By Stabroek News
Dear Editor,
The Ministry of Education deserves credit for gains in the recent NGSA (National Grade Six Assessment). We celebrate any and all gains, and lament those areas needing progress. Notwithstanding the gains, we must move quickly to revamp, reimagine, reform, retool, redesign, and reinvent our education system. Following the release of the 2025 results, there has been a flurry of comments calling for the abolishing of the NGSA. This is hopeful as mindsets are beginning to change. Those who want to preserve this current system of privilege and status would resist change and those whose children are victims of the NGSA would applaud change. In its new Education Sector Plan (2025-2030), our Ministry of Education can be the leaders of change and a model for Caricom if it sets out a transition timeline of probably 3 years to transform and redesign our approach to school assignment. This reform cannot wait! We must act with a sense of urgency.
Comments by 鈥淓yewitness鈥 (鈥淢oving up鈥 in education?,鈥 June 27, 2025) in the Guyana Times makes our case for abandonment of the NGSA. The Stabroek News which has been giving good coverage of education also makes that case. (See 鈥淓lation, despair and the National Grade Six Assessment,鈥 June 28, 2025).
鈥淓yewitness鈥 did not mince words. That columnist said, 鈥淲ell, it鈥檚 that time of the year once again!! That time when we became the only country on the planet to go ga-ga over the scores of our 11-year-olds in the exams that allow them to move from primary to secondary school. If you think your Eyewitness is exaggerating, just tell him in which other country such scores make it to the FRONT PAGES OF EVERY NATIONAL NEWSPAPER!! See?? So, what does that mean? Simply, that in the education field 鈥 even though we came out of colonialism sixty years ago 鈥 we鈥檙e still at the lowest stage of development when it was a big thing for our children to get into 鈥淨ueen鈥檚 College鈥!!鈥
Eyewitness continued, 鈥淎fter slavery 鈥 as a mark of great progress 鈥 primary schools were launched by the Church 鈥 and funded by the government. 鈥ueen鈥檚 College had been created as the first secondary school just after slavery was abolished for the sons of the lily-white rulers 鈥 including some of their coloured ones from their slave concubines. Bishops鈥 soon followed for their daughters. Much later a 鈥淐ommon Entrance鈥 exam was launched in the primary schools for a small number of students in 4th Standard across the country to earn a 鈥渟cholarship鈥 to Queen鈥檚 or Bishops鈥!! And this is where we鈥檝e been stuck ever since 鈥 even though secondary schools have been built in every community!! That doesn鈥檛 mean there haven鈥檛 been changes 鈥 but the fact we鈥檙e all so excited about who will get into 鈥淨ueen鈥檚鈥 means that nothing鈥檚 really changed!鈥
if we get rid of the NGSA, what do we do with the top 6 schools? The students who usually get placed at the top 6 schools are mostly 鈥渁cademically gifted,鈥 or 鈥済ifted and talented.鈥 They are the 鈥渋n spite鈥 of children who will do well regardless of poor teachers or poor schools. They are self-driven, capable of accelerated learning and advanced learning. They learn at a faster pace, and they can do college work earlier. We can convert the top 6 schools to 鈥渟pecial focus鈥 academies and ask only those students who want to get in, to do an optional admissions test to be admitted to those special programmes. For instance, we can create more 鈥渟pecialty鈥 schools such as the recently opened St. George鈥檚 School of Science. There can be an Academy of Medicine/Health Sciences, Academy of Law, a Stem Academy or School of Science, Math and Engineering, a School of the Arts, an Oil and Gas Academy, or 鈥淓arly College鈥 High Schools. All these academies can award both a high school diploma and an Associate degree at graduation. This will require our education designers and experts to create new high school models. With the ongoing building of new schools and a new push to upgrade all existing high schools, students can automatically attend better quality neighborhood schools. Additionally, as in the USA, we can implement 鈥渆nrichment鈥 programs for all those 鈥淎cademically Gifted鈥 students in every high school. That will require the Cyril Potter College of Education Campus and its centres to introduce a course on how to teach Gifted children. So, let鈥檚 start the conversations and brainstorming, and get public input on how we may restructure our education system. (See 鈥淪crapping NGSA will be a tipping point for education reform in Guyana,鈥 KN, Apr 27, 2025).
Dr. Jerry Jailall
Civil Society Advocate