IPP704 V2 REV Guyana Secondary Education Improvement Project Social Assessment for Amerindian Peoples Plan Ministry of Education Government of Guyana March 28, 2014 1) Review of the legal and institutional framework applicable to Indigenous Peoples The legal and institutional framework applicable Amerindian Peoples in Guyana is governed by the Amerindian Act 2006. 1 The Act provides “for recognition and protection of the collective rights of Amerindian Villages and Communities, the granting of land to Amerindian Villages and Communities and the promotion of good governance within Amerindian Villages and Communities”. Among other things it lays out the Governance structure, composition, function and power of the Village Councils and mandate/duties of the Toshao as village representative. The Act further established the National Toshao Council (NTC). Additionally the Amerindian Act 2006 established the inalienability of village lands and the allocation and lease of lands to residents. While there is no explicit policy that addresses any special education programme for Amerindian children in Guyana, the Ministry of Education Guyana Strategic Plan 2008 – 2013 2, (p.14), indicates that, “…Compulsory education was introduced in 1876 by the colonial government and in 1976, a century later, the commitment to free education was ratified by the Government of independent Guyana. The national policy has long been to offer children, young people and other interested persons the opportunity to participate in the educational process free of cost.” The Strategic Plan continues “… Education is now compulsory for children [including Amerindian children], aged five years and nine months to 15 years. Although there are only three years of compulsory education, children are expected to remain in General Secondary and/or Community High School until they are 16 years old.” The Plan does recognize that (p. 14), “…In many developing countries and even developed countries, the most sophisticated services are found in the urban centres, as compared to rural areas where the population is almost always at a disadvantage. Guyana is no exception. Following historical trends in the country, most of the population, infrastructure, services and resources have been concentrated on the coastal areas, particularly in Georgetown. Further the geography of the country makes it difficult to travel and communicate with the relatively isolated communities of the interior, [where Amerindian peoples live]. The educational and other services provided to hinterland and deep riverain regions are clearly below the national standards.” Amerindian Lands Commission Act 3 The Amerindian Lands Commission Act of May 1966 was charged with, among other functions, the following; 1. To determine the areas of Guyana where any tribe or community of Amerindians was ordinarily resident or settled on the relevant date including, in case of Amerindian Districts, Areas or Villages within the meaning the meaning of the Amerindian Act, the part, if any, of such District, Area or Village where any tribe or community of Amerindians was originally resident or settled on the relevant date, and to identify every such tribe or community with as much particularity as is practicable. 2. To recommend, with respect to each such tribe or community of Amerindians, whether persons belonging to such tribes or community shall be given rights of tenure with respect to the areas of residence or settlement determined under paragraph (1) above or with respect to such other areas as 1 Amerindian Act 2006: http://www.amerindian.gov.gy/AMERINDIAN%20ACT%202006.pdf 2 Ministry of Education Guyana Strategic Plan 2008 – 2013: http://www.education.gov.gy/web/index.php/education-strategic-plan- 2008-2013 3 Amerindian Lands Commission Act: http://www.amerindian.gov.gy/projects/land.html 2 the Commission may specify, being areas in relation to which such rights of tenure would be no less favourable to such persons that similar rights held in relation to the areas determined as aforesaid. In 1995, the Government of Guyana, in an attempt to address Amerindian land claims formulated a policy, after consultation with Toshaos, to demarcate existing seventy four (74) legally recognized (titled) Amerindian communities and address extensions of titled communities and requests for titles by those communities without legally recognized lands (Ministry of Amerindian Affairs website). As part of the process for enacting the Amerindian Act 2006, the Government decided to include a comprehensive procedure and criteria to address Amerindian land claims. These are outlined in Part VI of the Amerindian Act No. 6 of 2006. Unlike many other countries that require Indigenous people to show their ancestral connection with the particular piece of land being claimed, the communities in Guyana requesting titled lands are only required to show their use and occupation of the land being requested for at least 25 years and secondly the population must be at least one hundred and fifty (150) persons for the five (5) years preceding the application. The Education Act (Cap. 39:01) 4 speaks about education of Guyanese children generally and outlines the functions of the Education Department as well as provisions for enforcing education of children. The Education Strategic Plan 2008 – 2013 places special focus Amerindian children. “There is a significant proportion of untrained nursery and primary teachers. This is of special concern in the light of the implementation of new literacy approaches. …Indigenous/Amerindian children have even greater difficulties accessing Early Childhood Education (ECE). Approximately thirty percent of the teachers at nursery level are still untrained and the proportion of untrained teachers is much greater in remote hinterland and riverain areas (72%). …One very significant issue is the fact that although the gross enrolment ratio at the nursery level is about eighty percent, the most vulnerable groups are not being captured. These include children in 23 communities where a majority of the population is indigenous/Amerindian people. (In Region 1, for example, there are 42 villages with primary schools but there are only 21 nursery schools/classes in the Region). The objective of Universal Secondary Education (USE) has been one of the priorities of the Government of Guyana and MOE during the last period. The country has been able to achieve what amounts to full coverage at the nursery and primary levels and now, based on the last population projection in 2010, all secondary age students in the hinterland are taking advantage of secondary education. MOE is working to establish a system that provides access to all the population of the relevant age cohort according to specific regional characteristics and needs, but regional differences in quality (between hinterland, rural/coastal and urban/coastal regions) must be reduced. The Plan states that each region has particular characteristics that demand flexibility if USE is going to be achieved. Among other areas, the Plan will focus on the following areas of USE that pertain to Amerindian communities: • Greater emphasis will be placed on mathematics, science and technology with the purpose of providing the young graduates with sufficient tools to be productively incorporated in the economy and to make Guyana a more competitive society. • The scope of the curriculum will be broadened to include areas such as the arts, sports and physical education and culture-specific skills (e.g. weaving, basketry) in Amerindian communities. These inclusions would make attendance to schools more attractive to young persons and as such contribute to lowering the drop-out rate and increasing attendance. 4 The Education Act: http://legalaffairs.gov.gy/information/laws-of-guyana/359-chapter-3901 3 The Plan emphasizes the importance of partnering with relevant agencies that impact education in Guyana, including the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs. The Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development is also closely related to the schools and the delivery of education in the regions. Representatives of the Ministries of Agriculture, Amerindian Affairs, Health and Local Government sit on the MOE’s School Feeding Committee and have given invaluable support to the Community-based School Feeding Programme. 