IPP95 Guyana: Education For All – Fast Track Initiative (EFA-FTI) Program Amerindian Peoples' Strategy SEPTEMBER 17, 2004 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 4 1.1. THE EFA-FTI PROGRAM ..................................................................................................... 4 1.2 PURPOSE OF THE AMERINDIAN PEOPLES STRATEGY ............................................................. 5 1.3 LEGAL FRAMEWORK ............................................................................................................. 6 1.4. GUYANA’S AMERINDIANS.................................................................................................... 8 2. EDUCATION IN THE INTERIOR REGIONS .................................................................... 9 3. STRATEGY FOR AMERINDIAN PARTICIPATION IN GUYANA EFA-FTI............. 12 3.1 CONSULTATION AND INCLUSION OF AMERINDIANS IN THE PLANNING PROCESS .................. 12 3.2 IDENTIFICATION OF APPROPRIATE EFA-FTI PROGRAM INITIATIVES FOR AMERINDIAN PEOPLES ..................................................................................................................................... 13 3.3 AMERINDIAN PEOPLES ACCESS TO AND BENEFITS FROM PROGRAM INITIATIVES ............... 14 4. MONITORING AND EVALUATION ................................................................................. 17 5. TIMELINE AND COSTING................................................................................................. 18 ANNEX 1A: RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE CIVIL SOCIETY MEETING – IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION IN THE HINTERLAND AND RIVERAIN AREAS.................................................................................................................... 19 ANNEX 1B: CONSULTATIONS FROM REGIONS 8 AND 9 ............................................ 20 ANNEX 1C: IMPROVEMENT OF EDUCATION IN THE HINTERLAND AND RIVERAIN AREAS.................................................................................................................... 22 ANNEX 2: ISSUES TO BE CONSIDERED IN THE PROGRAM OPERATIONS MANUAL..................................................................................................................................... 23 ANNEX 3: STRATEGIES PROPOSED IN CONSULTATIONS THAT TOOK PLACE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE EDUCATION STRATEGIC PLAN 2003 - 2007 ........... 24 2 List of Tables Table 1: Guyana's Indigenous Ethnic Groups and Population Sizes .............................................. 9 Table 2: Repetition and Drop-out Rates by Region and Gender .................................................. 11 Table 3: Teacher Qualifications in Hinterland Regions ............................................................... 11 Table 4: Government Education Facilities in the Interior Hinterland .......................................... 12 Table 5: Number of Participants in the Hinterland Regions in One Round of Consultations ...... 13 Table 6: Risk and Vulnerability Factors Identified by IP and Proposed Program Interventions . 13 List of Acronyms EDSP - Education Development Strategy Paper EFA - Education for All ESP - Education Strategy Plan FTI - Fast Track Initiative GBET - Guyana Basic Education Teacher Training GOG - Government of Guyana GPRSP - Government’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper HIPC - Heavily Indebted Poor Countries IP - Indigenous Peoples IPC - Indigenous Peoples Commission IPDP - Indigenous Peoples Development Plan MOE - Ministry of Education OM - Operational Manual SIP - School Improvement Plan UNDP - United Nations Development Programme 3 GUYANA EDUCATION FOR ALL - FAST TRACK INITIATIVE (EFA-FTI) PROGRAM Indigenous Peoples Strategy and Outreach Program 1. Introduction Education, and in particular basic education, has been clearly articulated as a national priority in the Government’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (GPRSP), and the National Development Strategy, prepared by civil society. Both of these documents establish a nexus between improved education and greater productivity, economic development and reduction of poverty. There is also close correlation between the goals outlined in these documents and those in the Ministry of Education’s Education Development Strategy Paper (EDSP) for 2003 - 2007. The gross enrolment rate for primary education is 102 percent, and net enrolment is 84 percent based on population data estimated by UNDP. The national completion rate for Grade 6 is 85.4 percent. By looking solely at the national statistics, a complete picture of the challenges facing the education system is not easily ascertained. At first glance the education indicators for primary school seem to be on target, however, this does not tell the full story. For example, by separating the statistics for coastal and Hinterland areas, it is very apparent that there are significant differences in accessing educational opportunities in these two regions. For completion rates, 87.8 percent of students complete Grade 6 in the coastland, but in the Hinterland only 64.8 percent complete Grade 6. Additionally, while access to primary education for the majority is not a looming issue in Guyana, the quality of education is an enormous problem. A significant proportion of children (estimated at 33 percent) are graduating from primary schools without acquiring basic literacy skills. A Functional Literacy Survey of out-of- school youth ages 14-25 found that 89 percent of the sample surveyed was operating at below or well below acceptable levels of functional literacy. It is estimated that nearly 20 percent were absolutely illiterate. 1.1. The EFA-FTI Program Guyana was one of the first countries to apply for funding for the EFA-FTI. Their proposal for US$45 million covering the period 2003 to 2015 was endorsed by the donor partnership in November 2002. The funds will assist the government in its effort to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Education For All Fast Track Initiative goals for primary education by 2015. The first five years would require US$19.25 million to supplement government spending on education and external financing for education received from multilateral and bilateral donors as well as any HIPC-related funds. The average annual amount of financing each year is about US$3.46 million. The three main initiatives of the Guyana EFA-FTI Program are in consonance with Guyana’s Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRSP), the Education Strategy Development Plan (ESDP), and the EFA-FTI goals for primary education, all of which aim to achieve equity in accessing quality education and producing a literate and numerate society. The chief goal of EFA-FTI is to 4 achieve Universal Quality Primary Completion by 2015. The main initiatives and sub-initiatives of the program are as follows: INITIATIVE I: Improving the Quality of the Teaching Force in the Hinterland (US$4.74 million). A. Training of qualified teachers using the Guyana Basic Education Teacher Training (GBET) distance education approach; B. Continuous professional development for all trained teachers; C. Establishing satellite learning centers for teachers within a school cluster; D. Improving the conditions of service for teachers. INITIATIVE II: Enhancing the Teaching/Learning Environment in Primary Schools (US$18.83 million) A. Accelerating the Establishment of the Escuela Nueva Learning Model in the Hinterland; B. Establishing Child Friendly Classrooms in Coastland schools; C. Improving the status of utilities across all schools; D. Provision of textbooks. INITIATIVE III: Strengthening School Community Partnerships (US$21.46): A. Accelerating the Implementation of School Improvement Plans (SIPs) in all Schools; B. Upgrading the Present School Feeding Program in the Hinterland. 