–AI to individualise learning for children
-government to lift financial burdens off parents through transportation support
Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has said plans are already in place to transform how education is delivered if the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) is elected to serve for a second term.
The vice president made these statements on Thursday while congratulating the thousands of children who wrote the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) at his weekly press conference.
According to him, Guyana is preparing to introduce digital schools and online learning tools, including artificial intelligence (AI), to personalise the students’ learning experiences.
He explained to reporters, “Because with AI…you can have a personalised programme for every single child in primary and secondary schools that will cater for their strengths and weaknesses… this is an exciting thing for the future.”
This, he pointed out, is part of a comprehensive education system, which includes free education from nursery to tertiary levels.
Already, the government has removed tuition fees at Guyana’s premier tertiary facility — the University of Guyana (UG), which will benefit some 11,000 current students and all new students.
It is important to understand that this was a key promise made by the PPP/C in its 2020-2025 manifesto, leading up to the March 2, General and regional elections.
Meanwhile, over 39,000 Guyanese were awarded scholarships to pursue their Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral qualifications. These scholarships were awarded under the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) from 2021 to 2025.
For secondary education, the government will, from this year, pay the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) fee for up to eight subjects for Guyanese children sitting the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE).
Soon, according to the vice president, the government plans to roll out a transportation initiative for parents.
“We are now going to assist with transportation for children through a grant in the next term. So, we can remove the burden from parents…we will expand [the] school feeding programme and this exciting curriculum development,” the vice president added.
Vice President Jagdeo expressed excitement for this new path, where the nation’s education systems will tap into the Guyanese skillsets.
On NGSA, Dr Jagdeo recalled that in the past, only 35 per cent of students who sat the examinations were placed in secondary schools, and the remaining could not pursue their academic aspirations.
According to him, every child who has written the NGSA will be given a fair chance to excel academically, thanks to strategic investments in secondary schools, incentivising private sector schools.
“We need as a country to really appreciate the end results … .I’m happy because the investments in our education sector will continue to provide our children — opportunities to succeed in life,” he said.
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