2) Baseline information on the affected Indigenous Peoples’ communities Topography, Boundaries and Administration in Guyana Guyana is made up of four natural regions: the Flat Alluvial Coastal Plain, where about 90 % of the population lives; the Hilly Sand and Clay Belt, mainly covered by forest, which supports the main extractive industries (gold, diamond, timber); the Highland Region; and the Interior Savannahs. For administrative purposes, Guyana is divided into ten regions, named as follows: One (Barima/Waini), Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam), Three (Essequibo Islands/West Demerara), Four (Demerara/Mahaica), Five (Mahaica/West Berbice), Six (East Berbice/Corentyne), Seven (Cuyuni/Mazaruni), Eight (Potaro/Siparuni), Nine (Upper Takatu/Upper Essequibo) and Ten (Upper Demerara/Upper Berbice). Guyana is also known as the land of many waters, because of the many rivers in the country. Most regional boundaries are established and identified following the natural features of rivers. Guyana’s Population and Amerindian People According to the Bureau of Statistics (BoS), the national population of Guyana is considered as ethnically heterogeneous. It is composed chiefly of a native Amerindian population together with the descendants of immigrants who came to the country either as slaves or as indentured labourers. The population, therefore, comprises groups of persons with nationality backgrounds from Europe/Portugal, Africa, China, and India, with the Amerindians as the indigenous population. Note is taken, that essentially, this latter group, while being recognised as indigenous people are commonly referred to as Amerindians across the national language and other associated cultural systems. It is recognised here and elsewhere in this document that in line with the World Bank policy document OP 4.10 and in tandem with the Amerindian Act of Guyana, the term “Amerindian(s)” is used to identify and recognise the indigenous people of Guyana on account of the principles of self-identity. These groups of diverse nationality backgrounds have been fused together by a common language, that is, English. However, the Amerindians are known for being able to retain their indigenous languages. Hence, while they are integrated into the national language system and have acquired competencies in the use of English, they have as a group, been able to maintain their specific languages and other cultural characteristics which serve to maintain their cohesiveness and functionality as indigenous people. Historically, the national population has evolved out of, at least five distinct nationality backgrounds and the native Amerindian. Over centuries, there have been intermarriages between the various groups and as a result, a group of ‘mixed heritage’ persons has emerged. This is now a significant and growing group within the national population construct, comprising of various combinations of ethnic groups. The National Census of 2002 recognises that unlike the situation that exists in the Caribbean nation of Belize, which labels such combinations, for example, as Creoles (a mix of white and black) and so on, no such labels are officially recognized in Guyana. This group of persons is generically referred to as ‘mixed.’ Ethnic Composition of Guyana’s Population The largest nationality sub-group is that of East Indians comprising 43.5 percent of the population in 2002. They are followed by persons of African heritage (30.2 percent). The third in rank are those of Mixed Heritage (16.7 percent), while the Amerindians are fourth with 9.2 percent. The smallest groups are the Whites (0.06 percent or 476 persons), the Portuguese (0.20 percent or 1497) and the Chinese (0.19 percent or 4 1396). A small group (0.01 percent or 112 persons) did not identify their race/ethnic background. (See Figures 1 to 4.) This reported number of persons of unspecified ethnicity, though small, is significant in the sense that ethnicity is determined by self-description of all respondents. Nevertheless, it is possible that the growth in the mixed population represents a growing sense of separate and distinct identity by the majority of persons within that group. Amerindian Guyanese make up the majority of the population in the interior regions of 1, 7, 8 and 9. These are precisely the regions in which the project will be implemented. According to the National Development Strategy 2001 – 2010, Regions 1 and 9 have 28.80 per cent and 24.95 per cent respectively of the Amerindian population, followed by Regions 2, 7 and 8 with 11.72 per cent, 9.45 per cent and 8.63 per cent respectively. (National Development Strategy 2001 – 2010) The Amerindian peoples of Guyana are not homogenous and groups were traditionally separated from each other by natural environments and by their distinct languages. The highest number of Amerindians (about 15.500) is to be found among the Arawaks (or Lokonas as they call themselves). These are followed by the Makushi whose population is about half that of the Arawaks. Next are the Wapishana whose numbers are slightly higher than the Warau, the Akawaio and the Patamona. The Caribs are the next smallest group, and, at the bottom of the Amerindian population scale, are the Arekuna and Wai Wai, remnants of the Atorad people who still speak their own language and can still be found living in Wapishana communities (National Development Strategy, 2001 – 2010, Chapter 24). According to the National Development Plan most Amerindians are self-employed, concentrating on traditional subsistence activities such as agriculture, hunting and forestry. Less than half a percent of them is self-employed in fishing, mining, quarrying, and manufacturing. This suggests that, in spite of the rapid changes which are occurring in many areas of the interior, most Amerindians continue to operate outside the cash economy and are still dependent on a subsistence way of life. In comparison with the other ethnic groups, a larger proportion of Amerindians is classified as poor in the most recent survey data available. Given their comparatively small numbers, reversing the poverty status of Amerindians might appear to be a manageable task. In fact, however, it may be extremely difficult, because of their dispersed settlement pattern, the difficult terrain in which they often live, the high cost of administering interior projects, and the lack of skills both in the Amerindian and in the wider population. (ibid) With regards to education, less than 1 percent of the interior population had received post-secondary education according to the 1999 Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES). Sixty percent of the Amerindian communities in Guyana now hold title to some of their traditional lands, totaling 7 percent of the Guyanese national territory. Land title encompasses usufruct rights to fish, farm and hunt on the land as well as rights to all timber on reserved lands, and occupancy rights. Subsoil rights are excluded. Land titles have been given in different forms, namely as Amerindian villages, Amerindian areas, and Amerindian Districts. Amerindians hold land collectively, although individual/family parcels are identified and generally accepted at the community level. In some communities, the village council has identified parcels for housing, farming, etc. Forest reserves which are at present under the sole control of Amerindian communities are considerable, comprising 1.4 million hectares. Amerindian Land Titling: In excess of 14% of Guyana’s territory is owned by Amerindians, up from about 6% in the early 1990s. The Government of Guyana has committed to completing the titling of all Amerindian lands (including the related processes of demarcation and extension) over the next three years –in accordance with the Amerindian Act which embodies the principle of free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) of the 5 members of the communities. Since 2013, 2 villages and one extension have received land title and 7 have been demarcated. This means that as of March 2013, 12 communities have outstanding title requests, while 37 demarcation and 33 extension requests are yet to be processed. All outstanding requests will be addressed in the Amerindian Land Titling project (ALT) 2013-2016. The ALT project includes the 6 titled villages that are engaged in land-related Court proceedings against the Government of Guyana - these villages, though titled, have not provided approval for demarcation which is a prerequisite for surveying to take place. (Low Carbon Development Strategy - LCDS). Figure 5 provides an overview of the Regions covered under this project. Figure 1. Distribution of the Population by Nationality Background/Ethnicity, Guyana: 1980 – 2002 Ethnicity Population Percentage Background 2002 1991 1980 2002 1991 1980 African / Black 227062 233465 234094 30.20 32.26 30.82 Amerindian 68675 46722 40343 9.16 6.46 5.31 Chinese 1396 1290 1864 0.19 0.18 0.25 East Indians 326277 351939 394417 43.45 48.63 51.93 Mixed 125727 87881 84764 16.7 12.14 11.16 Portuguese 1497 1959 3011 0.20 0.27 0.40 White 477 308 799 0.06 0.04 0.10 Other 112 107 294 0.01 0.10 0.04 TOTAL 751223 723671 759586 100.00 100.08 100.01 Source: Guyana Population Census 2002; Published by the Bureau of Statistics Georgetown, Guyana. 