1.2 Purpose of the Amerindian Peoples Strategy Although the EFA-FTI Program will be implemented nationwide, there are several sub- initiatives of the Program that are specifically targeted to the hinterland areas. Since the majority of Guyana’s Amerindian population live in the hinterland areas, it is important to ensure their inclusion in preparation and implementation of the Program as well as their benefit from the Program. The purpose of this Amerindian Peoples' Strategy is to ensure that the appropriate EFA-FTI program initiatives address the needs of Guyana's Amerindian populations and will benefit those populations as specified in the World Bank's social safeguard policy1, Operational Directive 4.20 (OD 4.20) on Indigenous Peoples (IP). The objective of the directive “is to ensure that indigenous peoples do not suffer adverse effects during the development process, particularly from Bank-financed programs, and that they receive culturally compatible social and economic benefits.”2 Specifically, this Amerindian Peoples' Strategy will: 1) Demonstrate how Amerindian peoples were included in the planning process of EFA- FTI; 2) Specify mechanism by which Amerindian peoples will have access to the resources provided by EFA-FTI; and 1 There are 10 safeguard policies covering Environmental Assessment, Natural Habitats, Forestry, Pest Management, Cultural Property, Indigenous Peoples, Involuntary Resettlement, Safety of Dams, Programs in International Waters, and Programs in Disputed Areas 2 The World Bank Operational Manual – Operational Directive OD 4.20 September 1991 5 3) Demonstrate that Guyana's Amerindian Peoples will benefit from EFA-FTI in ways which address their identified needs and which support their unique identities and cultures. Guyana has ten (10) administrative regions. The majority of the Amerindian populations reside in Regions 1, 7, 8, and 9. These regions are called the Hinterland or Interior. The largest indigenous populations are located in Regions 1 and 9, forming 28.8 percent and 24.95 percent of the regional population respectively. Guyana’s Amerindians fit the following five distinguishing characteristics used to identify minority nationality communities that may warrant special attention in program planning. Although there may be regional variations in the degree to which these characteristics are present, the indigenous peoples of Guyana can be said to: a) have a close attachment to ancestral territories and natural resources in their region; b) identify themselves and are identified by others as members of distinctive cultural groups; c) have languages different from the national language; d) still have customary social and political institutions; and e) rely primarily on subsistence modes of production. The majority of the sub-initiatives of EFA-FTI target the regions of the country with the largest Amerindian populations as it is these regions that confront the most severe challenges in education quality and access. All of Initiative One targets Hinterland communities. In Initiative Two, sub-initiative A addresses Hinterland communities specifically, and sub-initiatives C and D, while nationwide, will focus, at least initially, on Hinterland schools where problems of basic utilities and provision of textbooks are the most grave. In Initiative Three sub-initiative A is nationwide but responds specifically to the stated needs of indigenous communities, and sub- initiative B is specifically for the Hinterland regions. The EFA-FTI proposal also outlines program objectives specific to Hinterland regions of the country. These include: (i) An increase from 64.8 to 100 percent completion rate in the Hinterland and from 87.8 to 100 percent in the coastland by 2015; (ii) An increase from 32 percent trained teachers in the Hinterland to 74 percent by 2015; (iii) Repetition rate decreased by 10 percent and dropout decreased by 10 percent in the Hinterland by 2015; 1.3 Legal Framework The 1976 Amerindian Act is the main law in Guyana that deals with Amerindians. The Act has nine parts to it covering: Amerindian lands; registration of Amerindians; protection of property and legal affairs; appointment of “captains” or Toshaos who are Amerindians appointed by the Chief Interior Development Officer of the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs; Local Government; the establishment and governance of the Amerindian Purposes Fund; employment of Amerindians; intoxicating liquor; and miscellaneous including the powers of the Minister for Amerindian Affairs. The 1976 Act is based on laws that date back to the early 20th century British colonial rule. It is widely recognized that the law which has its origins going as far back 6 as 1951 and may even have stemmed from the 1902 Amerindian Protection Ordinances, is outdated. In 1993, a Parliamentary Committee was set up to initiate the revision of the Act. This process has suffered several delays but in 2002, the consultation process with communities was initiated. The process of consultation is now complete and final recommendations being summarized for final review by communities before presentation to Cabinet. The Government hopes to adopt the new Act in 2004. In addition, Amerindians are supposed to enjoy the basic rights of all Guyanese guaranteed under the Constitution3. Other significant changes were made to the Constitution as a result of recent reform. Fundamental to the strengthening of the protection and expansion of the rights of the Amerindian was the creation of the Indigenous Peoples Commission (IPC). Article 212 (G) created the IPC. (1) of the Constitution (Amendment) (No 3) Act 2001, which was assented to by the President on 1st June, 2001. This Article states that: "There are hereby established the following Commissions, the goals of which are to strengthen social justice and the rule of law – (a) the Human Rights Commission; (b) the Women and Gender Equality Commission; (c) the Indigenous Peoples Commission; (d) the Rights of the Child Commission. The IPC was created based on what are described in the Act as the “Principles for the Establishment of Commissions”, applying the following considerations contained in Article 212 FF (a) and (b): (a) the issue to be addressed by a commission must be of national interest or affect a wide cross-section of the populace; (b) there could be disastrous consequences for society and the country at large if the issues are not attended to and monitored. The Indigenous People Commission (IPC) as provided for in Article 212(9) of the Constitution is intended to be the instrument to promote policies and measures for the enhancement and the protection of the rights and well being of the Indigenous People. It also provided a forum for Indigenous people to have allegations or grievances against them addressed. This is spelt out in more detail in the provisions contained in Article 212J (2), as for example: d) to investigate complaints of, or initiate investigations into, violations of the rights under its purview; e) to take resolve disputes or rectify acts or omissions by mediation, conciliation or negotiation; f) to take appropriate action on behalf of persons whose rights have been, or are likely to be violated; g) to liaise with government and non-governmental organizations, and other relevant bodies to address the complaints and concerns of persons regarding matters under its purview;4 3 Guyana: Constitution, 1980 with 1996 reforms. www.georgetown.edu/pdba/Constitutions/Guyana/guyana96.html 4 Act No 5 of 2001 Constitutional (Amendment) (No. 3) 7 and further at Article 212T where it states: g) recommend and promote training and technical assistance to support initiatives by and for indigenous peoples; h) educate employers and the public and make recommendations to improve employment practices related to indigenous peoples; and i) monitor the need for and recommend where appropriate the establishment of mechanisms to provide counseling for indigenous peoples.5 Special provision is made for adequate representation of women in the IPC by article 212S (2) (b). The empowerment of the Indigenous People of Guyana is further consolidated by the creation and functioning of a Ministry of Amerindian Affairs which is tasked “to promote the continued integration of the Amerindian Community into the wider society, and to