The Government of Guyana provides free public education to all
Guyanese from the age of 3 years and six months to adulthood. This provision represents
the government's conviction that education is a priority in raising the standard of living
of the people of Guyana.
Education, through the school system, is administered and supervised by the Ministry of
Education. The Ministry has a political head - the Minister of Education, who is held
responsible for education policy and administration in the country and is a member of the
Parliament.
The school system is comprised of:
l. Preschool/Nursery Education. Nursery schools offer a two year early childhood programme
to all children acquiring the age of three years and one month. This level of education is
not compulsory but each Guyanese child is guaranteed a place in school. Parents may choose
not to send their children to nursery schools. There are more than 350 schools with over
26,000 children. There is a ratio of one teacher to every eighteen children. The hours of
school are from 8.30 a.m. to l2.00 noon. Parents play a pivotal role in the success of
these schools.
2. Primary Education (Elementary). Primary schools accept children who attain the age of
five years and nine months and provide a six year programme leading to entrance in a
secondary school programme. This level of education is, by law, compulsory hence parents
can be deemed negligent if a child older than five years and nine months is not enrolled
and does not attend school. Upon completion of the programme of study, the children take
the Secondary Schools Entrance Examination (SSEE) so that they might gain entrance to
Secondary Schools.
Students receive five hours of school per day from Monday to Friday. Classes normally
commence at 8:30 a.m. and con-clude at 3:00 p.m. The lunch period is from ll:30 a.m. to
1:00 p.m.
The School year begins in September and ends in August and is divided into three terms of
l3 weeks each -
(i) Christmas Term - September to December with two weeks vacation;
(ii) Easter Term - January to April with two weeks vacation;
(iii) August Term - April to July with six weeks vacation.
A school year has approximately 378 sessions or l89 days.
3. Secondary Education (High School). Secondary schools offer three types of programmes
for children who have completed Primary School and taken the SSEE. The programmes are
referred to as: The Community High School, the Multi- lateral High School and the General
Secondary School. Entrance to these programmes is solely dependent on the student's
performance score on the SSEE.
The programme in the Community High School is designed to prepare students for life in the
Guyanese society by developing in them practical skills which will make them employable
for a variety of jobs required by the society.
Students undergo a four year programme. During the first two years, they are exposed to
basic academic studies, i.e., English Language, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies,
Health and Physical Education and Music, and pre-vocational activities such as Art and
Craft, Agriculture, Home Economics and Industrial Arts and vocational activities needed in
the community.
As students are guided through the first two-year phase, their aptitudes, interests and
abilities are identified. In the final two years, emphasis is placed on vocational
activities while basic academic studies continue to be an important part of the school
experience. Based on ability, interest and aptitude, students are guided by teachers to
select one vocation or part of it on which they will concentrate, e.g. Agriculture, Arts
and Crafts, Home Economics or Industrial Arts.
An important experience during the second period is exposure to actual job experiences and
tasks which enable participants to prepare for their working lives.
The Multilateral School programme provides a general high school programme with emphasis
on practical application. The programme prepares students to take the Caribbean
Examination Council Exami- natione Council Examination (CXC).
The General Secondary School provides a more academic based programme leading to
certification in the CXC and London General Certificate of Education (GCE), Advanced
Level.
It takes an average student five years to the CXC and an additional two years to the
Advanced Level. The subjects taught in the secondary schools to examination level include
- English Language, English Literature, French, Art, Spanish, Chemistry, Biology, Physics,
General Science, Economics, Pure and Applied Mathematics, Geography, History, Home
Economics and Nutrition, Music and Physical Education.
With such a wide range of studies offered, the Multilateral and General Secondary Schools
are intended to offer Guyanese a wide choice of educational and professional
opportunities.
During their fourth year in the schools, the students would be able to choose from the
fields of science, technology, agriculture, home economics or commerce for major study.
4. Special Education. The Govern- ment provides programmes of study for children and
adults who have special needs in the areas of the handicapped and mentally deficient. Some
young children are taught job-related skills and helped to find suitable employment.
5. Vocational Education. Provision for this level of education is shared by both the
government and the private sector. The government provides training programmes in several
vocational fields including commerce, home economics, automotive mechanics, agro-studies,
business, engineering, architecture and other technical fields.
Private schools provide programmes in business and commerical studies.
The schools under the administration of the government are the Government Technical
Insitutes, Government Industrial Training Colleges, the Guyana School of Agriculture and
the Carnegie School of Home Economics.
6. Teacher Education. There are two Teacher-training institutions in Guyana which provide:
Pre-service training for primary school teachers and lower-form secondary levels.
Post-graduate diploma courses for teachers at both primary and secondary levels.
A one-year Certificate in Education course for Trained Teachers.
These institutions are:
The Teacher Education Complex, and the University of Guyana.
7. University. The University of Guyana offers courses of study which lead to the
Bachelor's Degree in Liberal Arts, Fine Arts, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences,
Education, Agriculture and Technology and Law. The University also offers a Master's
Degree in History. There are Diploma programmes in Public Administration, Medical
Technology, Forestry, and Social Work. A Medical School is also operated by the
University.
8. Continuing Education. There are two adult education programmes. One operates under the
auspicies of the University, and the other is under the Adult Education Association which
colloborates with and receives funding from the Ministry of Education. The programmes aim
at upgrading adult skills and knowledge which may lead to acquiring the necessary entrance
qualifications for the University of Guyana or Universities overseas. |