Education Ministry launches Voluntary Mentoring Programme -five more schools added to programme
Georgetown, GINA, November 19, 2011
Source - GINA
A section of those gathered at the launch of the Voluntary Mentoring programme
The Ministry of Education formally launched its Voluntary Mentoring Programme on Friday at the National Centre for Education Resource Development (NCERD) building, Kinston to assist young people to develop positive morals and values and to empower them to develop skills and make useful and productive life choices.
The Voluntary Mentoring Programme is collaboration among the Ministry of Education, and Ministry of Labour, Human Services and Social Security, Government of Guyana (GOG) / International Labour Organisation (ILO)-, International Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) / Tackling Child Labour through Education (TACKLE) project.
The programme involves matching an appropriate adult (a mentor) to an identified student (a mentee). The mentor will then act as a role model for at least one year to the mentee, during which time, it is expected that the relationship will result in positive improvements to the mentee life.
The Voluntary Mentoring Programme builds on the Ministry of Education’s Mentoring Pilot Programme which was launched one year prior in five schools. The results of the five school were so encouraging that the programme will now be carried in five additional secondary schools; Fort Wellington, Plaisance New Campbellville, St Winifred and the Linden Foundation.
Some of the school children at the programme launch
Minister of Education Shaik Baksh said the 10 schools will be looked upon as models, and that the lessons learned from these schools will be emulated by others as the programme will eventually extend over time.
The ministry has always facilitated programmes in the school system that seek to promote the type of values and behavioural outcomes that will enhance the quality of education in the school system, he said, and that is why Guyana has not descended into the pervasive violence that is common in most countries school’s system.
With regard to unacceptable behaviour in the school system, overall what has been happening in Guyana has been minuscule to what has been occurring in some of the other CARICOM countries, Minister Baksh said, as the ministry, having noted these incidents in the Caribbean and even in Guyana has been taking the necessary preventative approaches to stymie the acceleration of that kind of behaviour. In this regard it has implemented such successful initiatives as the Guidance Counsellor Programme that has had transformative results on school performance, attendance and punctuality.
Other such successful interventions have also included the Student Council programme, the timetabled Health Life Family Education (HLFE) programme that has been implemented in 70 schools and that is also expected to have positive results, the ministry’s Parent Teacher Association (PTA) programme and the very proactive approach of the ministry’s School Welfare Office.
Minister of Education Shaik Baksh and National Project Officer, GOG/ILO-IPEC/TACKLE Project, Sharon Patterson cuts the cake to officially launch the Voluntary Mentoring Programme
Rejecting statements made in the media by the opposition parties that, the country’s education is in a deteriorating state; Minister Baksh said that Government has ensured the necessary infrastructure, programmes and supporting mechanisms that have improved the quality of education and as well resulted in quality learning outcomes, that this is evident even for all to see.
“We are not saying it’s perfect, we are not saying that we have reached the pinnacle but we are getting there,” he said.
Baksh added that the progress made in education has ensured that Guyana is now ranked as one of the highest developing countries in the education index of the United Nations Human Developmental Report 2007-2008 and overall Guyana was placed third in the Caribbean.
The Voluntary Mentoring Programme is a reaffirmation of the ministry’s belief in the African adage ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ Chief Education Officer, Olato Sam said.
The Ministry of Education has long since been the forerunner of sending the clear statement to the wider society that the well rounded development of Guyanese young people can no longer be consider the sole responsibility of the school but instead requires the input of all the education stakeholders and all the members of the wider society, Sam said.
Minister of Education Shaik Baksh Minister of Education and National Project Officer, GOG/ILO-IPEC/TACKLE Project, Sharon Patterson shake hands to symbolise the continued partnership between the two entities
“Our schools are microcosms of society and the good and the bad instances out there ultimately find it within our school walls,” he said.
However, with the right structures the country can effectively address most of the negativities that might infiltrate the school system as the ministry has well established guidelines framework to address those problems, and will continue to provide the professional development mechanisms such as the Monitoring Programme which has untold potential to assist and deal with these issues he added.
National Project Officer, GOG/ILO-IPEC/TACKLE Project, Sharon Patterson said that whilst the overarching goal of the TACKLE project is to address the issue of child labour, in the concept of Guyana, particular emphasis is on preventative measures and supporting initiatives that enable children access to any form of education that will permit them to become more productive, tolerant and enable them to live in mutual respect of others.
For this reason, Patterson said, the TACKLE project will support the implementation the Voluntary Mentoring Programme, a programme that it regards as appropriate to prevent truancy, school dropouts, absenteeism, school based violence or socio-cultural issues that directly or indirectly inhibit aspect to education.