encourage self- sufficiency, economic and social development in the Hinterland regions.”6 The National Development Strategy of Guyana (1997-2007) also outlines policies concerning Amerindians and in particular Amerindian education. The main Amerindian Policies laid out in the NDS read: "The NDS seeks to tackle issues facing Amerindians in the areas of land, poverty and education. Recommendations are made to tackle Amerindians' marginalisation in the development process: • reforms to secure Amerindian land rights. Those communities affected by resource development and extraction should share in the benefits. • the expansion of the Amerindian Development Fund. It is recommended that funds be spent on community development programs and training. • increased investment in health facilities, schools and training centres, as well as improvements to salaries of personnel working in hinterland areas. • the development of more relevant curricula in schools. • the strengthening of the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs."7 1.4. Guyana’s Amerindians Guyana has an estimated indigenous population (IP) of 8 percent of the total population of 750,000. The Amerindians belong to nine distinct groups8 or tribes who make up the majority population in the interior region of the country bordering Surinam, Brazil and Venezuela, called the Hinterland. Although most contemporary Amerindians in Guyana speak English as their first language, there are still substantial pockets within each tribe that speak indigenous languages and dialects. However, very few of the languages are written. Most Amerindians live in about 131 highly scattered communities in Regions 1, 7, 8, 9 and parts of Region 10, many of them sparsely populated. Region 1 has the highest concentration of Amerindians in the country followed by Region 9. Over the years, as the Hinterland has been opened up for development, 5 Ibid 6 Ibid. pg. 62. 7 From Guyana's National Development Strategy, http://www.guyana.org/NDS/NDS.htm 8 Carib, Warau, Arawak, Akawaio, Patamona, Makushi, Arekuna, Wapishana and Wai Wai 8 and with the establishment of logging/lumber exploitation/industries and mining, there has been an increase in the number of indigenous people, particularly men, migrating to other areas, especially urban centers, for work. Guyana's population is very small. The 2001 preliminary census reports the national population at 750,000. Of these 750,000 less than 50,000 are Amerindian and it can be estimated that some 12,000 of those are Amerindians between the ages of five and seventeen. While there is little data on Amerindian demographics currently available, Table One shows the nine Amerindian groups and estimated population sizes of each group from 1996. Table 1: Guyana's Indigenous Ethnic Groups and Population Sizes9 Name of People Population Arawak 15,500 Warau 5,000 Caribs (Karinya) 3,000 Akawaio 5,000 Patamona 5,000 Arekuna 562 Makushi 7,750 Wapishana 6,900 Wai Wai 200 TOTAL 48,912 The indigenous people of Guyana are disproportionately disadvantaged socially and economically. Amerindians have some of the lowest education indicators in Guyana. Social development indicators for education reveal significantly higher illiteracy rates when compared to other non-indigenous groups in the country. Poverty is rife with close to 80 percent of the Amerindian population in the country falling below the poverty line with Amerindian women especially affected by poverty10. Women are paid lower wages and salaries than men, and cannot easily access credit facilities11. The majority (over 70 percent) of Amerindians are engaged in subsistence activities such as agriculture, hunting and forestry. The high incidence of poverty in the Hinterland is largely the result of geographic isolation (the economic reforms of the 1990s did not benefit many Amerindians12), and limited economic activity13. Less than 5 percent of Amerindians live to be 55 years or older compared to the average life expectancy for Guyana of around 64.8 years (61.5 for males and 68.2 for females). 2. Education in the Interior Regions 9 Op cit 7. 10 Guyana PRSC Program Document – Annex VII 11 Health Sector Analysis Guyana. PAHO & MOH 12 Poverty Reduction Support Credit 2002 13 Guyana Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper 2002 9 Guyanese Amerindians face enormous educational challenges and inequities which, in turn, prolong and exacerbate economic, social, and health problems for these indigenous communities and individuals. The problems are manifold and interrelated. The lack of infrastructure in the Hinterland makes getting to school difficult. Children and youth are much more likely to be absent or drop out. There are very few secondary schools in the Hinterland and those that are there are of poor quality. Few attend secondary school and fewer complete it, meaning that very few Amerindians ever go on to higher levels of education. Due to the low education levels attained, few Amerindians become trained teachers and non-indigenous people are often recruited to Amerindian communities knowing little about the culture, language, or heritage of the children they teach. This, then results in inappropriate educational offerings for Amerindian children, who then are even less likely to attend or benefit from school. The National Development Strategy has laid out some of the principal constraints facing Amerindian education. These include: • Lack of trained Amerindian teachers • Culturally inappropriate curriculum and education offerings • Absence of bilingual education • Lack of secondary schools accessible to Amerindian communities • No mechanism to ensure a coordinated approach to Amerindian education • Low quality of teaching and learning in schools Some of these challenges are detailed below. Geographical and financial barriers: The interior region is an area difficult to access because of the dense forest, mountains and vast savannah. The country is intersected by many rivers, creeks and other water ways, and some communities can only be reached by boat transportation. Intermittent flooding periodically isolates some communities. For the education sector, the terrain presents special challenges to delivering educational services to highly dispersed communities, making service delivery not only more difficult but costly. Inequalities in the provision of education may result. The problems of service delivery and access are further compounded by poor or limited road networks, and limited boat and vehicular transportation. Low School Attendance and Completion: As a result of a lack of roads, inappropriate curriculum and poor teacher quality, student attendance is poor in many indigenous communities. In Region One, for example, average attendance is 58 percent.14 Less than 13 percent of poor households in the interior regions have received secondary education and, only 1 percent of Amerindians have received post-secondary education. Lack of Coordination: Until recently, there were no mechanisms to ensure a coordinated approach to education programs for Amerindian communities. With the support of UNICEF and DFID a Hinterland Coordinator for the Ministry of Education has been appointed and work is on-going to introduce Amerindian languages into school curricula through the Wapishana Language Program15. 14 Digest of Educational Statistics of Guyana 2000-2001. 