Revised Education Bill ready for National Assembly – Manickchand
March 24, 2014, By KNews, Filed Under News, Source
The operations of private schools may be eligible for closer scrutiny with the passing of a revised Education Bill. And such a Bill is currently on the horizon, according to Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, who, during the past week disclosed that already a draft revised Education Bill has been crafted.
An earlier Draft of the Bill, the Minister said, had gained the attention of a wide cross-section of the population before a final draft suitable enough to be presented to the National Assembly was completed. “We have had a Draft Bill that went around the country several times, engaging stakeholders, including parents, teachers, Parent Teachers Association, education officials, retired persons, just about every and anybody,” said Minister Manickchand.
“We have one or two things we need to do, editorial corrections more than anything else, but that Draft Bill is going to be laid in the National Assembly as soon as we can,” she added, during a recent interview.
In fact Manickchand had earlier intended to lay the Draft Bill before the National Assembly today, a plan that was thwarted with an announcement from Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh that the 2014 National Budget will be presented today.
The Draft Education Bill, once passed, is expected to repeal an archaic Education Bill, disclosed Manickchand, who insisted that “you can expect to see a Bill that addresses the needs of Guyana’s Education system today…so for example, private schools and other issues that are a reality for us today will be addressed.”
Even as moves are being made to introduce a new Education Bill, the Education Ministry is also looking at amending the Accreditation Act. Amendments in this regard, Manickchand said, are intended to allow the existing Accreditation Council to not only have the authority to accredit individual programmes but also the entire institution as well. Currently, the Accreditation Council is only permitted to deal with programmes.
The move to amend the local Accreditation Act is supported by the Caribbean, which according to the Minister, has gone the way of accrediting institutions. The amendment, she disclosed, will be made to Section 4(3) (c) of the National Accreditation Council Act Number 12, whereby it grants the Accreditation Council the power to do institutional accreditation. “This makes sense…If we are to accredit programme by programme, then the kind of resources necessary would be very, very burdensome for offshore type universities,” said the Education Minister.
Moreover, she noted that “we are amending the Act to give additional power to the Accreditation Council to deal with entire institutions rather than programmes alone.”
Already regulations have been drafted under the Accreditation Act, which are being reviewed before being sent to the National Assembly.
However, before reaching to the National Assembly, the draft regulations will be sent to the Chambers of the Attorney General to be finalised.
The National Accreditation Council of Guyana was established by an Act of Parliament. The Council, according to Act 12 of 2004, is the principal body in Guyana for conducting and advising on the accreditation and recognition of educational and training institutions, providers, programmes and awards, whether foreign or national and for the promotion of the quality and standards of education and training in Guyana.
There have been some concerns voiced about the slothful functioning of the Council in recent times.
