Education Consultant & Author

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