6 Figure 2. Population Distribution by Nationality Background/Ethnicity Guyana: 2002 Source: Guyana Population Census 2002; published by the Bureau of Statistics Georgetown, Guyana. Figure 3. Percentage Distribution of Guyana’s Population by Nationality/Race/Ethnicity and Region Ethnicity/Background Region 1 Region 2 Region 3 Region 4 Region 5 Region 6 Region 7 Region 8 Region 9 Region 10 Total African / Black 0.07 0.88 2.91 17.21 2.27 3.47 0.27 0.09 0.03 3.01 30.2 Amerindian 2.01 1.07 0.28 0.7 0.14 0.27 0.98 1.02 2.3 0.39 9.14 Chinese 0 0.01 0.02 0.11 0.01 0.03 0 0 0 0.01 0.19 East Indians 0.05 3.14 8.98 15.51 4.03 11.31 0.21 0.03 0.01 0.17 43.5 Mixed 1.09 1.45 1.51 7.59 0.53 1.38 0.88 0.19 0.23 1.89 16.2 Portuguese 0 0.01 0.01 0.14 0 0.01 0 0.01 0 0.01 0.2 White 0 0 0 0.04 0 0.01 0 0 0 0 0.06 Other 0 0 0 0.01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.01 Total % 3.22 6.56 13.71 41.31 6.98 48 2.34 1.34 2.57 5.48 100 Numbers 24,275 49,254 103,061 310,320 52,428 123,694 17,597 10,094 19,388 41,114 751,223 Source: Guyana Population Census 2002; published by the Bureau of Statistics Georgetown, Guyana. 7 Figure 4. Titled Amerindian Lands in Guyana 8 Figure 5. Overview of the 4 Regions covered under project Primary Amerindian Secondary Community Region Population Geographic Schools (of Economic (Secondary and Features which # are Activities Tertiary primary tops)# Communities) Logging, mining and agriculture (cassava, ground provisions, greens, vegetables, ginger, Arawak (Warrau, 1 18,294* Forested, Riverain 36 (33) fruits, livestock Carib) rearing, cash crops such as eggplant to be sold to schools for School Feeding Program) Agriculture Akawaio (Arecuna, (Cassava, fruits, 7 14,682* Forested, Riverain, only in Paruima greens, vegetables, 14 (11) Mountainous village) potatoes, onions, variety of legumes) and Mining Agriculture (fruits, cassava, some rice) Mountainous Patamona 18 (16) 8 6,137** Agriculture 1 (cassava, fruits, Wapishana (Makushi, greens, vegetables 4,947* Interior savannah, Waiwai in Konashen and some rice) and 9 42 (39) Mountainous village only) Cattle rearing (cows, horses, sheep, pigs, chicken) Sources: Digest of Educational Statistics of Guyana 2000-2001 *Guyana Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper 2002; **Prepared by Institute for Health Sector Development, London for MOH Guyana; Report on Region 9’s Poverty reduction Strategy Consultations (2001) prepared by the Regional Democratic Council # 9 in collaboration with the Amerindian Toshaos’ Council of Region #9; #MoE data for the current (2013-2014) academic year. 3) Identification of key project stakeholders and the elaboration of a culturally appropriate process for consulting with the Indigenous Peoples at each stage of project preparation and implementation. Component 1 of the project will be implemented in Hinterland Regions 1, 7, 8, 9, home to the country’s indigenous, Amerindian populations. The objective of the project in these Regions is to train teachers and improve teaching and learning in mathematics for 12 general secondary schools (GSS) and 100 secondary departments in primary schools (SD) – grade 7 and 8. Approximately 160 mathematic teachers will be trained in the 4 Hinterland regions (see Figure 6 below). 9 Figure 6. Total Number of Mathematics Teachers in Hinterland Regions Region No. GSS No. of SD No. of Mathematics Teachers 1 3 33 48 7 3 11 26 8 2 17 27 9 4 39 59 Total 12 100 160 The primary stakeholders of the project in the Hinterland Regions are the mathematics teachers, students and their families as well as the Ministry of Education. In addition, the following stakeholders will also likely benefit the: Regional Democratic Council; Regional Education Officers; District Education Officers; Village Councils; Community Development Officers who report to Min of Amerindian Affairs. A culturally appropriate process for consulting with the Indigenous Peoples The consultations carried out under this project will follow the principles for the free, prior, and informed consultation with the affected Amerindian Peoples’ communities. The staff of the National School Feeding Program will lead the consultation process on behalf of the Project Implementing Agency. The consultations will be held with Mathematics teachers, Fifth Form students, Toshaos and other village-level leaders, DEOs and REOs. During the preparation phase, two series of consultations will be held in each hinterland Region covered under the project. The first consultation has already taken place to prepare this initial draft of Amerindian Peoples Plan and the second consultation will take place to present this draft document to communities in each Region. During the project implementation phase, consultations will be conducted on an annual basis in each of the four Regions and preferably in August, before the school year begins. The key objective of the consultations is to receive feedback from the involved communities to determine what positive results they anticipate from the project, what problems or setbacks they anticipate or are experiencing and to allow them to offer recommendations to improve implementation. Feedback will be documented by the Project Implementing Agency. Relevant feedback will be integrated in the final design of the project and during implementation. The process should be monitored by the Regional Education Departments and the Project Implementing Agency will work with the Departments to build their capacity to take on this task. 4) An assessment, based on free, prior, and informed consultation, with the affected Indigenous Peoples’ communities, of the potential adverse and positive effects of the project. Since this project would see the involvement of 12 Government Secondary Schools and 100 secondary departments of primary schools in the Hinterland regions, consultations with key Amerindian stakeholders solicited critical feedback regarding the anticipated impact of the project. The initial consultations were conducted during the period January 31 to February 17, 2014 to prepare this Amerindian Peoples Plan. The facilitators were Mr. Samaroo Jailal, Finance Officer of the Guyana Improving Teacher Education Project (GITEP) and University of Guyana Science and Technology Project (UGSTSP) and Mr. Edward Jarvis, Coordinator Hinterland School Feeding, Ministry of Education. (Annex 1 details the workplan for the first round of consultations. Annex 2 details the outcomes of the consultations.) The objectives of the meeting were as follows: • Provide the affected Amerindian communities with a greater level of detail on the project; 10 • Present an opportunity for comments, clarifications, questions, concerns, suggestions to be aired and discussed; • Receive community feedback on the potential positive as well as negative impacts of the investments; and • Identify mitigation measures to be included in the project and implemented via the APP. Some of the benefits identified by the project stakeholders included: • Improved student performance in Mathematics generally and improvement in students’ performance at the CSEC Examinations in Mathematics. • Students and citizens who are better qualified and more marketable in the job market. • Improved teachers’ competence in dealing with the subject area. • Parents will have less cost sending their children to school in their own community (no transportation and accommodation costs). • Improved access to and knowledge of IT by both teachers and students. • More students will be able to access university education • If Math teachers are trained in the secondary departments of the primary schools, parents will benefit since their children can be educated in their own community thereby reducing expenditure. • Resources will be made available in the form of textbooks, teaching aids, lesson plans, and online resources which will become accessible to both teachers and learners. • Hinterland students will have the same opportunities as Coastland children. The following potential negative consequences were identified during consultations: • Classroom work will be affected during teacher training sessions if training will be done during school hours. • Hinterland communities will be sidelined by not building any secondary schools in the hinterland. • Not every child may be computer literate to handle this new teaching • There is a possibility that other subjects could be neglected and cause a decline in performance in these subject areas. • Administrative staff may not be able to supervise teachers during and after training in this area. • Dates and time may be inconvenient to teachers due to school activities. • Consideration is given to Amerindian people but in mixed race communities, this may bring conflict. • Why is the focus only on secondary schools? Why not start from nursery to primary, then secondary. A foundation for mathematics is needed. • Lack of access to electronic facilities such as the other regions when there is no electricity in some of the secondary and primary schools in Region Nine. Overall, the project received overwhelming support from the consulted communities and based on these consultations, we can conclude that they support the implementation of the project. 