Guyana’s delivery of education is commendable – UNICEF

September 22, 2012 | By KNews | Filed Under News -- Source

Some 80 per cent of children at the nursery level are currently attending school, an accomplishment which requires that the local Ministry of Education, and by extension Guyana, be applauded, since it is leading the way in nursery education.

This is according to United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF)’s Programme Officer, Audrey Rodrigues, as she revealed that some 1.7 million nursery aged children in Latin American and the Caribbean are not in school.

Ms Audrey Rodrigues (left) hands over a copy of the Global out-of-school Report to Education Minister, Priya Manickchand in the presence of other education officials.

In fact, she said that more than 22 million children are not in school or are at serious risk of dropping out, while a staggering 15.6 million carry the burden of failure and inequality. This development, she added, is perhaps linked to their late start of school or because of a record of grade repetition.

Rodrigues was at the time addressing the gathering at the Ministry of Education’s ‘Inclusive Education Expo’ held on Thursday at the Education Sports Complex Ground, Carifesta Avenue.

UNICEF, according to Rodrigues, recognises the efforts by the local Education Ministry to keep data and the number of dropouts in the school system, as well as its attempts to win them back and keep them in school.

“We know of the truancy campaigns; we know that the Ministry maybe isn’t shouting about it a lot, but we know about the efforts in trying to see what are the best strategies that can be used to encourage teen mothers back to school…We know too that very silently the Ministry is making efforts in trying to reach out to those children in the hinterland…”

Rodrigues pointed to the importance of detecting all students who are out of school for one reason or another, adding it is also important to understand the nature of their circumstances, since they too are children with special needs.

She noted that while the Ministry has been mainstreaming children who are physically challenged, there are yet those faced with other situations that also need addressing.

“We can no longer allow them to be excluded and we must accelerate our effort to reflect this inclusive approach for all children.”

This move, she said, must be supported by the partners of education who must be the monitors, guardians, coaches and advocates for the return to school of these excluded children. As such, she expressed that “we must congratulate the Ministry of Education as it showcases its many approaches in trying to meet the needs of children through inclusive education.”

On Thursday, too, Rodrigues was tasked with presenting the Global Report on Out-of-school Children to Minister of Education Priya Manickchand. The Report has as its theme ‘Finishing school – A right to children’s development, a joint effort’.

“What do we mean by finishing school? The expression there was done to specifically indicate that schooling in Latin American and the Caribbean is incomplete…,”Rodrigues said. She explained that many children and adolescents do not enter schools in a timely manner, even as she questioned whether they remain in school until they complete their mandatory education.

Furthermore, she noted that their learning experience is often inadequate since there are sometimes shortfalls in school materials and facilities, and difficulties in covering teaching costs weaken the entire schooling experience for many.  It is for this reason, she said, that there is an emphasis on finishing school.

Rodrigues disclosed that the Rights to Children Development emphasise the importance of education in the holistic development of children and adolescents as a vehicle to fulfil their potential. She pointed out, too, that protecting the right to education serves to broaden the basis of the demands and exercise of all other rights.

In this regard, a new call to action is emphasised by the term ‘a joint effort’, Rodrigues said, to ensure that partners of education assume the collective and cooperative efforts needed to guarantee children their rights.

“Together as partners we must highlight the fact that complete, timely, sustained and full schooling is everybody’s duty and UNICEF would like to reiterate its commitment to supporting the Ministry of Education in advocating for positive change and in developing efforts to attract, and actively engage children through nursery, primary and secondary…”  Rodrigues asserted.