15 Guyana PRSC Program Document – Annex VII 10 High and Drop-Out Repetition: Average repetition rate for grades 1 – 6 is relatively low at 2.4 percent nationally. However, in heavily indigenous Regions 1, 8 and 9 the average ranges from 12 to 13 percent, for 1999-2000.16 Likewise, the drop-out rate is much higher in Regions 1, 7, 8, 9 ranging between 10 and 20 percent on average for all of primary (see Table 2) while the national average is between 7 and 9 percent.17 It is interesting to note that repetition is higher for boys than girls in Hinterland regions while drop-out is higher for girls than for boys in most instances. Table 2: Repetition and Drop-out Rates by Region and Gender for Primary School in Regions with Large Amerindian Populations (Source MOE Digest, 2000-01) Region Male Female Male Female Repetition Repetition Drop-out Drop-out 1 15 10 20 15 7 4 2 10 13 8 13 9 10 12 9 13 12 10 16 10 6 4 10 11 National Average 3 2 9 7 Untrained Teachers: One of the most urgent problems in Amerindian communities is the lack of trained teachers, especially trained Amerindian teachers. The ratio of students to trained teachers in the Hinterland is very high, with 71:1 in Region 1, 133:1 in Region 8, and 82:1 in Region 9. The vast majority of the Hinterland students are exposed to under prepared teachers (see Table Three). The attrition rate among trained teachers is also a major challenge in indigenous communities and the Hinterland in general.18 Table 3: Teacher Qualifications in Hinterland Regions (Source: Digest of Educational Statistics of Guyana 2000-2001) Region University Degree Secondary Degree No Secondary Total Teaching No teaching Teaching No teaching Degree certificate certificate certificate certificate 1 0 0 60 8 114 182 7 1 0 55 10 53 119 8 0 0 8 4 19 31 9 0 0 46 17 93 156 10 4 0 170 79 60 313 Teacher Shortages: Although over 5,000 teachers have been trained at the Cyril Potter College of Education over the past decade a high attrition rate and a reluctance on the part of the graduates to live and work in Hinterland locations has resulted in under-staffing of the schools in the 16 Digest of Educational Statistics of Guyana 2000-2001 17 Ibid 18 Ibid 11 Hinterland Regions. There is high out-migration of education professionals in Guyana. Recent efforts by the GOG to address the shortage of teachers in the Hinterland include the allocation of scholarships for postsecondary education for indigenous students and pay bonuses of Hinterland teachers. There are also on-going efforts to build education capacity at the Regional level. Poor Results in Secondary School Entrance Exam (SSEE): Hinterland students score significantly worse than the Coastland students on Guyana's national Secondary School Entrance Exam. Three out of four regions have average scores of less than one third accuracy on both English and math exams.19 Poor Educational Access and Infrastructure: Until recently there was a serious shortage in secondary schools in the Hinterland. Although this concern has been addressed partially in recent years (see Table 4) the secondary programs that do exist in the Hinterland are largely "Primary Tops", primary schools offering limited secondary offerings. Primary Tops are widely regarded as inferior in quality to full secondary schools. Table 4: Government Education Facilities in the Interior Hinterland Type and number of schools Region Preschool Primary Secondary (of (Population) which # are TOTAL primary tops) 1 11 42 42 (39) 95 (18,294)* 7 22 28 16 (15) 66 (14,682)* 8 13 20 19 (18) 52 (6,137)** 9 10 45 42 (39) 97 (14,947)* 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 Touchaus’ Council of Region #9 3. Strategy for Amerindian Participation in Guyana EFA-FTI 3.1 Consultation and Inclusion of Amerindians in the Planning Process The World Bank's policy concerning Indigenous Peoples as laid out in Operational Directive 4.20 states that "the strategy for addressing the issues pertaining to indigenous peoples must be based on the informed participation of the indigenous peoples themselves." In the case of Guyana's EFA - Fast Track Initiative, the overall objectives as well as the initiatives and sub- initiatives that support those objectives grow out of the Government’s Education Strategic Plan (ESP) for 2003-2007. This plan involved consultations nationwide, including all of the Hinterland regions and Amerindian populations included therein. 19 MOE Planning Unit 12 There were three rounds of consultations in every region (except for Region 8 where there were two meetings) for the Education Strategic plan (ESP). These consultations took place in 2002. The consultations covered educational concerns of communities within the regions and subsequently on strategies to be implemented by the MOE. There was also a Civil Society consultation in which the main civil society groups in Guyana were convened to discuss educational needs and strategies for the Education Strategic Plan. The attendance of 71 persons was divided into five groups, each discussing a different set of issues. More than half the members of the Civil Society groups were indigenous persons. In total 1,313 people took part in these consultations nationwide and included parents, students, teachers, head teachers, and regional officers, among them were representatives from Amerindian populations. See Annex 1 for recommendations put forth by Group 1 of the Civil Society meeting as well as the results of consultation groups in Regions 8 and 9 who discussed issues related to the quality of education in the Hinterland and Riverain Areas. As the hinterland regions especially 1, 8, and 9 have significant indigenous populations, the majority of the persons at those meetings were Amerindian. No specific measure was taken of indigenous participation in the consultations but the number of participants in the Hinterland regions for one of the consultations was as follows: Table 5: Number of Participants in the Hinterland Regions in One Round of Consultations Region Participants 1 70 7 14 8 88 9 39 Regional education directors and the Planning Unit Task Team of the MOE coordinated and facilitated the consultations. A report of the consultations was produced and presented to the Strategic Planning Committee. Other consultation efforts with Amerindians also informed the EFA-FTI plan. These include an intensive consultation process supported by Canadian CIDA with Amerindians concerning the design of the distance education teacher preparation and training program (GBET), one of the actions the EFA-FTI plan will continue. The Ministry, CIDA, and UNICEF have also supported projects to preserve indigenous languages. The consultation process for this effort influenced many of the proposals included in the Education Strategic Plan and in EFA-FTI. 3.2 Identification of Appropriate EFA-FTI Program Initiatives for Amerindian Peoples Table 6: Risk and Vulnerability Factors Identified* by IP and EFA-FTI Program Interventions** Factors increasing risk and vulnerability of indigenous EFA-FTI Program Interventions communities 1. Poverty and associated factors (illiteracy, unemployment) - Promote economic development and local jobs especially for indigenous women through the school feeding program that would support a community- developed proposal for local production and preparation of lunches for students. 13 Factors increasing risk and vulnerability of indigenous EFA-FTI Program Interventions communities 2. Low quality of education (resulting in high drop-out and - Provide training for active teachers in indigenous repetition rates) communities to complete secondary education and obtain teaching certification. - Create Teacher Resource Centers with didactic and pedagogical resources that are accessible to teachers in indigenous areas some of whom are indigenous themselves. This includes resources that promote knowledge of Amerindian culture and history. - Design and provide refresher courses for teachers to keep skills updated. 3. Lack of trained teachers, especially Amerindian trained - Incentivize teacher retention in indigenous areas teachers by providing an increase to the Remote Areas Incentives allowance and improving living conditions for teachers in the Hinterland. - Provide distance training program to Hinterland teachers and ensure a proportion of those teachers are of an Amerindian ethnicity in order to upgrade skills (GBET program). 4. Inadequate access to schools and educational opportunities - Provide potable water, electricity, and sufficient sanitary facilities (VIP latrines) for schools in indigenous areas. 5. Threat to indigenous cultural heritage and identity - Increase participation of indigenous in the planning and functioning of their schools through involvement in the creation and implementation of SIPs and Escuela Nueva. - Provide appropriate texts and supplementary reading materials for schools in indigenous areas that support and nourish indigenous identities. 