We experienced both governments, during our years in GY working with schools.

The Burnham government initiated  some good concepts for education and teachers took their jobs more seriously.  But you had to be a party member to teach.  Some die-hard PPP teachers bite the bullet and convert to survive.

Classes were more disciplined and teachers were held more accountable to produce. 

In our recent years with the PPP government, some teachers spent more time about how they dress, than how they teach.

If a teacher is absent, a student is assigned to look after the class, no subs was available and this could go on for a few days.

If a teacher is a favourite  of the head teacher, they get unlimited privileges, while others could get their as kicked daily.

I have video recordings of primary school teachers  at UGBC confronting the REO and MOE officials with facts that  degrade students performance, yet nothing was done about it.

In my opinion, the atmosphere was better during the Burnham government for students to learn.

I believe this was due to the self-serving greed of many, during the PPP government.

Teachers were not confronted for  withholding class material during the day and force students to pay for private evening classes. The students that did well could afford the extra lessons, or go to a private school, while others do without. I was told some head teachers get a kickback.   

This is no bull...In one school recently the head teacher and his best friend, another senior teacher, had  an operational  mini bush-rum still in the school.

They call it a science project and the REO approved it. These guys were teaching stoned most days.

Sent from my hot-tub, while soaking away last night's party.          

I left Guyana in 1972 and by then educational standards had started to fall, supervision was poor. Political,favouritism, teachers sleeping with education officers to get or keep jobs, no or little resources, etc. However, pass rates were high where I worked as  a teacher.

I returned to Guyana  approx six years ago and visited schools in all regions and was shocked at what passed for teaching and leadership at the s hook, regional and national levels. Pass rated came up under the PPP but still remained low in spite of the high ranking Guyana had in terms of spending on education as a proportion of GDP. Cyril Potter is a mess in terms of teachers teaining, the UG programme is weak. Pass rate at the grade 4 & 6 national assessments in English and Math are below 50 percent and at CXC, in those two subject areas, math is extremely low while English is approx 60 percentstrem was set up for . Many of the students are successful inspite of the teachers, extra lessons are now the norm and private schools have blossomed as parents seek better outcomes for their children. Drop out rate is high and the government has tried to address this. TVET centres were set up in regions, a second stream was instituted for low performing students, school feeding program was instituted in some area. However, there are major issues is effectiveness.

Under Burnham there was free education from Primary to University.  Also there were free textbooks and exercise books.

Brain drain of the cream of the crop does not help a country.  

I think nowadays students have better facilities to help in studies such as computers and internet.  The well-to-do that can afford it will do well while the majority will lag behind.  Same thing in my days...some students had access to all the books and study guides they wanted while others had to scrape by.

I think the level of education was reasonable when I went to school and even UG.  I had some very good lecturers when I was at UG 1984-87.  It is hard to believe but I had a better electrical engineering background from UG than most of the EE I work with today.

When UG start falling apart and what caused it ? 

I know some students who did very well in the 60s.

I do not know when UG started to fall apart, but if what I am reading in the newspaper is true then things bleak there.  I thought Roopnarine was supposed to turn things around, but maybe he is busy counting money.

Dem AFC/PNC boys have become daytime choke and rob.

VVP, by your own admission, u earned a good EE degree from UG in the teeth of the PNC dictatorship and economic meltdown in Guyana, yet u mewl that you do not know "when" [translated: "under who's watch"] things fell apart

further, the new Gov't has been in control of education policy for less than a proper semester at UG . . . what kind of crazy, ignorant shit are u babbling about Rupert Roopnarine not [yet] turning "things around"?

like jagdeo let people like u loose on PPP propaganda 'missions' without any proper orientation or training

smfh

UG degree was not worth a pint of parrot piss in the 70s in the US. I know of a friend who had a UG degree in journalism and applied to a junior college. The admission clerk asked him for his GCE certificate. She took the GCE certificate and ignored his UG degree.

VP, I'm optimistic that Education Minister Rupert Roopnarain will improve conditions at UG. He himself said that if at the end of his 5-year tenure nothing changes at the university, he will consider himself a failure as minister. The degeneration at Turkeyen cannot be reversed in 6 months. Within the institution itself there are people who will resist the overhauling involved.

Skelly, UG established its Centre for Communication Studies in 1975. For the remainder of the 1970s UG was offering only a 2-year Diploma in Public Communications programme. It started the 4-year Degree in Public Communications programme in the 1980s. So, your friend could not have earned a UG degree in Journalism in the 1970s.

