Guyana’s Education Minister, Priya Manickchand has stressed the need improve math performance at exams in the country. During her Budget 2025 presentation, she noted that the challenge Guyana faces is not unique, adding that the issue also persists in other Caribbean countries and in the wider international community.
She reminded that, in 2016, the then Guyana government, the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC), recognising a 14 per cent pass rate in Math among Grade Six students, implemented a Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the issue. However, according to Minister Manickchand, this report was never officially published or acted upon.
The minister contrasted this with the PPP/C government’s Mathematics Intervention Initiative, which targets 50 schools nationwide.
The programme aims to enhance the performance of teachers and students in Mathematics, through the introduction of Math Monitors.
“We have given every child a scientific calculator, geometry sets, graph books and a pass paper booklet organised by topics. We are sending in math monitors. We are going school to school, meeting with the parents. We are doing something to take us to the place of 100 per cent,” she said.
The minister continued, “The best Mathematic pass rate that this country every got, save 2020, was in 2015 under my leadership in the Ministry at 45 per cent. The best English rate was in 2024 under my leadership in the Ministry at 70.84 per cent. We don’t hide from problems.”