6. Lack of relevancy of education for indigenous youth - Provide ongoing professional development opportunities to teachers in Amerindian communities that focus on culturally relevant teaching methods and curriculum. *Issues and proposed solutions identified during community consultations in Regions 1 & 9 and consultation sessions with Hinterland student teachers at Cyril Potter College of Education for Guyana HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Program IPDP. **Table adapted from: Indigenous Peoples Development Plan: The Guyana HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Program, March 2004. 3.3 Amerindian Peoples Access to and Benefits from Program Initiatives Guyana's EFA-FTI Program focuses largely on those areas of the country where the majority of Amerindians live because it is in these areas that the weaknesses of the educational system surface most virulently. Indeed the proposal for the program addresses the needs identified by the MOE through consultation with regional education offices, civil society, and others, specifically for the Hinterland regions where the Amerindian populations are more concentrated. While there are also non-Amerindian populations in the Hinterland, this section will identify mechanisms through which Amerindian communities specifically will have access to and benefit from the sub-initiatives of the program. For each sub-initiative, mechanisms for Amerindian access and benefit are printed in italics. 14 INITIATIVE I: Improving the Quality of the Teaching Force in the Hinterland A. Training of qualified teachers using the Guyana Basic Education Teacher Training (GBET) distance education approach; Ensure representation of Amerindians in GBET education foundation and teacher training distance education courses. Provide outreach and scholarships to Amerindian teachers to receive teacher qualification and training. B. Continuous professional development for all trained teachers; In coordination with the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs and other designated Amerindian groups, develop and offer professional development opportunities for Hinterland teachers that cover topics specifically relevant to teachers in Amerindian communities. Such topics already identified include Amerindian history and culture, and curriculum modification for cultural appropriateness. C. Establishing satellite learning centers for teachers within a school cluster; A portion of the funding for Teacher Resource Centers would be spent as determined by local councils with input from Amerindian teachers so that culturally relevant resources can be provided to local teachers. D. Improving the conditions of service for teachers. Remote Areas Incentives (RAI). This is a pay bonus that goes to each Hinterland primary school teacher every month. It will benefit 100 percent of Amerindian teachers and Amerindian communities in the Hinterland by providing a monetary supplement as an incentive for their local teachers. This incentive is being provided to also encourage more Amerindians to become teachers as it will make their pay competitive with other professions, such as nurses. INITIATIVE II: Enhancing the Teaching/Learning Environment in Primary Schools A. Accelerating the Establishment of the Escuela Nueva Learning Model in the Hinterland. The Escuela Nueva learning and school management model is based largely on a model of active teaching and learning, and parental/community participation and management. For Amerindian communities this will ensure that the community has greater influence over the school and that the school is more accountable to the community. For communities that have sizable Amerindian and non-Amerindian populations the school management body will have both Amerindian and non-Amerindian representation. B. Establishing Child Friendly Classrooms in Coastland schools This component is not applicable as it is in the Coastland only. 15 C. Improving the status of utilities across all schools The initial focus for this component will be on schools with the most pressing needs for utility upgrades. The MOE will ensure that Amerindian communities are aware of this initiative and are given every opportunity to identify their utility needs and that subsequently Amerindian communities are fairly represented in the allocation of these works. The Hinterland Coordinator at the MOE has taken a lead in visiting the regions and verifying with the regional offices, schools, and communities their needs in terms of provision of potable water, sanitary facilities, and solar panels for electricity. Through the regional offices the MOE has identified priority areas in the hinterland where the need is greatest. These areas are predominantly Amerindian. D. Provision of textbooks All students in Guyana should have equal opportunity for access to core curriculum textbooks and pedagogical materials. While this subinitiative’s aim is to achieve this goal, the MOE will also coordinate with the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs to ensure that textbooks being procured are also culturally appropriate for Amerindian children. A portion of the textbooks purchased would be textbooks specifically geared toward the cultural, historical, geographic, linguistic, and ethnic identities of the Guyanese Amerindians. INITIATIVE III: Strengthening School Community Partnerships A. Accelerating the Implementation of School Improvement Plans (SIPs) in all Schools This subinitiative was widely supported in consultations in Hinterland communities. School Improvement Plans allow communities and schools to come together to propose and receive funds to meet specific interests and needs. Here again the central and regional MOE offices will ensure fair participation and provide training in how to develop a SIP to local schools and communities especially in Amerindian communities where extra support is likely to be needed. These proposals and funds will allow Amerindian communities to address local needs and interests. B. Upgrading the Present School Feeding Program in the Hinterland This subinitiative targets only the Hinterland and is an attempt to not only provide a culturally appropriate, nutritional incentive for families to send their children to school on a regular basis, but also to promote local economic development and greater relevancy to local communities. Each school will create a proposal for offering a free hot lunch to all students. These proposals should, as much as possible, focus on locally produced and consumed food thereby supporting the local economy, creating an incentive for students to enroll and attend school, offering healthy and relevant food, and an opportunity for children to learn about agriculture through school plots or kitchens. As part of the special SIP training, Amerindian communities will have extra support provided by a team of regional trainers to give guidance on the preparation of a School Feeding proposal. 