This is a BIG FAT LIE!!! Even in the 1990s and early 2000s people who were applying with UG bachelor's and getting into graduate schools around the world: Cambridge, Manchester, LSE, Oxford, Warwick, Harvard and many other near Ivy US schools. Here is how it works...no matter where you received your bachelor's you have to do a few things: (i) take the GMAT/GRE/LSAT/MCAT/etc depending on intended field. (ii) Write a convincing essay or personal statement. (iii) Have strong letters of recommendation. Just about a year ago a very good UG student got a full scholarship to SOAS (where Rodney studied) to read for a PhD. I know the kid personally. It is not easy for a non Euro student to get a full scholarship to UK. Admissions committees look for those three things.

lol . . . a poor attempt at fiction easily swatted away by the legion of UG grads easily entering grad school and excelling in the US during that period

banna, which extraordinarily dunce "friend" of yours had this unfortunate experience in the 1970's?

and ahmmm, why was the holder of a Bachelor's degree from UG in the 1970's applying to a US junior college in the 1st place? . . . what was the course of study this gyal/fella applying to pursue?

and, did UG really offer a "journalism" bachelor's degree in the 1970's?

lol

I left Guyana in 1988, PNC was still in powa.  So noting wrang wid my statement.  5 months is a veeeeery long time to start implementing solutions to Guyana's problems; what has Roopnarine done so far?  He tek all the money the teachers should get fir heself.

Gil, we ain't talking about results yet we talking plans in place. What are they?  5 months is a very long time to institute plans.  

your stupidness needs no rebuttal

Well you have to give them time to learn how to be a minister, learn what is really Education and how to manage large Departments. In about 4 years they should have the basic skills, remember it is the PNC and 2 House Slaves.

It took the PPP 20 years to start learning the job.

Banna I got into the University of Maryland, College Park to do a Masters in Electrical Engineering without any make up subjects.  UM College Park is rated as one of the best engineering college in the USA.  I had to leave because I couldn't afford it so I had to settle for "Poor Man's Harvard" City College of New York to do my Masters in Engineering.

THe City College on NY IS as good as it gets.  CONGRATS!!!

The question is, Was it better then than now?

The system Burnham inherited  from the PPP was the one given to them by the British government.  It was designed for slaves and indentured servants.

It was pathetic. you learn to spell the words without knowing the meaning of the words you spell.     High school students averaged 55% in the English Language.   The PPP hired 800 teachers who couldn't speak or write Grammatically correct Enhlish.    Although Racism was Practiced the system improved under Burnham and get better under Jagdeo.

lol lol

If things get better under Jagdeo,why was there so many UG student protesting and lecturers fired without a hearing ?

When JJ died, I was privileged to attend a social gathering of  officials from both UG campuses.

What they said in private about the affairs at UG, was nothing about improvements and lot of corruption by government officials.

Ask the chancellor, he was there, but he did not say much, seems too embarrassed.

Alcohol does open tongues.        

Learning what TK? Thiefing? Because I remember you stating that the PPP were on the right course before Jagdeo.

When the PPP were in government, dem Coalition supporters were constantly bemoaning that UG graduates can't get jobs, Now they saying UG education was inferior under the PPP government. Starting to sound like those UG graduates weren't duly qualified as the Coalition supporters suggested.  

Rama, do you remember those "SPELL WELL WORD BOOKS"?

Book 1 had fairly easy words. Book 5 had the hardest words.

Judging from the responses, seems the system was better under Burnham...but upon closer observation, the system got worse because of his policies.

Maybe it was the result of the brain drain which started under Burnham and continued unabated over the years.

We saw many educators as well as nurses leave Guyana for better paying jobs in the Caribbean as well as North AMerica. Obviously, economics played a major part in affecting the educational system...as well as the health system.

WHile the system may have been better under Burnham, it was his policies which started the downward spiral. PPP Govt ( as well as PNC), never managed to reverse the trend.

An excellent evaluation........

but who are you, some high-end professor from University of Haida Gwaii ?  

I don't know what is the correct measuring stick to compare the education system pre and post Burnham era, but I am still reeling from the fact that I thought I did very well with a couple of "A" s during my time in CXC and now the students are getting  21 "A" s.  This last sitting at CXC Frank Anthony's daughter got 17 "A" s.  

Several of my classmates who I thought were average students ended up being doctors, attorneys, bankers, etc.  And it was inconceivable for anyone to write more than 10 subjects.  What is the answer?

Seek psychosocial help to free that trapped adolescent in your body. Stop blaming others for your under achievements.

Great analysis...good to see this kind of talent joining GNI.  Keep up the intelligent posts.