Georgetown, GINA, November 19, 2011
Source - GINA
A section of those gathered at the launch of the Voluntary Mentoring programmeThe Ministry of Education formally launched its Voluntary Mentoring Programme on Friday at the National Centre for Education Resource Development (NCERD) building, Kinston to assist young people to develop positive morals and values and to empower them to develop skills and make useful and productive life choices.
The Voluntary Mentoring Programme is collaboration among the Ministry of Education, and Ministry of Labour, Human Services and Social Security, Government of Guyana (GOG) / International Labour Organisation (ILO)-, International Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) / Tackling Child Labour through Education (TACKLE) project.
The programme involves matching an appropriate adult (a mentor) to an identified student (a mentee). The mentor will then act as a role model for at least one year to the mentee, during which time, it is expected that the relationship will result in positive improvements to the mentee life.
The Voluntary Mentoring Programme builds on the Ministry of Education’s Mentoring Pilot Programme which was launched one year prior in five schools. The results of the five school were so encouraging that the programme will now be carried in five additional secondary schools; Fort Wellington, Plaisance New Campbellville, St Winifred and the Linden Foundation.
Some of the school children at the programme launchMinister of Education Shaik Baksh said the 10 schools will be looked upon as models, and that the lessons learned from these schools will be emulated by others as the programme will eventually extend over time.
The ministry has always facilitated programmes in the school system that seek to promote the type of values and behavioural outcomes that will enhance the quality of education in the school system, he said, and that is why Guyana has not descended into the pervasive violence that is common in most countries school’s system.
With regard to unacceptable behaviour in the school system, overall what has been happening in Guyana has been minuscule to what has been occurring in some of the other CARICOM countries, Minister Baksh said, as the ministry, having noted these incidents in the Caribbean and even in Guyana has been taking the necessary preventative approaches to stymie the acceleration of that kind of behaviour. In this regard it has implemented such successful initiatives as the Guidance Counsellor Programme that has had transformative results on school performance, attendance and punctuality.
Other such successful interventions have also included the Student Council programme, the timetabled Health Life Family Education (HLFE) programme that has been implemented in 70 schools and that is also expected to have positive results, the ministry’s Parent Teacher Association (PTA) programme and the very proactive approach of the ministry’s School Welfare Office.
Minister of Education Shaik Baksh and National Project Officer, GOG/ILO-IPEC/TACKLE Project, Sharon Patterson cuts the cake to officially launch the Voluntary Mentoring ProgrammeRejecting statements made in the media by the opposition parties that, the country’s education is in a deteriorating state; Minister Baksh said that Government has ensured the necessary infrastructure, programmes and supporting mechanisms that have improved the quality of education and as well resulted in quality learning outcomes, that this is evident even for all to see.
“We are not saying it’s perfect, we are not saying that we have reached the pinnacle but we are getting there,” he said.
Baksh added that the progress made in education has ensured that Guyana is now ranked as one of the highest developing countries in the education index of the United Nations Human Developmental Report 2007-2008 and overall Guyana was placed third in the Caribbean.
The Voluntary Mentoring Programme is a reaffirmation of the ministry’s belief in the African adage ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ Chief Education Officer, Olato Sam said.
The Ministry of Education has long since been the forerunner of sending the clear statement to the wider society that the well rounded development of Guyanese young people can no longer be consider the sole responsibility of the school but instead requires the input of all the education stakeholders and all the members of the wider society, Sam said.
Minister of Education Shaik Baksh Minister of Education and National Project Officer, GOG/ILO-IPEC/TACKLE Project, Sharon Patterson shake hands to symbolise the continued partnership between the two entities“Our schools are microcosms of society and the good and the bad instances out there ultimately find it within our school walls,” he said.
However, with the right structures the country can effectively address most of the negativities that might infiltrate the school system as the ministry has well established guidelines framework to address those problems, and will continue to provide the professional development mechanisms such as the Monitoring Programme which has untold potential to assist and deal with these issues he added.
National Project Officer, GOG/ILO-IPEC/TACKLE Project, Sharon Patterson said that whilst the overarching goal of the TACKLE project is to address the issue of child labour, in the concept of Guyana, particular emphasis is on preventative measures and supporting initiatives that enable children access to any form of education that will permit them to become more productive, tolerant and enable them to live in mutual respect of others.
For this reason, Patterson said, the TACKLE project will support the implementation the Voluntary Mentoring Programme, a programme that it regards as appropriate to prevent truancy, school dropouts, absenteeism, school based violence or socio-cultural issues that directly or indirectly inhibit aspect to education.
