As the Ministry of Education weighs suggestions on the sitting of next year’s National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA), it is set to collaborate with the Health Ministry to analyse the preparedness of schools for a physical reopening.
Education Minister Priya Manickchand has told this newspaper that after a recent meeting with stakeholders, the ministry is taking into consideration all that has been suggested by teachers for the administering of the NGSA.
During a Zoom meeting two Fridays ago, teachers from the 11 education districts discussed the way forward for teaching students who will be writing the assessment in 2021 and how they will learn amidst the COVID-19 outbreak.
Although Manickchand previously announced that the online approach as well as broadcasting over television networks and radio would be used, she told this newspaper that she is now considering a delay in the assessment’s administration, having students write multiple-choice papers only, the dropping of topics from the exam syllabus so that less has to be taught since so much time has been lost, or not administering the assessment at all and have students placed at catchment area secondary schools. The minister said that while no decision has been made, all these options are being looked into while also considering the advantages and disadvantages of each.
The administration of the NGSA this year was delayed from April to July and the gazetted order pertaining to COVID-19 measures had to be followed while the students wrote the assessment. Grade Six students are still awaiting results for the assessment. The Ministry has said that the results will be released on or before September 25.
Manickchand also said that her ministry will be collaborating with the Ministry of Health to inspect the sanitary status of schools this week. She explained that while the students are still at home, the ministries have decided to create a checklist which will determine what needs to be done for the safe reopening of schools.
“So there are collaborations where teams are spreading out across the country in an exercise which should last no longer than four or five days, going to schools and determining, based on a checklist that was worked out not only by us, but the Ministry of Health [as well],” she said. “We have a checklist and we’ve asked them [the Health Ministry] to look at and determine. Those answers should be coming in. That exercise begins on Monday and by the end of next week we should know those answers,” Manickchand assured.
She further said that because the budget hasn’t been passed, no work can be done but the checks would be used to enhance the ministry’s knowledge of what preparations it would need to make to enable students to safely return to schools when the Health Ministry gives the “go ahead.”
TVET
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education on Monday started a training programme for the
Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) educators so they can use online platforms to their full potential. The month-long training is being guided by the ministry’s TVET unit.
In a statement, the ministry said the objectives of the programme are to gauge the needs of TVET educators, enhance the quality of the teaching and learning process to integrate online platforms to deliver the curriculum, and establish an online platform for educators across Guyana to communicate, share best practices, and develop teaching and learning materials.
It was noted that devices to facilitate this process have been procured to facilitate participants, while Assistant Chief Education Officer Patrick Onwuzirike said that as far as possible it is expected that every class, laboratory, and workshop in TVET institutions would have facilities to enable online teaching and learning.
The programme is deemed “suitable” for the non-traditional form of teaching and learning and its participants are encouraged by the ministry to take the objectives seriously for a rewarding outcome. While teachers are also encouraged to continue using platforms that they are comfortable using, it must be noted that every instructor or lecturer will be required to use Moodle to report on the administrative aspects of the learning process, like exams, attendance, portfolio, etcetera.
The technical institutes in Guyana are the Mahaicony Technical and Vocational Training Centre, the Government Technical Institute, the Upper Corentyne Industrial Training Centre, the Guyana Indus-trial Training Centre, the Carnegie School of Home Economics, the Essequibo Technical Institute and the Linden Technical Institute.
