Guyana’s cultural space gets an ‘F’

Apr 19, 2026 News

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…music teachers, MPs slam government for neglecting arts in schools  

By Khadidja Ba 

(Kaieteur News) – Guyana’s cultural foundation is in decline, according to music teachers in public schools, who have effectively handed the State a failing grade for its efforts to nurture creativity and national pride.

As the nation approaches its 60th Independence anniversary, those on the front lines of the creative arts describe a landscape where national songs are forgotten, music programmes are “dumped” into schools without resources and local culture is treated as a “substandard” afterthought. Efforts to reach the Minister of Culture and the Minister of Education for comment on these statements proved futile.

“Dumping” the Curriculum

Nima Flue-Bess, APNU Parliamentarian, dismissed the government’s “Orange Economy” as a buzzword with no functional support for local creatives. “But yeah, when I saw that launch and that programme, a lot of bad things went through my mind… Brianna’s in a sad state. That’s how I see it. We talk about the cultural in the Orange Economy… it was merely a ceremonial add-on and nothing there to really drive the creative industry.”

Flue-Bess further criticised the Ministry of Education’s attempt to reintroduce music into schools, describing the approach as “dumping” courses into the system without the necessary tools. “Ask any one of the music teachers if they were given a book of music on Guyana’s national songs or folk songs,” she challenged. “That alone will tell you what they are actually doing in the system”.

Odessa Primus, Parliamentarian for WIN, noted a visible decline in national pride among the youth, a shift she attributes directly to the removal of cultural staples from the school week. “I think music is being taught in some of the schools, particularly the national schools, because apparently those are the only important schools in this country… we have moved away from the singing of national songs and folk songs on Friday”.

Primus argued that the government’s financial priorities reveal their true stance on heritage, noting that culture consistently receives the smallest slice of the national budget. “It is more important to invest in Carnival than Mashramani when you look at the financial investment that is made from the part of the government”.

For music teachers in Georgetown’s public schools, the struggle is practical and persistent. One veteran teacher, who asked to remain anonymous, described the system as “broken for the longest while”.

“I try to work them with the national songs. I think it has been a broken system for the longest while… It’s not a subject where we teach to get marks, at least not at our schools, so I think it should be so more children are encouraged to stick with the subject.”

The systemic failures within the school system are most visible in the severe depletion of basic resources, forcing educators to become the sole providers for their classrooms. Teachers in the public school system reported to KN yesterday a complete lack of official support, noting that they have not been issued essential materials such as music books for national or folk songs. As one educator poignantly remarked, “I know I didn’t get any… What I provide for myself is what I secure for myself”. This lack of investment extends to instruments, where teachers are often left to make their own interventions or recommendations just to acquire the bare minimum needed to teach.

Furthermore, significant gaps in the curriculum ensure that any musical foundation laid is quickly eroded. Educators point out that while music is currently a part of the curriculum for Grades 7 and 8, the subject is abruptly dropped once students enter Grade 9. This “broken system” fails to establish music as a consistent subject of study throughout the secondary levels, preventing students from gaining the marks or the deep-seated knowledge that comes with long-term instruction. Teachers are now calling for the ministry to establish music in every grade to ensure continuity and academic respect for the arts.

The most profound consequence of these failures is a generational loss of tradition and national identity. Teachers describe a stark contrast between the “cultural pride” felt in the 1980s and 90s and the current reality, where students often do not recognise national symbols or songs. “National songs, I have to teach them from scratch,” another teacher lamented, noting that because these songs were never encouraged or taught in earlier years, the sense of nationalism has effectively disappeared from the classroom. Rebuilding this pride, they argue, requires a deliberate effort to reintegrate Guyanese folk and national music back into the daily life of every school.

The consensus among creatives who want to see Guyanese return to their former place of having cultural pride is that the “powers that be” lack the coordination and interest required to sustain a national identity. One teacher noted that the problem extends beyond the classroom: “This is not a school problem. This is a national problem… People sing the national anthem and don’t know the verses…the pledge as well”.

Teachers are calling for a full-time National Music Coordinator within the Ministry to oversee choirs and curriculum, rather than just occasional “steel pan events.” “They need a full-time music coordinator with the ministry. If they have that… then we will begin to look at the importance of music”.

As preparations for the 60th Jubilee continue, the question remains: will the celebrations feature the soul of Guyana, or will they simply be a “glamorous” display of foreign influence? For those teaching the next generation, the grade is already in: F.

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• Arts, Cultural, F, music teachers

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