Chief Education Officer (CEO) Mr Marcel Hutson, at the commencement of a three-day curriculum writing workshop today, told those in attendance that the aim of such an exercise (workshop) is to ensure that ‘every child can learn and that every child must learn’.
The three-day workshop is being held at the Regency Hotel in Georgetown and has drawn participants from the Cyril Potter College Education (CPCE), the University of Guyana and education officials from the eleven (11) educational district among other participants.
The CEO said it is important that at the end of the process there is a document (curriculum) that is tailored towards the specific needs and experiences of all the nation’s children. “Every child has something that we can extract from them”. Further, the CEO believes that as educators, the mindset of these officials is important.
Mr Hutson said that it is disappointing sometimes to hear some children being referred to as ‘dunces’ by some of these same officials. He believes that as educators it is imperative that different concepts and methodologies be utilized to bring about learning. A former teacher himself, Mr Hutson said that it is no secret that every child learns at a different rate based on their own circumstances and sometimes other social issues can hinder this process as well.
It is against this background that the CEO noted that he is optimistic about the process (curriculum review) that the MoE has embarked upon. Mr Hutson said that at the end of such an undertaking he is confident that Guyana’s education system will be in a much better place.
The three-day workshop is being conducted by Mind Bloom Consulting, a Canadian company with a proven track record in such areas, in conjunction with the St Francis Xavier University of Canada. The objectives of the workshop are to familiarize curriculum writers with a curriculum framework. It is also intended to introduce the writers to the curriculum writing process; and to develop a detailed writing schedule for the nursery, primary and early secondary which includes subject integration.
The current curriculum revision will target from nursery to grade nine (9) at the secondary level. Grades ten (10) and (11) utilize syllabuses provide by the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC).
The curriculum revision process is part of the Guyana Education Sector Improvement Project (GESIP) programme aimed at improving the quality of education nationally.
