1. National Education Standards and Certification

It is imperative that we develop a framework that delineates the skills, concepts, processes, metacognition and attitudes that we expect our education system to deliver in the 21^st century. Therefore, a system can only be built from one where our teachers are part of the process. Their periodic reviews will guide and assist in implementing stronger curriculum goals to enrich our students’ classroom experiences.

English Language, Mathematics, Reading and Science

• – Put specialists’ training programmes in place which develop and train teachers who understand the various subject areas and who understand how to teach the content for grounding in these areas.
• – Run STEAM programmes in every region for the development it will bring to these subject areas.

Teacher Certification and Licensing

• – Initial certification will continue to come from the Cyril Potter College of Education and teachers are to be re-licensed every 3 years after completion and attendance at workshops in Pedagogy, content and psychology with all costs to be borne by the Government.
• – The School of Education and Humanities, University of Guyana campuses will offer Specialist degree training in Reading, Math, Language and Science subjects in addition to the Bachelor of Education degree and the post graduate Diploma in Education. These subject specialists can then be deployed to whichever region they are needed to implement and monitor programmes to raise the productivity of both student and teacher in an active classroom.
• – It is necessary to review the assessments teachers have to meet for initial certification to ensure they qualify as teachers at nursery, primary and secondary levels in core subject areas at internationally acceptable standards.
• – Design of programmes to ensure new teachers receive induction level training before entering the classroom.

Testing

• – Removal of the Grade 6 exam as the sole means of matriculation to high school. Instead, this exam will be replaced with a long term analysis programme which will determine the student’s capability to function in high school. Matriculation will then be offered to catchment area schools which are equipped with all the required ICT, laboratory and library resources they will need to fulfil curriculum requirements.
• – To determine the extent to which lack of language competency in English contributes to lower test scores in English and other subject areas.

2. Language Equity and Competence Programmes

The reality is that whilst English is our official language, it is inherently not our mother tongue. UNICEF approximates that 89% of our people are “conversant and familiar with English” whilst the rest of the people speak at least one Dialect of Guyanese Creole. In the classroom,  this assumption that everyone speaks English has created challenges for many teachers in the classroom inclusive of complex linguistic scenarios and ultimately poor grades.  Therefore, it is imperative that we recognize that Guyanese Creole is a “territorial language, separate from the European languages from which it derived its vocabulary” just as we have every other language.

Thus the following are proposed:

1. To sign on to the Charter on Language Policy and Language Rights in the Creole Speaking Caribbean of January 2011 which will give us access to “collaboration by governments, exchange of skilled personnel, collective reform of curricula and the creation of teaching materials.”
2. To further develop language based teacher training such as the Linguistics module for the Associate degree programme at CPCE on a wider basis for usage in the curriculum which takes into consideration mother tongue languages such as Guyanese Creole, all Indigenous languages and conversely to cater for immigrants who may seek status here.
3. To create multi -level competency language textbooks for the various languages to be used in the classroom setting.
4. To offer language degrees at the University of Guyana for all Indigenous languages through the Indigenous Language Unit and a Guyanese Creole degree from the School of Education and Humanities.
5. To offer technical and financial support to the University of Guyana to offer Dutch, Portuguese, Hindi, Spanish, Mandarin and French programmes and degrees on a larger scale for Guyanese with an aim of making every Guyanese at least trilingual if they so desire.
6. To push for standardization of Guyanese creole in a writing system, dictionary and grammar book which will ultimately ensure that no Guyanese feels alienated in their land of birth and especially in the education system and accessing government services.

3. Digital classrooms

“If we teach today as we taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow.”- John Dewey

Learning in the 21^st century requires access to the internet and ICT related technologies. This has the ability to resonate in areas such as memory, creativity, critical thinking and problem solving.

• – Use tablet based apps beginning as an introductory programme at the Nursery level to solidify foundation concepts in Math and Reading.
• – Build platforms and websites online for prep testing for CSEC and  CAPE examinations.
• – Access  Google classrooms which can be used for example for a virtual field trip or connecting to students, teachers and guest speakers in other parts of the world and in other regions.
• – Create Youtube specific content and podcasts for various classrooms and expand the Learning Channel for distribution to all areas.
• – Provide funding for teachers who prepare videos, study guides, lesson ideas and exam reviews for distribution digitally. 
• – Equip each classroom with multi media elements which cater for learning differences inclusive of laptops for teachers and tablets for students in pilot programmes.
• – Develop apps for Reading, Language and Mathematics among others which can be downloaded to internet ready devices for homework assistance or for additional work for students who finish assigned work before time.
• – Expand digital learning centers such as the one in Lethem to all regions.