16 Information Campaign: Much of the success of EFA-FTI for Amerindians will depend upon full and clear information regarding the program and meaningful and informed participation of Amerindians and Amerindian interest groups in the implementation of the program. While the MOE will employ an information campaign nation-wide, it will also collaborate with the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs to launch a specialized information campaign to ensure that Amerindian communities know what to expect of the program, how to participate in it, and how to adapt it to their needs. This information campaign would include local radio announcements reaching Amerindian communities regarding the EFA-FTI program, laminated posters or other materials as may be appropriate on at least an annual basis which clearly depict and explain (i) the active subinitiatives of the program, (ii) progress made through the program, and (iii) regular community or school meetings regarding the program. These ongoing efforts will provide a forum to gather Amerindian peoples’ opinions, concerns and problem-areas with regard to the program sub-initiatives. At least once yearly a representative of the regional education office should hold or attend a meeting in which Amerindian communities in Hinterland regions can voice these opinions, take them into consideration and contemplate any adaptations that may be necessary to the program to ensure greatest impact. Implementation Arrangements. The Ministry of Education is the agency responsible for execution of the Guyana EFA-FTI Program. The activities proposed under the Program are in line with the regular duties of the department heads and regional offices, and they will be responsible for their implementation. Coordination responsibilities for the Program will be placed directly under the Planning Unit of the Ministry of Education. As part of this team, there is a specially created position for a Hinterland Coordinator whose terms of reference is to be a reinforcing linkage between minority groups and the MOE specifically for implementation of EFA-FTI Program activities. The MOE and Ministry of Amerindian Affairs also have an existing committee and research team that monitors its programs to make sure they are effectively reaching the intended Amerindian groups with results. 4. Monitoring and Evaluation Monitoring and evaluation of the EFA-FTI Program as a whole will be achieved through an annual survey process of teachers, parents, school directors and students. Amerindian communities and Hinterland regions will be appropriately represented. A significant element of the EFA-FTI program is the addition of an ‘ethnic’ variable to be incorporated into the data systems of the Ministry of Education, in order to be able to identify, monitor and effectively assist those groups of the population that may experience difficulties in education attainment due to linguistic or cultural special needs. The annual survey completed in every school for the central MOE will contain questions regarding the ethnic makeup of the school so that data can be disaggregated by ethnicity. Up until now this has not been the case. Finally, monitoring and evaluation systems for many of the program subcomponents will be carried out by the lead department or office in charge of that subcomponent. These will also be designed to collect data on how the subcomponents are working in Amerindian communities specifically. 17 5. Timeline and Costing For the first three years, the EFA-FTI Program will be funded by the EFA-FTI Catalytic Fund in the form of a grant. Renewal of funding during each of the three years is contingent upon implementation performance. Below, is a chart indicating the estimated breakdown of funding by year and by program sub-initiative. EFA-FTI will cover all the hinterland regions, particularly Regions 1, 7, 8 and 9 where the highest concentration of Amerindian peoples live. Although at present it is not possible to disaggregate funds per hinterland ethnic group, this may be possible after the first year of implementation with the addition of the ethnic variable in the MIS system. The Government is committed to identifying and supporting those groups of Hinterland students whose performance requires special assistance to raise it at least to a position that is level with the mainstream student population. As shown below, the EFA-FTI program has included funding (2004 to 2008) for activities dedicated exclusively to Hinterland regions and other activities to be implemented nationwide. US$8,337,000 equivalent to 46 percent of total investment in the first five years is exclusively targeted to Hinterland regions, and distributed as follows: Teachers’ Resources Centers (US$110,000); An incentive bonus for Hinterland teachers (US$1,485,000); teacher housing in Hinterland (US$349,000); School Feeding Program in Hinterland (US$6,331,000); GBET Certification Training in Hinterland (US$24,000); and a refresher courses for teachers in the hinterland (US$38,000). The other components (upgrading school utilities, new textbooks and renewal/maintenance of textbooks, and School Improvement Plans for a total of US$9,915,000 in the first five years) will be implemented nationwide, which includes also the hinterland regions, particularly 1, 7, 8 and 9. Activities and Resources Allocated for the First Five Years (2004-2008) Year 1 - 2004 Year 2 - 2005 Year 3 - 2006 Year 4 - 2007 Year 5 - 2008 US$ (000) US$ (000) US$ (000) US$ (000) US$ (000) I.C. Teachers' resource centers HINTERLAND 55 55 0 0 0 I.D. Remote area incentive/bonus HINTERLAND 300 300 300 300 285 II.C. Upgrading school utilities N-WIDE 152 145 144 144 139 II.D. New Textbooks supply NATIONWIDE 2,884 1,442 0 0 0 renewal / maintenance textbooks 149 455 860 1,165 1,135 I.D. Teacher housing HINTERLAND 73 74 100 102 III.A. SIP-Sch. Improvement Plan N-WIDE 275 275 275 275 III.B. School feeding HINTERLAND 1,444 1,616 1,629 1,642 I.A. GBET certif. Training HINTERLAND 8 16 I.B. Refresher course HINTERLAND 38 TOTAL BY YEAR 3,541 4,189 3,269 3,621 3,632 CUMULATIVE 3,541 7,730 10,999 14,620 18,252 18 Annex 1A: Recommendations of the Civil Society Meeting – Improving the Quality of Education in the Hinterland and Riverain Areas MINISTRY OF EDUCATION PLANNING UNIT RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE CIVIL SOCIETY MEETING Group one – Issues related to the quality of education (12 members) Improvement of education in the Hinterland and Riverain areas • Curriculum needs to be relevant to the communities. There should be a core of basic content with variations and emphasis to make it relevant to each particular region. • The school year might need to be different in these areas (e.g. in Region 9 attendance is very poor in the rainy seasons). • Maybe we should have Portuguese as the foreign language in regions 9 and 8. In other words the language of the border area should be taught. • There was a great concern also about the use of the language of the indigenous persons. Of course the available resources are always a limitation… Do we have persons to teach these languages? • There are also implications for teacher training. In-service preparation is expensive in these areas even using long distance education methods (there is always the need to have face-to-face sessions from time to time), hence the need for more resources. • The adaptation of the curriculum for the hinterland areas is very important, especially when dealing with untrained teachers, who do not have the skills to do these adaptations. • Training has to done. Supervision and support at the school level is very important. 19 Annex 1B: Consultations from Regions 8 and 9 To improve the quality of Education in the Hinterland Regions Make use of solar and windmill power to bring electricity to schools and villages. Schools in hinterland areas should where necessary be all age school re-delivery of education at Nursery, Primary and Secondary levels. This is to reduce the need for specialized Secondary Schools with dormitories as well as making use of the limited human and other resources available. MOE should give CPCE the mandate to establish a research department, which will conduct research into the educational needs of the hinterland population and educational models used elsewhere for first nations/indigenous peoples. MOE should develop its capacity to train teachers using innovative long distance programs. Teachers who train at the pre-service facility spend two years studying theory, and then either the entire third year or half of it, doing practicum in schools in the hinterland. Special courses in the socio-economic environment of the Amerindian communities to be done by coastland teachers who want to teach in the hinterland. Facilitate exchanges for staff and students among first nations or hinterland communities of the world, e.g. Belize, Canada, Australia, etc. Investigate partnerships and linkages. Development training programmes for regional staff designed to focus on community relations and clinical supervision: - Revise the DEO’s job description and appoint more of them to serve in the regions. - Train them