Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand and Opposition Member of Parliament, Coretta McDonald who is the General Secretary of the Guyana Teachers Union, clashed on Monday evening over the state of the country’s education sector during the Budget Debate.

Taking the podium just seconds after McDonald’s presentation, the Minister of Education told the Assembly that 13% this year’s budget is being allocated to the the Education sector.

Minister Manickchand said Guyana has been making progress in the areas of Education and Health, adding that the numbers do not lie.

“That investment repeatedly over the years sir, has moved us from 30% of our children being able to access secondary education in 1992 to 78% when we left Office in 2015, and unfortunately, when we came back in 2020, the same 78% because you didn’t build a single secondary school in this country,” Minister Manickchand told the Assembly. 

The Education Minister said the former APNU+AFC Government was unable to complete the construction of a single Seondary School building while in office.

She said since her return to office, thousands of seats are being made available to accommodate more students.

Manickchand said this year, the Government intends to build a number of schools in the Hinterland communities as well as the Coastland.

In total, the Government proposes to spend $28.7B on the construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of school buildings.  

The Minister said due to the investments in Education, the country is seeing noticeable improvements in the sector, with improved performance recorded both in the hinterland as well as the coast. 

“Let’s take the Hinterland, Aishalton, pass rate moved from 22% to 67%; Annai, the pass rate moved from 19% to 58%; Sand Creek, the pass rate moved from 15% to 60%. This is measurable. And, when we talk about these numbers, we mean more people, more children passed, more children are going to be able to access opportunities and thrive in this build out that we are building in Guyana,” Minister Manickchand said. 

Minister Manickchand said teachers are also benefitting now from better salaries, allowances, and benefits. She said for example, teachers, who are 52-years and older, will receive duty free concession.   

The Education Minister also defended investments in the GOAL Programme amid growing criticism that the online programme is receiving an almost identical subvention to the University of Guyana of $4B. 

“Mr Speaker, UG and GOAL are not in competition. They complement each other offering more opportunities for our Guyanese young people to get qualified. More than 21,442 Guyana people are studying at renowned universities overseas. There is GROW which is done under the GOAL which allows people who dropped out of school or didn’t get a chance to finish school who will now be able to enter university,” Minister Manickchand said. 

But MP McDonald told the House that it is unacceptable that the university’s funding is now equaled to that of the Academy of Learning that is under direct political direction. 

The Opposition MP said now is the time to transform the University of Guyana into a world class institution, but instead of investing heavily in it, the Government has sought to fund an online academy.

“Our research has uncovered major issues with the GOAL program – nobody knows the ranking of these universities: the three longest and respected global ranking system of universities are Quacquarelli, Times Higher Education and Shanghai Ranking consultancy. these universities are not on their radar. Nobody knows the weight of these programs. it is not clear if after your studies, you can be admitted to masters’ programs or doctoral programs at other universities. Students are not sure if potential employers accept these qualifications, some employers in the region and globally, do not accept online degrees,” MP McDonald pointed out. 

Further, she accused the Government of politicizing the Education Ministry and by extension the Sector – a situation she said does not augur well for the country, and that has resulted in underperformance in critical subjects.

“Even though Guyana boasts a 90% Literacy rate, functional literacy remains at an estimated 40%. 45% of students at the secondary level are passing English; 37% of students are passing Mathematics. At the Grade 4 level, a mere 37% are passing Mathematics. This data is dismal and despite the razzle and dazzle of a few high achievers and cutting the ribbons for new grand buildings, education is in crisis. This is the result of sheer politicization,” MP McDonald argued.

McDonald said instead of advancing the sector, the Education Minister continues to peddle false narratives about the Coalition’s time in office, chief among them is the suggestion that coalition did not start or complete a single secondary school.

According to McDonald, the PPP/C Government is simply rebuilding schools that were mysteriously destroyed by fire since it took office.

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