5) The identification and evaluation of measures necessary to avoid adverse effects, or if such measures are not feasible, the identification of measures to minimize, mitigate, or compensate for such effects, and to ensure that the Indigenous Peoples receive culturally appropriate benefits under the project. During initial consultations, communities articulated several issues that could have adverse impacts. The table below details the mitigation measures to avoid, minimize, mitigate, or compensate for these adverse effects, based on consultations with affected communities. 11 Figure 7. Potential Negative Impacts and Mitigation Measures Proposed Potential Negative Impacts (and level of impact) Mitigation Measures Classroom work will be affected during teacher Training of the teachers must be done in the sub region. (On weekends training sessions if training will be done during or holidays). school hours. Dates and time may be inconvenient to teachers due to school activities. In Moruca, there is an inadequate/insufficient Incentive package (monetary or scholarships to do MEd.) for learning base. Teachers focus more on short term Mathematics teachers who have performed well. performance. Continuous training for teachers. The upgrading of teachers should be continuous and closely monitored Hinterland communities will be sidelined by not This project will focus on schools on the coastal areas but future building any secondary schools in the hinterland. projects should consider expansion and improvement of secondary school facilities in the hinterland. There is a possibility that other subjects could be Secondary education should be more practical- to prepare students to neglected and cause a decline in performance in these survive in their communities, e.g., in manufacturing, (feed production, subject areas. food preservation, carpentry, joinery etc). The focus only on secondary schools. Why not start More secondary teachers should be trained in mathematics, not only from nursery to primary, then secondary. A Grades 7 and 8, but also 9, 10 and 11. foundation for mathematics is needed. Lack of access to electronic facilities such as the Speedy link up to the internet so that hinterland teachers can benefit other regions when there is no electricity in some of from the online services. the secondary and primary schools in Region Nine 12 ANNEX 1: WORKPLAN FOR THE REGIONAL CONSULTATIONS ON THE IMPROVING SECONDARY EDUCATION PROGRAMME AMERINDIAN PEOPLE’S PLAN JANUARY/FEBRUARY, 2014 JANUARY 2014 SUN. MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SAT. 26 27 28 29 Visit to Santa Rosa- 30 Continue visit to 31 IPP consultations 1 (Feb) St. Nicholas, the Moruca sub-region with secondary Haimacabra, Waramuri. Mathematics teachers of the Moruca sub region, Region 1- Morning session-return to Georgetown. FEBRUARY 2014 SUN. MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SAT. 2 3 4. IPP consultation at 5. Return to 6.Video Conference 7. IPP consultations for 8 Mabaruma for Math Georgetown with the World Bank Region Seven in teachers of Mabaruma and Min. of Georgetown. and Port Kaituma Amerindian Affairs 9 10 11. IPP consultations 12 13 14 15 for Region Eight in Georgetown. 16 17. IPP consultations 18 19. Return to 20. Compiling report. 21. Compiling and 22 for Mathematics Georgetown submitting report. teachers and stakeholders of Region Nine in Lethem. 23 24 25 26 27 28 TARGET GROUPS 1. All Mathematics teachers from hinterland General Secondary Schools 2. Representative sample of Mathematics teachers from secondary departments of primary schools in the hinterland. 3. Regional Education Officers 4. District Education Officers 5. Representative sample of secondary school students close to the district centres where consultations are being held. In the case of Regions Seven and Eight, an attempt will be made to involve students from the respective regions who are on the Hinterland Scholarship Programme. 6. At least four toshaos from villages close to consultation sites in the case of Regions One and Nine. SPECIFIC TARGET GROUPS BY REGION REGION ONE Mabaruma (Location: Brooms’ Guest House) 13 1. Regional Education Officer 2. District Education Officer, Mabaruma and Port kaituma 3. Regional Chairman 4. Regional Executive Officer 5. All Mathematics teachers and headteachers from North West Secondary and Port Kaituma Secondary Schools. 6. Mathematics teachers from Hosororo, Wauna and Yarakita Primary Schools. 7. Representative sample of students from the North West Secondary School. Moruca (Location: Kumaka Extension Centre) 1. District Education Officer 2. Mathematics teachers and headteacher from Santa Rosa Secondary School. 3. Mathematics teachers from St. Nicholas, Waramuri, Santa Rosa Primary, Karaburi, Kamwatta and Kwebana primary schools. 4. Representative sample of Fifth Form students (5), from Santa Rosa Secondary School. 5. Toshao from St. Nicholas, Waramuri, Santa Rosa and Kwebana. REGION SEVEN (Location: NCERD Boardroom, Kingston, Georgetown) 1. Regional Education Officer 2. District Education Officer, Bartica and Kamarang 3. Mathematics teachers and headteachers from Bartica Secondary, Three Miles Secondary and Waramadong Secondary schools. 4. Mathematics teachers from Jawalla and Paruima Primary Schools. 5. Sample of hinterland scholarship students from Region Seven. REGION EIGHT (Location: NCERD Boardroom, Kingston, Georgetown) 1. Regional Education Officer 2. District Education Officer, Mahdia, Kato, Paramakatoi. 3. Mathematics teachers and headteachers from Mahdia Secondary and Paramakatoi Secondary. 4. Mathematics teachers from Monkey Mountain Primary, Kato Primary and Kopenang Primary 5. Representative sample of hinterland scholarship students from Region Eight. REGION NINE (Location: Lethem, Central Rupununi, Region Nine) 1. Regional Executive Officer 2. Regional Education Officer 3. District Education Officers, Lethem, Annai and Aishalton. 4. Mathematics teachers and headteachers Annai Secondary, St. Ignatius Secondary, Sand Creek Secondary and Aishalton Secondary. 5. Mathematics teachers from Makushi Primary, Maruranau Primary, Yupukari primary and Potarinau Primary. 6. Representative sample of Fifth Form students from the Saint Ignatius Secondary School. Facilitators: S. Jailal, Finance Officer, GITEP; E. Jarvis, Coordinator, National School Feeding Programme. 14 ANNEX 2: SUMMARY OF CONSULATATIONS AND MITIGATION MEASURES SCHOOL POSITIVE EFFECTS OF PROJECT POSSIBLE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MITIGATING PROJECT NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF PROJECT REGION ONE 1. Santa Rosa • Improved student performance in • Students may lose focus on language • The proposed programme should be more Secondary Mathematics. and other subject areas. integrated. • Students/citizens who are better • For the Moruca sub region’s 15,000 • Funding should cater fpr other subject areas. qualified/more marketable in the job population there is an • The project should target teachers in market. inadequate/insufficient learning training-ADE, CPCE and UG. • With the inclusion of Information base. (the focus is short term • There should be more secondary schools to technology aids, students’ interest in performance). cater for the large number of students in the Mathematics may be heightened. sub district. • Incentive package (monetary or scholarships to do MEd.) for Mathematics teachers who have performed well. Continuous training for teachers. The upgrading of teachers should be continuous and closely monitored. • Remedial programme for the Grade 7 entries, (diagnostic based). A special math package to cater for those students who do not meet the national Mathematical standards. 