The World Bank has approved a US$6.7M grant from the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) for the Guyana Education Sector Programme Project.
According to the financial institution, the project aims to improve learning in nursery schools, increase technology use in primary schools, and improve the functionality of the national education management information system.
At the nursery level, Guyana Standard understands that the project will support teacher training to improve pedagogy and delivery of a new curriculum. The training will include foundational skills, as well as student-centred pedagogy, formative assessments, and socio-emotional aspects, which are of particular importance during the pandemic. The project will also provide learning materials and deliver parental education.
At the primary level, the World Bank noted that the financing will equip schools with computer tablets to enable students to use technology for foundational skills like mathematics and literacy, as well as smart classrooms to support learning.
Given the inequitable access to learning during the school closures, the bank said technology-assisted learning can facilitate teaching and cater to more learning styles for students with different needs.
Finally, the project is expected to finance the further development and roll-out of an integrated education management information system at the national level in the nursery, primary and secondary sectors. The bank was keen to note that this enhanced system will generate information, enabling stakeholders across levels to make informed and evidence-based decisions.
It should be noted that this project will complement two ongoing projects financed by the World Bank’s International Development Association. They are the Education Sector Improvement Project which aims to improve mathematics education and the University of Guyana’s Faculty of Health Sciences and the Secondary Education Improvement Project which is geared towards strengthening innovative teaching methods, increasing enrollment in secondary schools, and supporting school construction.
Following the approval, Ozan Sevimli, World Bank Resident Representative for Jamaica and Guyana said the nation’s education sector has made progress in the last 15 years, however, the learning outcomes remain low, hence improving the quality of education at all levels remains a priority.
“As the impact of the pandemic on education is still being felt around the world, GPE’s support to strengthen education in Guyana is more critical than ever,” said Alice Albright, GPE chief executive officer.
The official noted that GPE will continue to help make Guyana’s education system more resilient and effective so that the most vulnerable girls and boys can go to school and learn.