to support HM in clinical supervision and community relations - Empower the HM with leadership training A package designed to attract recently retires qualified and trained teachers, recent graduates from CPCE and UG to work in the hinterland schools. - Include properly maintained and furnished living quarters (provision for running water and power – consider solar) - Access to foodstuff - Adequate medical services - Waiver of loan and service as incentives to graduates of UG and CPCE respectively; e.g. for CPCE graduates, serve three consecutive years in the hinterland and earn a waiver on the rest of the five year contract; serve a minimum of two consecutive years and earn a waiver on one year of the contract. - Risk insurance - Each trained staff to train a counterpart in the hinterland so as to build capacity 20 - Seek maximum support from local and international NGOs, e.g. CESO, VSO, Peace Corps - Increase promotional opportunities to position on the coast Increase accessibility and equity for students at all levels through the use of alternative methods of delivery e.g. distance education, Escuela Nueva, Cuban shift system model. - Establish learning resources centers and satellite or mobile centers in the regions - Provide more material and equipment - Consider alternatives for power generation - Train local staff to maintain equipment and provide spares in adequate quantities and a timely manner Programmes designed for adult education - Use schools as centers for appropriate programmes: technical, basic literacy and numeracy, health, family and childcare, agriculture, environment, business - Use DE as a mode of delivery Programmes designed for special needs education - Approach voluntary organizations local and abroad Alternative and relevant management systems designed to include community-stakeholder participation and continuous training for teachers. - Role of the HM as a community leader who involves the community to assist in the school affairs Revised curriculum to include first languages, business studies and entrepreneurship - Encourage the participation of the hinterland peoples in formulating the curriculum - Establish more secondary schools and/or post-secondary programmes for out of the school youth Revised school year structure to reflect the culture, practice and weather patterns of a particular region - Consider severe flooding in some areas, gold rush and farming Physical infrastructure: Purpose-built facilities for early childhood and primary levels, maintained and constructed to suit the environment, e.g. building on stilts in the Rupununi because of flooding. - Increased number of student hostels, teacher’s residences, training centers. 21 Annex 1C: Improvement Of Education In The Hinterland and Riverain Areas 1. A model for the development of each regional office is drafted. 2. According to this model, each regional office is upgraded with the addition of new personnel and a training effort for all their components. 3. Each region drafts a school map reflecting all its educational needs. 4. A team of trainers is identified for each region in order to support schools in the development of Schools Improvement Projects (SIP). 5. Each school in the region develops a SIP. 6. A program of maintenance and rehabilitation of the old schools and other educational facilities of the region is put in place. 7. A study should be made on the options to give power, running water and some kind of communication to each of the schools. 8. A construction plan for each region is put in place. 9. Academic and non-academic standards are set for each school. A plan to be able to gradually reach these standards is put into place. 10. Each region develops, within the framework of the strategic plan, an action plan of its own. 11. The region itself and the Ministry follow these plans. 22 Annex 2: Issues to be considered in the Program Operations Manual The Operational Manual (OM) should quantify and qualify the differentiated approach to deal with Amerindian regions. 1. Ensure that the OM includes guidelines for working with indigenous people. Some of the issues to keep in mind include the following: - that sub-initiatives whose beneficiaries include Amerindians must be prepared with the participation of all the groups, and that proposal be accompanied by summary/brief report of how issues were identified - that technical assistance be available to Amerindians to prepare proposals and that Amerindians and groups working with Amerindians (as well as others) are aware of this and know who to contact [Ministry of Amerindian Affairs and Ministry of Education] - Ensure that communication media is appropriate for Amerindians, including language, cultural references, etc. 2. That there be a specific methodology to invite the participation (informed consultation) of parents, elders, Amerindian authorities, etc to participate in the discussions and decision making processes for the elaboration of SIP and School Feeding proposals. 3. That monitoring and evaluation of local initiatives and sub-initiatives include Amerindians. 4. That there be a plan for the promotion of EFA-FTI and its initiatives and information about EFA-FTI and its initiatives and that this plan address the needs of Amerindians. This may mean broadcasting information on local radio or television programs in Indigenous languages, holding public assemblies at the local level, etc. 5. That consultations and participation by Amerindians is documented and such documentation is part of required documentation throughout the duration of EFA-FTI (when proposals are submitted for funding, monitoring and supervision reports and final evaluation). 6. That there be a mechanism to manage grievances/complaints from Amerindians regarding educational programs, policies and resources in their area. 7. That there be some mechanism to ensure and improve coordination between groups and various stakeholders so as to avoid duplication of effort. 23 Annex 3: Strategies Proposed in Consultations that took place in the development of the Education Strategic Plan 2003 - 2007 Quality Issues Strategic Issue: To be able to provide better early childhood education. Proposed Strategies: Conduct a national campaign to raise consciousness on the importance of ECE and the duties of parents. Develop a programme to help families and families-to-be become better prepared to raise their children. Create a unitary curriculum for the two years of nursery and the first two years of primary. Prepare special training sessions for teachers in ECE. Make a commitment to dedicate the best teachers in primary to the first years of schooling. Strengthen the ECE teacher certificate by clarifying the knowledge, skills and aptitudes required. Prepare special programmes to support teachers in ECE through CPCE, UG and NCERD. Strategic Issue: To have a more relevant curriculum at all levels of the education system. Proposed Strategies Create a task force to review the curriculum, with working groups for each level. Develop a team in each region to review and revise the curriculum and make proposals to adapt it to each regional reality. Initiate an improvement action plan at each level, incorporating all past and current experiences related to the curriculum. Consider the curriculum a priority in all SIPs and train school personnel in curriculum development. Strategic Issue: To make tertiary education more relevant and capable of contributing to the development of Guyana. Proposed Strategies Create a task force to decide on actions in tertiary education. Maintain institutionalized lines of communication to coordinate actions with UG. Establish a body to oversee tertiary education and promote cooperation among the institutions. Promote technical education in each region, with at least one institute in each region specifically designed to respond to the region’s needs. Carefully study the report of the consultants working on technical education and implement an action plan. Strategic Issue: To obtain significantly better levels of literacy and numeracy among students. Proposed Strategies Organise a national awareness campaign. Create a task force to propose national action on literacy and numeracy. 