2. Waramuri Primary • Involving IT in the improvement of • Lack of adequately trained secondary • Training of the teachers must be done in the School secondary education in Mathematics. level teachers. sub region. (On weekends or holidays). • Training of teachers. • Classroom work will be affected • Employment of more Mathematics teachers • Improvement in students’ performance during teacher training sessions if at our school. (One Math teacher teaches at the CSEC Examinations in training will be done during school Grade Seven to Eleven). Mathematics. hours. • Regular subject committee meetings, • Free interactions in the classrooms • Sidelining the hinterland (Mathematics), to be held in the sub region. (teachers and students since they are communities by not building any • Speedy link up to the internet so that familiar with each other. secondary schools in the hinterland. hinterland teachers can benefit from the • Parents will have less cost sending their online services. children to school in their own • Specialist teachers to teach the three community (no transportation and different parts (sections), in Mathematics- accommodation cost. Arithmetic, Algebra and Trigonometry. 3. St. Nicholas • Improvement in the students’ and • Some schools will have more • More teacher education in the subject area of Primary. teachers’ performance in the subject attention or attention than others. Mathematics. area (Mathematics). • There is a possibility that other • This project will focus on schools on the • Teachers’ competence to deal with the subjects could be neglected and coastal areas but future projects should subject area would be improved/ cause a decline in performance in consider expansion and improvement of enhanced. these subject areas. secondary school facilities in the hinterland. 15 • Improved community development. • In future, other subjects should be focused • Creation of job opportunities in the on especially English Language. hinterland. • All schools under the project must be treated • Teachers’ and students’ knowledge of fairly (in terms of training and resource IT would be improved. allocation.). • Improved access to IT by both teachers and students. 4&5. Kamwatta Primary and • Improve teacher education in • Only 100 secondary departments will • All primary tops/secondary departments Karaburi Primary Mathematics. be involved. should be involved. • Improve performance of students in • The project only focuses on • All Mathematics teachers should be CSEC, (Caribbean Secondary Education Mathematics teachers. involved. Certificate Examination) and NGNA, • Restart level/subject committee meetings. (National Grade Nine Assessment). • The primary top schools selected for this • Regular monitoring of project project should be run like a general implementation. secondary school in terms of staffing. • Interior schools will be involved. • A general secondary school should be built • More resources for Mathematics in an area to cater for students from teachers. Kamwatta, Karaburi and Wallaba. • More students will have access to • Mathematics teachers should be given quality education, (Mathematics). priority to attend the University of Guyana. • Community members will be better • Resources should be sent directly to the equipped to fit easily in the changing schools. world in the long run. 6.Kwebana Primary • Improvement of teachers. • Should there be no replacement of • Secondary education should be more • Better performance of students at Mathematics teachers, the other practical- to prepare students to survive in examinations. subject areas may suffer. their communities, e.g., in manufacturing, • Parents will be less pressures financially. (feed production, food preservation, • All children will have the opportunity to carpentry, joinery etc). benefit from secondary education • Scholarships should be given to teachers for especially those from poor family professional training. background, (single parent families and unemployed parents). • Late developers will benefit. • Teachers will have improved teaching skills. • Teachers’ abilities will be improved with access to technology. 7. North West Secondary, • Higher pass rate at CSEC Examinations • Parents will not have enough money • More secondary teachers should be trained Mabaruma Primary, and Grade Nine Assessment. to support their children. in mathematics, not only Grades 7 and 8, but Hosororo Primary, Wauna • More trained mathematics teachers • Communication system needs to be also 9, 10 and 11. Primary, Yarakita Primary means a better delivery of the content. enhanced; it is currently not suitable • Mathematics subject committee in the region and White Water Primary. • If Maths teachers are trained in the for schools which are far away. should be functional. secondary departments of the primary • Teachers are fully trained. • All teachers should be trained in 16 schools, parents will benefit since their • After students pass their Mathematics and English for all grades. children can be educated in their own Mathematics or are trained, they • Enhance telecommunication in various areas community thereby reducing cannot get jobs. (riverain). expenditure. • Long term development (scholarships). • Conducive learning environment (better learning facilities). • Better learning resources will encourage children to stay in school longer. 8. Port Kaituma Secondary. • Teachers will benefit from the • There could be a gap in the • A training programme should be programme by getting the chance to transition from primary to implemented for the mainstream primary upgrade themselves from the different secondary. level. areas within the region. • All trained mathematics teachers should be • Better remuneration package for awarded with an outstanding certificate that teachers. would be recognized at institutions of higher • Teachers will be more qualified to learning. execute the lesson (Mathematics). • There should be a trained person to teach • They (teachers) will have a wider about the information technology devices knowledge of the subject area and within the secondary schools. more teaching strategies will be used to • More persons should be trained in get over the concepts. mathematics in the event of staff turnover. • Teachers will be capable of dealing with different ability students. • Teachers will be better trained in the evaluation of students’ work. • Teachers will be more equipped with teaching materials to execute the curriculum. • High quality education for students ; better pass rate at national and external examinations. • Reduction of poverty and improved life style. • Reduction of social issues e.g. low teenage pregnancy, less school dropouts. • Students will get to like Mathematics and they will show more interest by practicing on their own and asking more questions of the teacher during lessons. • Students’ performance will be improved academically. REGION SEVEN 17 9. Bartica Secondary School • The programme is designed by the • Prerequisite skills are not available in • Grades Seven and Eight can be modeled Ministry of Education. students. after the SCCP. • The Schemes of Work are prepared • The Guides are too scattered as • Copies of the Teachers’ Guides must be from the Learning Guides. designed by the Ministry of made available. • There will be four full time teachers. Education. • Training for a more hands on approach to • More teachers certified/trained on the • Topics take a longer time to teaching and learning. subject. complete. • Include teachers on a six year transitional • Textbooks and chalk will be available. • Teachers’ Guides are not available programme in the learning programme. • Teachers will have new skills in content to/used by teachers. • Provide adequate support materials for and methodology. • Need for training for more practical students and teachers to use. • Head of Department checks teachers’ lessons. • Provide printing facilities to records and actual teaching of lessons. • A variety of textbooks, worksheets, replicate/reproduce worksheets and other • Students from Amerindian communities work cards, supplementary materials. reside in the dormitory. workbooks. • Supply supplemental materials for practicing • They are allowed to participate in • Lack of resource materials for Mathematics. school and other activities. teachers. • Teacher training must include Senior • Lack of appropriate audio visual Masters/Mistresses, Head Teacher, Deputy materials. Head Teachers and other heads of • Lack of time to meet teachers as Department being exposed to teaching scheduled. techniques in Mathematics. • Limited support from • Improve communication between the Administrative staff to supervise parents, dormitory parents and the school. teachers. • There is a need for parents to take • These students tend to socialize with responsibility for their own learning. their peers and not with the students • Parents should be involved in programmes from Bartica. to develop techniques in Mathematics so as • Parents only visit schools when there to help their children. is a problem. • Parents rely on the school for discipline. 