The World Bank is pumping US $ 13.5M into Guyana’s education sector

US $ 13.5 million is available to Guyana from the World Bank to support Guyana’s ongoing Secondary Education Improvement Project and several projects aimed at improving education delivery.
The project aims to improve teaching in mathematics and increase enrollment in secondary schools. It will also provide tools and training to support innovative technology-led delivery of education. Another piece of money will be used to complete the construction of two secondary schools, the supply of resources for those schools, and the building of a new secondary school.
Speaking on the development, World Bank Resident Representative for Jamaica and Guyana, Ozan Sevimli noted that the country’s education system has shown significant progress but strengthening the sector during this pandemic remains crucial.
“Strengthening learning outcomes remains a priority and the pandemic is hitting the education sector hard. Through the ongoing project, we are pleased to support the Government in piloting the use of technology and innovative ways of teaching, which are particularly relevant during distance learning. The new funding will support the pilot of a “smart classroom” initiative to help the sector build back better from the pandemic, ”the representative instructed.
In a statement from the World Bank, he said the funding will provide more resources to an existing pilot program that uses adaptive tablet learning software for math education. The project emphasizes the use of technology and higher quality math education, both of which are important in preparing Guyanese students for future employment.
Building teacher capacity is an important part of the project to improve the quality of secondary education. The project also supports the construction of secondary schools in Regions Three (Essequibo-West Demerara Islands) and Four (Demerara-Mahaica) as these areas comprise nearly 30 percent of the country’s secondary school population and over 40 percent of the population living in poverty.
He went on to say that accessing high quality secondary school programs can reduce overcrowding, improve learning conditions, and contribute to increased enrollment.
The Guyana Secondary Education Project was approved in 2014 and has been extended to 2023 so that all projects can be completed. The original project has already developed maths standards for secondary school teachers, supported training for over 600 teachers, and distributed 200 maths teaching packs.
The World Bank Group is considered one of the largest sources of finance and information for developing countries. It has helped developing countries strengthen their pandemic response, enable public health interventions, ensure the critical flow of critical supplies and assist the Private Sector in sustaining jobs.