Minister Baksh poses with education and labour officials and students holding up the red card against child labour
In a concerted effort to tackle the nuances of child labour in Guyana, the Ministry of Education has drafted legislation to increase the age of children leaving school from 15 to 16 years old.
Education Minister Shaik Baksh disclosed that the draft education legislation had been submitted to the Attorney General’s Chambers a year ago, but has been met with logistical delays relating to staffing and resource issues.
“Having laws and legislation (is) necessary, but laws are not sufficient for the solution of child labour. What (are) needed (are) preventative measures,” Baksh said.
The minister, speaking at a mural painting competition in observance of World Day against Child Labour, stated that although Guyana does not deny having child labour, the instances are few and far apart.
Baksh said that while government recognises that poverty remains a cause of child labour, the population must be educated about the dangers in order to support implementation of steps to eliminate it.
In this regard, Baksh maintained, parents must ensure that children are enrolled in school to avoid such pitfalls. Baksh noted that Guyana has achieved the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of almost 100 per cent enrollment at the primary level. However, the problem arises on entrance to secondary schools.
The nursery level has recorded an 85 per cent enrollment rate, and new legislation will make it compulsory to enroll children under five years old, Baksh revealed.
He listed the administration’s uniform assistance programme, free text and exercise books’ programme and the school feeding programme as initiatives which have impacted tremendously on school attendance. Baksh added that these efforts, in total, highlight govern ment’s commitment to fight this scourge of non- attendance at school. “And I want to send a strong message to employers who encourage children into employment situations,” Minister Baksh remarked.
He disclosed that curricular changes are required, since studies prove that children have become disillusioned with the old curriculum and are longing for alternative pathways to education.
New curricula have already been implemented in 35 schools.
As such, making schools child-friendly with extracurricular and vocational programmes are necessary for those who want to build skills.
In July, the ministry will introduce student counsels in 15 schools, and it is hoped that this would be met with much enthusiasm by both teachers and parents. The Education Ministry is also looking to expand its mentoring programme to 15 schools across Guyana, to rehabilitate students who exhibit unacceptable behaviours.