10. Three Miles Secondary • Training of teachers. • Time loss for the completion of the • Training must be done during holidays or School • Provision of equipment/materials to syllabus/scheme. after school. facilitate the programme. • Only 9 Mathematics in the region. • Adequate training to be provided to both • Continuous supervision of teachers. • Not every child is computer literate. teachers and students. • Subject committee meetings where • Will every child be equipped in the • Set training dates early and confirm visits. teachers will be able to share lessons. programme? • Supervision must be more supportive than • Online website access. • Storage of equipment. judgmental or an audit. • Dates and time may be inconvenient • Once a year consultation for teachers from to teachers due to school activities. all regions to share findings and ideas. • Time loss for other school activities. • More parental support. • Schools do not have access to the • Educate parents on the benefits of the internet. programme. • Mostly learner friendly activities must be 18 created. 11. Waramadong Secondary • The programme will be of great benefit • There is a high cost of running • Implement Amerindian people’s plan only in School. to the school’s population, (Students consultations in the hinterland. areas where it is applicable i.e., in the project and teachers), since Mathematics is a • Target group may not respond to area. poor area. meet the needs of the programme. • English must be taught with Mathematics. • Full support is being given towards • English Language is a challenge in Reading should be incorporated. consultations being made in the some parts of the hinterland and this • The target group (teachers), must contribute hinterland. is a vital tool for understanding. towards the project so as to offset expenses. • The target group will be small i.e., • Training must be done during weekends, teachers. There are very few trained after instructional periods and during mathematics teachers. holidays. • Consideration is given to • Needs and expansion in school facilities, i.e., Amerindian people but in mixed a new secondary school with departments race communities, this may bring and more so a special Mathematics conflict. department. • Extend or upgrade the Learning Resource Centres. • Extend educational Learning Channel in Region Number Seven, Upper Mazaruni as an additional resource to the teachers. • A special package should be given to the students in need , e.g., geometry sets and calculators. REGION EIGHT Kato Primary School • Hinterland students will have the same • If only one person is trained, what • If each school has internet services, then it opportunities as Coastland children. will happen if that person leaves the would save the teachers time from having to • With the necessary resources, children job or migrates? leave school to get internet access. will be in a better position to learn. • At least two teachers from each school should be trained to cater for the unexpected. REGION NINE Annai Secondary, St. Ignatius • Provide teachers with the opportunity • Are there enough Mathematics Secondary, Sand Creek to be trained in Mathematics and this teachers in the region with the same • Ensure regular feedback for participating Secondary, Aishalton will improve in the delivery of the level of training? schools. Secondary, Kraudarnaua contents and methodology in • Who will be supervising the Primary, Maruranau Primary, classrooms and in the schools as a Mathematics teachers during and • Online or long distance training for teachers Shulinab Primary, Potarinau whole. after their training? Primary and Yupukari identified. • The infrastructure of the schools will be • What is the duration of these ‘six Primary improved; as a result, the classroom will times visits’ per year? Because a one be more convenient for learning. hour visit will not work. • Ensuring necessary materials and books are • Resources will be made available in the • Why the focus only on secondary equitably shared among schools identified. form of textbooks, teaching aids, lesson schools? Why not start from nursery plans, online resources which will to primary , then secondary because • A regular supply of electricity will be needed. become accessible to both teachers and the foundation for mathematics is 19 learners. needed. • Ensure ICT and internet labs are available in • An improvement in the national pass • What is meant by instruction and villages. rate for Mathematics. learning? Will this amount be spent • Students leaving the school system will on the human resources only and • Focus should be at the primary level instead have the necessary Math skills to not on the infrastructure? of the secondary level. contribute meaningfully to their • Building these secondary schools on community, region and country as a the coast to facilitate this project. whole. But the training is for all • Pupils/Students-teacher ratio should be less • It will result in a spin off effect whereby Mathematics teachers but some will than it is at present. teachers will teach students and they not have access to these three [the students] can then help their infrastructures to enhance their • A regional coordinator is needed to ensure siblings. learning. proper accountability of funds for the • More students will be able to access • Access to electronic facilities such as region. university education. the other regions when there is no • More scholarships will be awarded to electricity in some of the secondary and primary schools in Region Nine. • Better remuneration for teachers identified. students to further their studies in other fields e.g., engineering. • Proper sustainability of programme • Students and teachers will be motivated and feel a sense of accomplishment (upkeeping) which will enable them to do better. • Allows for a broader career scope ANNEX 1: WORKPLAN FOR THE REGIONAL CONSULTATIONS ON THE IMPROVING SECONDARY EDUCATION PROGRAMME AMERINDIAN PEOPLE’S PLAN JANUARY/FEBRUARY, 2014 JANUARY 2014 SUN. MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SAT. 26 27 28 29 Visit to Santa Rosa- 30 Continue visit to 31 IPP consultations 1 (Feb) St. Nicholas, the Moruca sub-region with secondary Haimacabra, Waramuri. Mathematics teachers of the Moruca sub region, Region 1- Morning session-return to Georgetown. FEBRUARY 2014 SUN. MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SAT. 2 3 4. IPP consultation at 5. Return to 6.Video Conference 7. IPP consultations for 8 Mabaruma for Math Georgetown with the World Bank Region Seven in teachers of Mabaruma and Min. of Georgetown. and Port Kaituma Amerindian Affairs 9 10 11. IPP consultations 12 13 14 15 for Region Eight in 20 Georgetown. 16 17. IPP consultations 18 19. Return to 20. Compiling report. 21. Compiling and 22 for Mathematics Georgetown submitting report. teachers and stakeholders of Region Nine in Lethem. 23 24 25 26 27 28 TARGET GROUPS 7. All Mathematics teachers from hinterland General Secondary Schools 8. Representative sample of Mathematics teachers from secondary departments of primary schools in the hinterland. 9. Regional Education Officers 10. District Education Officers 11. Representative sample of secondary school students close to the district centres where consultations are being held. In the case of Regions Seven and Eight, an attempt will be made to involve students from the respective regions who are on the Hinterland Scholarship Programme. 12. At least four toshaos from villages close to consultation sites in the case of Regions One and Nine. SPECIFIC TARGET GROUPS BY REGION REGION ONE Mabaruma (Location: Brooms’ Guest House) 8. Regional Education Officer 9. District Education Officer, Mabaruma and Port kaituma 10. Regional Chairman 11. Regional Executive Officer 12. All Mathematics teachers and headteachers from North West Secondary and Port Kaituma Secondary Schools. 13. Mathematics teachers from Hosororo, Wauna and Yarakita Primary Schools. 14. Representative sample of students from the North West Secondary School. Moruca (Location: Kumaka Extension Centre) 6. District Education Officer 7. Mathematics teachers and headteacher from Santa Rosa Secondary School. 8. Mathematics teachers from St. Nicholas, Waramuri, Santa Rosa Primary, Karaburi, Kamwatta and Kwebana primary schools. 9. Representative sample of Fifth Form students (5), from Santa Rosa Secondary School. 10. Toshao from St. Nicholas, Waramuri, Santa Rosa and Kwebana. REGION SEVEN (Location: NCERD Boardroom, Kingston, Georgetown) 6. Regional Education Officer 7. District Education Officer, Bartica and Kamarang 8. Mathematics teachers and headteachers from Bartica Secondary, Three Miles Secondary and Waramadong Secondary schools. 