Education Minister Shaik Baksh has pointed out that while more parents, in the past few years, have been paying greater attention to their children’s education, many are still to come on board.
Speaking at the recent National Spelling Bee finals at the National Culture Centre, Baksh said the success of students throughout their school years hinges strongly on parental support.
Education Minister Shaik Baksh
He emphasised that many of the top performers and other successful students at both the primary and secondary levels were able to do well because their parents paid a vested interest in their education.
This level of interest, the minister said, must be emulated by all parents if the ministry is to achieve continuous improvement in students’ learning outcomes.
Baksh stressed that parents can do a few simple things in this regard, such as ensuring that their children attend school regularly and punctually, do their homework, and parents must monitor their children’s behaviour both in and out of school.
Teachers, too, he said, must be committed and dedicated to making a real difference in the lives of their charges. The minister noted that government has been investing heavily in education, and the Education Ministry has implemented the programmes and policies to transform the education sector.
He said the improvements in students’ performances at the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) examinations, the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations, the steady increase in the number of trained teachers in the school system, and heightened focus on science and technology, to name a few developments, indicate that progress in being made in transforming the sector.
Importantly, too, he stressed, these developments dispel the myth being peddled in one section of the media that no progress is being made in the education sector.
Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) Chief Executive Officer Yog Mahadeo praised the government’s drive in the development of the country, and teachers who work unwaveringly to bring out the best in their students. In a similar vein, he said GT&T is committed to working with the Education Ministry to build a culture of excellence in the school system and be a partner in national development.
