Before We Digitise, We Must Stabilise

Feb 22, 2026 Features / Columnists, News

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By Karen Abrams, MBA, AA Doctoral Candidate

(Kaieteur News) – There is understandable excitement around artificial intelligence in education. Around the world, companies are promising personalized tutors, instant feedback, and adaptive learning systems that can accelerate academic progress. The vision is attractive. Every child supported. Every gap identified. Every lesson tailored.

But innovation must sit on a foundation. And in Guyana, we must confront a difficult truth: for too many of our children, that foundation is not yet secure.

The crisis begins before a child ever enters a classroom. National data show that close to one in ten children under five is moderately or severely underweight, and approximately 12 percent are stunted. In Regions 7, 8 and 9, where many Indigenous families reside, these rates are among the highest in the country. Research across developing economies is consistent. Early childhood malnutrition can reduce cognitive development and is associated with a 5 to 10 percent reduction in lifetime earnings. A child who begins school hungry begins already behind.

Then there is the question of access. In Region 2, nearly 47 percent of children of pre-primary age, are not enrolled in nursery education. In Region 1, the rate is 35 percent. In Region 7, it is 34 percent. Children whose mothers have no formal education face non-participation rates exceeding 20 percent at the nursery level. Among the poorest households, more than one in five nursery-aged children are not in school at all.

When these children enter Grade 1, if they enter, many do so without school readiness skills. In some hinterland communities, they also enter without speaking the language of instruction. Eight Indigenous languages are spoken across our interior regions, yet English remains the sole language of instruction in the formal system. The Ministry of Education has acknowledged that early learning is most effective when delivered in a child’s native tongue. Small pilots exist. However, for most Indigenous children, the transition into an English-only classroom begins on day one.

No software platform, no matter how sophisticated, can compensate for hunger, language barriers, or the absence of early childhood preparation. Technology can enhance learning. It cannot replace fundamentals.

We must also examine the realities within the home. Every serious study of educational outcomes confirms that parental involvement is among the strongest predictors of student success. But involvement requires capacity. It requires time. It requires knowledge.

The economic pressures facing many Guyanese families are significant. Children from the lowest wealth quintile are dramatically more likely to be out of school at lower secondary level than those from the wealthiest households. In some estimates, the gap is more than tenfold. This is not a software gap. It is an economic gap.

A mother in Mahdia or Lethem who did not complete secondary school cannot easily assist with algebra or composition structure. Not because she does not care, but because she was not afforded the same opportunity. A father working long shifts in mining, forestry, construction or offshore services may be absent from homework time out of necessity, not neglect.

If we are serious about educational advancement, these families need sustained support. School feeding programmes matter. Cash grants must reflect the real cost of uniforms, transportation and learning materials. Guidance counsellors, after-school programmes, mentoring and structured academic reinforcement are not luxuries. They are essential supports that keep children in school and moving forward.

At the same time, we must be clear about the economic stakes.

Guyana is undergoing rapid economic transformation. Oil and gas have expanded GDP and created new opportunities. Infrastructure development is accelerating. Foreign investment is increasing. Alongside this growth, foreign labour has also increased across construction, services, logistics and technical fields. In many lower wage roles, competition has intensified. Basic labour positions are increasingly contested.

If our young people do not strengthen their fundamentals in mathematics, literacy, science and critical thinking, they risk being confined to the lowest tiers of the labour market, precisely the segments under the greatest pressure. That is not a criticism of any sector. It is an economic reality. Higher wages follow higher skills. Movement up the value chain requires competence, certification and mastery.

We need more of our young people qualifying for engineering programmes, ICT certifications, health sciences, financial services, logistics management, renewable energy systems and advanced technical trades. We need more supervisors, more project managers, more data analysts, more entrepreneurs. That begins not with a device, but with foundational competence.

Infrastructure must also be addressed honestly. Ministry surveys have indicated that a significant proportion of nursery and primary facilities lack reliable electrical installations. In some regions, schools operate without consistent power. Connectivity outside of urban centres remains uneven. There have been public acknowledgements that even central offices have struggled at times with reliable internal connectivity.

Digital tools require electricity. They require stable internet. They require maintenance capacity and trained staff. Without these, tablets become storage devices. Platforms become inaccessible. Investments lose impact.

None of this is to suggest that Guyana should reject innovation. On the contrary, we must embrace it. Artificial intelligence, adaptive learning systems and digital platforms can be powerful accelerators. They can help teachers diagnose gaps, help students practise skills, and help parents monitor progress.

But technology must sit on stable ground.

Our first obligation is to ensure that children are nourished, enrolled, linguistically supported and grounded in core competencies. Our second obligation is to strengthen teacher training, improve early childhood participation, and support families. Our third obligation is to build reliable infrastructure that allows digital investments to function as intended.

If we do these things, then digital tools will multiply our gains.

If we do not, we risk mistaking hardware for progress.

Guyana’s future prosperity depends on moving our young people steadily up the skills ladder. In a competitive global economy, and in a rapidly expanding domestic one, fundamentals are not optional. They are the bridge to higher wages, economic resilience and national strength.

Before we digitise, we must stabilise. Before we automate, we must educate. And before we promise transformation, we must secure the foundation on which it rests.

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• Artificial intelligence, Digitise, Karen Abrams, Stabilise

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