9. Mathematics teachers from Jawalla and Paruima Primary Schools. 10. Sample of hinterland scholarship students from Region Seven. REGION EIGHT (Location: NCERD Boardroom, Kingston, Georgetown) 21 1. Regional Education Officer 2. District Education Officer, Mahdia, Kato, Paramakatoi. 3. Mathematics teachers and headteachers from Mahdia Secondary and Paramakatoi Secondary. 4. Mathematics teachers from Monkey Mountain Primary, Kato Primary and Kopenang Primary 5. Representative sample of hinterland scholarship students from Region Eight. REGION NINE (Location: Lethem, Central Rupununi, Region Nine) 7. Regional Executive Officer 8. Regional Education Officer 9. District Education Officers, Lethem, Annai and Aishalton. 10. Mathematics teachers and headteachers Annai Secondary, St. Ignatius Secondary, Sand Creek Secondary and Aishalton Secondary. 11. Mathematics teachers from Makushi Primary, Maruranau Primary, Yupukari primary and Potarinau Primary. 12. Representative sample of Fifth Form students from the Saint Ignatius Secondary School. Facilitators: S. Jailal, Finance Officer, GITEP; E. Jarvis, Coordinator, National School Feeding Programme. 22 ANNEX 2: SUMMARY OF CONSULATATIONS AND MITIGATION MEASURES SCHOOL POSITIVE EFFECTS OF PROJECT POSSIBLE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MITIGATING PROJECT NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF PROJECT REGION ONE 4. Santa Rosa • Improved student performance in • Students may lose focus on language • The proposed programme should be more Secondary Mathematics. and other subject areas. integrated. • Students/citizens who are better • For the Moruca sub region’s 15,000 • Funding should cater fpr other subject areas. qualified/more marketable in the job population there is an • The project should target teachers in market. inadequate/insufficient learning training-ADE, CPCE and UG. • With the inclusion of Information base. (the focus is short term • There should be more secondary schools to technology aids, students’ interest in performance). cater for the large number of students in the Mathematics may be heightened. sub district. • Incentive package (monetary or scholarships to do MEd.) for Mathematics teachers who have performed well. Continuous training for teachers. The upgrading of teachers should be continuous and closely monitored. • Remedial programme for the Grade 7 entries, (diagnostic based). A special math package to cater for those students who do not meet the national Mathematical standards. 5. Waramuri Primary • Involving IT in the improvement of • Lack of adequately trained secondary • Training of the teachers must be done in the School secondary education in Mathematics. level teachers. sub region. (On weekends or holidays). • Training of teachers. • Classroom work will be affected • Employment of more Mathematics teachers • Improvement in students’ performance during teacher training sessions if at our school. (One Math teacher teaches at the CSEC Examinations in training will be done during school Grade Seven to Eleven). Mathematics. hours. • Regular subject committee meetings, • Free interactions in the classrooms • Sidelining the hinterland (Mathematics), to be held in the sub region. (teachers and students since they are communities by not building any • Speedy link up to the internet so that familiar with each other. secondary schools in the hinterland. hinterland teachers can benefit from the • Parents will have less cost sending their online services. children to school in their own • Specialist teachers to teach the three community (no transportation and different parts (sections), in Mathematics- accommodation cost. Arithmetic, Algebra and Trigonometry. 6. St. Nicholas • Improvement in the students’ and • Some schools will have more • More teacher education in the subject area of Primary. teachers’ performance in the subject attention or attention than others. Mathematics. area (Mathematics). • There is a possibility that other • Focus on the expansion and improvement of • Teachers’ competence to deal with the subjects could be neglected and secondary school facilities should be in the subject area would be improved/ cause a decline in performance in hinterland rather than Regions 3 and 4, enhanced. these subject areas. particularly in Region 1, Moruca. 23 • Improved community development. • In future, other subjects should be focused • Creation of job opportunities in the on especially English Language. hinterland. • All schools under the project must be treated • Teachers’ and students’ knowledge of fairly (in terms of training and resource IT would be improved. allocation.). • Improved access to IT by both teachers and students. 4&5. Kamwatta Primary and • Improve teacher education in • Only 100 secondary departments will • All primary tops/secondary departments Karaburi Primary Mathematics. be involved. should be involved. • Improve performance of students in • The project only focuses on • All Mathematics teachers should be CSEC, (Caribbean Secondary Education Mathematics teachers. involved. Certificate Examination) and NGNA, • Restart level/subject committee meetings. (National Grade Nine Assessment). • The primary top schools selected for this • Regular monitoring of project project should be run like a general implementation. secondary school in terms of staffing. • Interior schools will be involved. • A general secondary school should be built • More resources for Mathematics in an area to cater for students from teachers. Kamwatta, Karaburi and Wallaba. • More students will have access to • Mathematics teachers should be given quality education, (Mathematics). priority to attend the University of Guyana. • Community members will be better • Resources should be sent directly to the equipped to fit easily in the changing schools. world in the long run. 6.Kwebana Primary • Improvement of teachers. • Should there be no replacement of • Secondary education should be more • Better performance of students at Mathematics teachers, the other practical- to prepare students to survive in examinations. subject areas may suffer. their communities, e.g., in manufacturing, • Parents will be less pressures financially. (feed production, food preservation, • All children will have the opportunity to carpentry, joinery etc). benefit from secondary education • Scholarships should be given to teachers for especially those from poor family professional training. background, (single parent families and unemployed parents). • Late developers will benefit. • Teachers will have improved teaching skills. • Teachers’ abilities will be improved with access to technology. 7. North West Secondary, • Higher pass rate at CSEC Examinations • Parents will not have enough money • More secondary teachers should be trained Mabaruma Primary, and Grade Nine Assessment. to support their children. in mathematics, not only Grades 7 and 8, but Hosororo Primary, Wauna • More trained mathematics teachers • Communication system needs to be also 9, 10 and 11. Primary, Yarakita Primary means a better delivery of the content. enhanced; it is currently not suitable • Mathematics subject committee in the region and White Water Primary. • If Maths teachers are trained in the for schools which are far away. should be functional. secondary departments of the primary • Teachers are fully trained. • All teachers should be trained in 24 schools, parents will benefit since their • After students pass their Mathematics and English for all grades. children can be educated in their own Mathematics or are trained, they • Enhance telecommunication in various areas community thereby reducing cannot get jobs. (riverain). expenditure. • Long term development (scholarships). • Conducive learning environment (better learning facilities). • Better learning resources will encourage children to stay in school longer. 8. Port Kaituma Secondary. • Teachers will benefit from the • There could be a gap in the • A training programme should be programme by getting the chance to transition from primary to implemented for the mainstream primary upgrade themselves from the different secondary. level. areas within the region. • All trained mathematics teachers should be • Better remuneration package for awarded with an outstanding certificate that teachers. would be recognized at institutions of higher • Teachers will be more qualified to learning. execute the lesson (Mathematics). • There should be a trained person to teach • They (teachers) will have a wider about the information technology devices knowledge of the subject area and within the secondary schools. more teaching strategies will be used to • More persons should be trained in get over the concepts. mathematics in the event of staff turnover. • Teachers will be capable of dealing with different ability students. • Teachers will be better trained in the evaluation of students’ work. • Teachers will be more equipped with teaching materials to execute the curriculum. • High quality education for students ; better pass rate at national and external examinations. • Reduction of poverty and improved life style. • Reduction of social issues e.g. low teenage pregnancy, less school dropouts. • Students will get to like Mathematics and they will show more interest by practicing on their own and asking more questions of the teacher during lessons. • Students’ performance will be improved academically. 