Chief Education Officer Olato Sam said the Education Ministry is in the process of rolling out a plan for improving the delivery of quality education to special needs children.
He made the announcement during a sensitisation session hosted by National Commission on Disability (NCD) on the Disability Act of 2010 held at the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD), Kingston, Georgetown on Monday.
According to a release, Sam however acknowledged that much work still needs to be done in the area of teacher education, as it relates to special needs education.
The main purpose of the session was to explain the content of the Disability Act of 2010, and to underline the roles and responsibilities of the Education Ministry, in compliance with the act. The session was led by a number of brief insightful remarks from leading personnel both from the NCD and the ministry.
Education Minister Priya Manickchand, who also addressed the workshop, said Guyana is in a far better place today than it was 10, 15, 20 years ago.
She said Guyana, as a nation is making considerable progress in all spheres, even amid challenges.
Commitment
The minister contended that it has always been the commitment of the ruling party to fight for the poor and vulnerable in society.
She expounded on this by highlighting that one of the first major acts of the government in addressing the poor and vulnerable, was the establishment of the universality of Old Age Pension.
“Immediately upon entering office, the PPP/ C said we will give every single person over the age of 65 living in Guyana an Old Age Pension. At that time, it was a small amount. That Old Age Pension has now grown to the highest it has ever been in the country,” Manickchand boasted.
The minister went on to cite other measures that have been put in place by government to tangibly help the poor and vulnerable.
She said pensioners, for example, are given considerable reductions on their water and electricity bills, and they also have access to free health care.
And these are not all, the minister stressed, noting that relief is also provided through the Public Assistance programme.
Recognition
The minister said the government’s resolve to working with the poor and vulnerable is known, and recognised by independent sources.
“In 1991, the World Bank did a study in Guyana in which it states that 67 per cent of the Guyanese population was living in poverty. That meant that out of every 100 persons, 67 were living in poverty.
“In 2008, they did another study, which showed that 35 per cent were living in poverty. And even though that 35 per cent is still too much to accept, what it specifically says is that as a government we will serve our poor first and equalise their lives as much as we can. Today, we as a government have cut poverty in half in this country!”
Education Ministry Chief Planning Officer Evelyn Hamilton, who also serves as NCD chairperson, acknowledged that the ministry has a very important role to play in supporting the Disability Act of 2010.
The government has broadened its focus on persons living with disabilities in establishing the Disabilities Act of 2010, accented to and signed into law by then President Bharrat Jagdeo.
