Guyana is the first country in the Caribbean to have a national policy which emphasises the importance of science education.
‘The purpose of science in the context of sustainability is to understand and clarify the dynamics of what is required to prevent ‘the human system’ – individual and collective, physical, social, economic, cultural and psychological – from destroying the environment on which it depends (Maiteny and Parker, 2002 p. 15). ‘Technology seeks to provide instruments and means for achieving particular human aims, wants and purposes in line with the prevailing norms and values of the society concerned’ (Maiteny and Parker, 2002 p. 24). Additionally, engineering will be required in the application of scientific knowledge and to make adjustments in its operations to accommodate sustainability. Education in mathematics teaches critical thinking for addressing the issues of sustainability and making adjustments for it.
This integration of STEM is essential to the development of sustainable solutions for schools and communities. Therefore, education in the scientific method allows students to be more mindful of their lifestyles and the ways in which they contribute to issues of sustainability, while equipping them with the tools to fix this. Guyana participated in the Sagicor Visionaries Challenge (SVC) 2014, the aim of which is to encourage secondary school students to utilise STEM, in whatever way they can, to develop effective, innovative and sustainable solutions to challenges facing their communities or schools. This is intended to stimulate national awareness and enthusiasm among secondary school students, teachers and parents as we seek to enable tomorrow’s leaders to build a more sustainable Caribbean. This approach facilitates the participation of all citizens and stakeholders in sustainable development driven through education.
Team Guyana was announced the Regional winner from a field of eight competitors. Teacher Jerome Rampersaud and student Athina Indar collected the Regional Champion trophy and their school – Abram Zuil Secondary School –received US$5,000. Their project, the Paddy Husk Particle Board, was also judged to have the Best Presentation and to be Most Relevant to Sustainable Communities.
The establishment of STEM clubs as “challenge labs” and experimental spaces opens up new pathways of thinking and acting, and especially invites youth to engage and lead in a multitude of ways.
UNESCO’s Global Micro-science Experiments Programme
One approach used by UNESCO to make a difference in science education is its Global Micro-science Experiments Programme which provides developed and developing countries alike with new teaching tools. This Global Micro-science Experiments Programme is an affordable, hands-on science education project that gives primary, secondary and tertiary education students the opportunity to conduct practical work on a micro-scale in physics, chemistry and biology, using micro- science kits that require small amounts of resources and energy. These kits are accompanied by manuals for both teachers and students which detail the experiment procedures in clear and concise language for the most effective utilisation of the resources. The implementation of the UNESCO Micro-science Experiments Programme was intended to address the dire shortage of science laboratory space and equipment in many poor developing countries.
In 2011, Guyana was selected as a pilot country by UNESCO to implement its Global Micro-science Experiments Programme. The Micro-science Programme was merged with the Inquiry Based Science Education (IBSE) approach. IBSE mirrors the scientific method. This implementation promotes the development of competencies such as critical thinking, imagining future scenarios and decision- making in a collaborative way. This approach fits well with Education for Sustainable Development which seeks to deliver quality education and promote lifelong learning through the ESD learning pillars.
As a result of the successful implementation, Guyana’s model is being adapted and expanded with great success by other Caribbean territories such as Belize, Jamaica, St Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis and Trinidad and Tobago.
The above initiatives in education show that Guyana has already begun to work toward Education for Sustainable Development, and thus, is not starting from a zero point with this Policy. This Policy provides the framework for the integration, expansion and monitoring and evaluation of these initiatives. As factors that influence sustainability change, Education for Sustainable Development would also require change. Monitoring and evaluation of these changes becomes vital. This process of monitoring and evaluation would identify areas for improvement which will lead to the review of this Policy for appropriateness and suitability over time.
Guyana has recognised that STEM subjects are core subjects to a complete secondary education. Consequently, an attempt is being made to have all students become familiar with the STEM principles (Science and Technology Policy, 2011). According to the Ministy of Education, the foundation laid at the pre-primary and primary levels will be reinforced and expanded at the secondary level. This will facilitate learning that will equip students with functioning knowledge of the issues relating to sustainable development, including climate change, the environment and social realities.
Secondary education will seek to build capacity to develop solutions for these issues in an integrated manner by understanding and applying the social, physical, psychological, cultural and scientific principles involved. The use of STEM to solve problems in schools and communities will be encouraged, along with the application of research and inclusive decision-making. Students will learn to recognise their obligation to the human species and other life forms threatened by unsustainability, and become active agents of change. In keeping with the whole-school approach to ESD, students as well as teachers will engage in and lead ESD practices in their schools and communities.
Emphasis will be placed on STEM education for girls since it is well known that women are an underutilised resource and consistently disadvantaged by misguided traditions. Students should develop an understanding of how today’s decisions affect the viability of tomorrow’s society.
The aforementioned efforts cannot be implemented without adequately educated and trained teachers in STEM. All teachers must have a basic understanding of STEM to relate to sustainability. Teacher training institutions must implement a flexible and locally relevant curriculum. This curriculum must be revised to reflect currency of development in knowledge pertinent to sustainability. Tertiary-level institutions must facilitate the transition of new knowledge in ESD which reflects the changing issues of sustainability and furnish constant curriculum reform.
The STEM initiative, which is being implemented in schools all across Guyana, runs parallel to the President’s National Endowment for Science and Technology (NEST) programme. The programme has its genesis in the presentation of $1M cheques to several schools in 2016, including Berbice High School, Queen’s College and President’s College, to improve computer and science laboratories, as part of the Head of State’s push to promote STEM education through investment. In June 2017 $1M cheques were presented to 13 secondary schools under NEST.
According to the subject Minister, Nicolette Henry the focus on STEM education, though in its early phases, is beginning to bear fruit. She noted that students are now exposed to hands on interactive experiences in the classrooms enabling them to better relate to the new areas of knowledge.
The success of the STEM Guyana team at the 2017 First Global Challenge is testimony of the value of these kinds of investments by Government and the Private Sector for the development of STEM education. The team placed tenth out of 165 competing countries.
But STEM education is not just for the secondary level. The $50M Youth Innovation Fund (YIF) that was introduced in the 2017 National Budget caters to young people who wish to advance their creative ideas in the field of science and technology. The programme, which focuses on both in and out of school youth, is in keeping with the Government’s ‘green’ agenda and will focus on solutions for the reduction of fossil fuel usage and the STEM programme. Under YIF, young people across Guyana can begin to tap into their creative abilities with the use of modern technology to explore how they can contribute to the development of ‘green’ technology and the increased use of clean energy.
The in-school component is aimed at raising awareness among primary and secondary level students by having them participate in competitive activities that will challenge them to create solutions to address current global challenges, while utilising STEM subjects. Out-of-school youths will be required to submit proposals of projects, which they believe can benefit their communities. (Excerpts from www.education.gov.gy) (Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)