25 REGION SEVEN 9. Bartica Secondary School • The programme is designed by the • Prerequisite skills are not available in • Grades Seven and Eight can be modeled Ministry of Education. students. after the SCCP. • The Schemes of Work are prepared • The Guides are too scattered as • Copies of the Teachers’ Guides must be from the Learning Guides. designed by the Ministry of made available. • There will be four full time teachers. Education. • Training for a more hands on approach to • More teachers certified/trained on the • Topics take a longer time to teaching and learning. subject. complete. • Include teachers on a six year transitional • Textbooks and chalk will be available. • Teachers’ Guides are not available programme in the learning programme. • Teachers will have new skills in content to/used by teachers. • Provide adequate support materials for and methodology. • Need for training for more practical students and teachers to use. • Head of Department checks teachers’ lessons. • Provide printing facilities to records and actual teaching of lessons. • A variety of textbooks, worksheets, replicate/reproduce worksheets and other • Students from Amerindian communities work cards, supplementary materials. reside in the dormitory. workbooks. • Supply supplemental materials for practicing • They are allowed to participate in • Lack of resource materials for Mathematics. school and other activities. teachers. • Teacher training must include Senior • Lack of appropriate audio visual Masters/Mistresses, Head Teacher, Deputy materials. Head Teachers and other heads of • Lack of time to meet teachers as Department being exposed to teaching scheduled. techniques in Mathematics. • Limited support from • Improve communication between the Administrative staff to supervise parents, dormitory parents and the school. teachers. • There is a need for parents to take • These students tend to socialize with responsibility for their own learning. their peers and not with the students • Parents should be involved in programmes from Bartica. to develop techniques in Mathematics so as • Parents only visit schools when there to help their children. is a problem. • Parents rely on the school for discipline. 10. Three Miles Secondary • Training of teachers. • Time loss for the completion of the • Training must be done during holidays or School • Provision of equipment/materials to syllabus/scheme. after school. facilitate the programme. • Only 9 Mathematics in the region. • Adequate training to be provided to both • Continuous supervision of teachers. • Not every child is computer literate. teachers and students. • Subject committee meetings where • Will every child be equipped in the • Set training dates early and confirm visits. teachers will be able to share lessons. programme? • Supervision must be more supportive than • Online website access. • Storage of equipment. judgmental or an audit. • Dates and time may be inconvenient • Once a year consultation for teachers from to teachers due to school activities. all regions to share findings and ideas. • Time loss for other school activities. • More parental support. • Schools do not have access to the • Educate parents on the benefits of the internet. programme. 26 • Mostly learner friendly activities must be created. 11. Waramadong Secondary • The programme will be of great benefit • There is a high cost of running • Implement Amerindian people’s plan only in School. to the school’s population, (Students consultations in the hinterland. areas where it is applicable i.e., in the project and teachers), since Mathematics is a • Target group may not respond to area. poor area. meet the needs of the programme. • English must be taught with Mathematics. • Full support is being given towards • English Language is a challenge in Reading should be incorporated. consultations being made in the some parts of the hinterland and this • The target group (teachers), must contribute hinterland. is a vital tool for understanding. towards the project so as to offset expenses. • The target group will be small i.e., • Training must be done during weekends, teachers. There are very few trained after instructional periods and during mathematics teachers. holidays. • Consideration is given to • Needs and expansion in school facilities, i.e., Amerindian people but in mixed a new secondary school with departments race communities, this may bring and more so a special Mathematics conflict. department. • Extend or upgrade the Learning Resource Centres. • Extend educational Learning Channel in Region Number Seven, Upper Mazaruni as an additional resource to the teachers. • A special package should be given to the students in need , e.g., geometry sets and calculators. REGION EIGHT Kato Primary School • Hinterland students will have the same • If only one person is trained, what • If each school has internet services, then it opportunities as Coastland children. will happen if that person leaves the would save the teachers time from having to • With the necessary resources, children job or migrates? leave school to get internet access. will be in a better position to learn. • At least two teachers from each school should be trained to cater for the unexpected. REGION NINE Annai Secondary, St. Ignatius • Provide teachers with the opportunity • Are there enough Mathematics Secondary, Sand Creek to be trained in Mathematics and this teachers in the region with the same • Ensure regular feedback for participating Secondary, Aishalton will improve in the delivery of the level of training? schools. Secondary, Kraudarnaua contents and methodology in • Who will be supervising the Primary, Maruranau Primary, classrooms and in the schools as a Mathematics teachers during and • Online or long distance training for teachers Shulinab Primary, Potarinau whole. after their training? Primary and Yupukari identified. • The infrastructure of the schools will be • What is the duration of these ‘six Primary improved; as a result, the classroom will times visits’ per year? Because a one be more convenient for learning. hour visit will not work. • Ensuring necessary materials and books are • Resources will be made available in the • Why the focus only on secondary equitably shared among schools identified. form of textbooks, teaching aids, lesson schools? Why not start from nursery plans, online resources which will 27 become accessible to both teachers and to primary , then secondary because • A regular supply of electricity will be needed. learners. the foundation for mathematics is • An improvement in the national pass needed. • Ensure ICT and internet labs are available in rate for Mathematics. • What is meant by instruction and villages. • Students leaving the school system will learning? Will this amount be spent have the necessary Math skills to on the human resources only and not on the infrastructure? • Focus should be at the primary level instead contribute meaningfully to their community, region and country as a • Building these secondary schools on of the secondary level. whole. the coast to facilitate this project. • It will result in a spin off effect whereby But the training is for all • Pupils/Students-teacher ratio should be less teachers will teach students and they Mathematics teachers but some will than it is at present. [the students] can then help their not have access to these three siblings. infrastructures to enhance their • A regional coordinator is needed to ensure • More students will be able to access learning. proper accountability of funds for the university education. • Access to electronic facilities such as the other regions when there is no region. • More scholarships will be awarded to students to further their studies in other electricity in some of the secondary fields e.g., engineering. and primary schools in Region Nine. • Better remuneration for teachers identified. • Students and teachers will be motivated and feel a sense of accomplishment • Proper sustainability of programme which will enable them to do better. (upkeeping) • Allows for a broader career scope 28