24 Develop an action plan in each region to improve the level of literacy and numeracy. Revise the nursery and primary curricula with the aim of making full functional literacy and numeracy a goal to be achieved by the end of primary school. Adapt and/or design books and teaching materials to support the effort. Provide teachers at this level with training and special support in the form of a detailed manual for everyday activities. Institute national contests to promote learning in these two major areas. Strategic Issue: To define standards for inputs, processes and outcomes. Proposed Strategies Review and update the present document on non-academic standards. Adapt the document to the needs of each region and evaluate each educational centre in order to create an inventory of needs in each school. The document should be approved by MoE authorities, Government should commit itself to taking all schools to the level established as acceptable, and curriculum experts should analyse the proposals and elaborate guides for all levels. All supervision of schools should be done in the context of these standards. Set minimum and maximum enrollments for each school. Establish the highest possible minimum standards for books, labs, libraries and other support facilities for schools at each level. Consider electricity, communication and running water a must in all schools, using different strategies to ensure that they are provided. Strategic Issue: To improve infrastructure and equipment. Proposed Strategies Put an action plan in place for the rehabilitation/upgrading of all schools, so that, by a date set, all schools will be up to the recommended standards. Produce and use a guide for construction of new schools for all new programs. Put a system for the timely delivery of equipment and supplies into effect with the cooperation of the regional offices. Invite communities to be an integral and active part of the security and maintenance of schools. Create at least one resource centre in each region to give support to schools and help them develop best practices in teaching and learning. The resource centres should organise workshops for teachers on how to develop teaching materials with local ingredients. Equity Issues Strategic Issue: To improve the quality of education in the hinterland regions. Proposed Strategies Draft a model for the development of each regional office. Using this model, upgrade each regional office by the addition of new personnel and training. In each region, draft a school map reflecting all the region’s educational needs. Identify a team of trainers for each region to support schools in the development of SIPs. Develop an SIP for each school in the region. 25 Put in place a programme of maintenance and rehabilitation of old schools and other educational facilities in the region. Carry out a study on strategies for providing power, running water and some form of communication to each school. Establish a construction plan for each region. Establish academic and non-academic standards for each school, with a plan to gradually achieve them. In each region, develop an action plan within the framework of the strategic plan. Develop an MoE monitoring and evaluation system to support the implementation of these plans. Strategic Issue: To obtain universal access to secondary education. Proposed Strategies Urgently decide which secondary schools need to be built immediately. Design a maintenance and construction plan with the participation of all regions. Evaluate the results of the SSRP and GEAP so as to build on them. Appoint a task force to organise a national conference on secondary education and use the results to revise the curriculum and to propose the kind of secondary education the country should offer, drawing on lessons learnt from experience and current developmental issues. Propose relevant changes in teacher training, following the adoption of the new model for secondary education. Make an assessment of the inputs necessary for curriculum changes in the secondary schools and estimate the resources that will be needed. Design, implement and enforce a time-bound action plan to introduce the new curriculum and all its modalities. Strategic Issue: To accelerate the mainstreaming/inclusion of persons with special needs into the education system. Proposed Strategies Appoint a high level task force, with representation from the Ministries of Health, Education and Human Services, to review the current draft national policy on the disabled, especially as it relates to education, and propose an inter-sectoral approach to implementing some of the recommendations. Launch a national awareness campaign. Evaluate each school for exceptional children, and develop a plan to maximise its use. Design programmes in the teacher-training institutions to train the necessary personnel at each level of the system: specialists, special teachers, regular classroom teachers, counselors, etc. Develop special guidelines to help teachers to deal with slow learners, pupils with certain types of disruptive behaviours, and children with exceptional needs. Hold an annual screening exercise in all schools to determine which incoming children are in need of special support. Carry out a national survey to determine the size of the population with exceptional needs. Provide day-care for children with exceptional needs. 26 Social Issues Strategic Issue: To increase stakeholders’ level of participation and commitment. Proposed Strategies Strengthen the National Advisory Commission on Education (NACE) as a permanent stakeholder voice in the system and a way to increase societal support for the Ministry. In each region and school, create a body similar to NACE, with members of these groups (parents, community members) helping to improve their schools and in particular, playing a part in the development of SIPs. At the regional level, encourage and support the development in each school of a programme aimed at helping parents become more conscious of their responsibilities and be better equipped to perform their roles in the family, the school and the community. Evaluate the present situation of PTAs and issue a MoE policy statement supporting them and offering guidelines to all regions and schools. Strategic Issue: To increase the level of respect for and tolerance of diversity. Proposed Strategies Include respect for and tolerance of diversity in the whole curriculum from nursery to university, not as a subject, but as a component of the affective behaviour that every child and young person must develop while in school. Ensure that the organisation and registration of all schools always reflect the desire of Guyana to be one people and one nation, i.e., schools must be inclusive, and no child should be kept out on the basis of ethnicity, religion etc. Make the education system as a whole and each of its institutions role models for tolerance, with mechanisms in place to avoid all kinds of discrimination and to foster cultural and social exchanges among all social groups. Ensure that programmes for parents deal with issues of tolerance and diversity. Establish a yearly contest to identify and reward schools and communities that deal best with these issues. Hold special workshops for teachers. Human Resources Issues Strategic Issue: To produce competent teachers and give them better support. Proposed Strategies Appoint a commission with representatives of CPCE, UG and NCERD to develop an action plan to train the teachers the sector needs, using 3 approaches: one, urgent development of options for training a significant number of current teachers, using all available resources and installations, including distance education and regional centres, and with each region making an input into the design of this national effort; two, common approaches among existing institutions to the preparation of teachers entering the system at each level; and three, development of a system for existing teachers to develop professionally. 27 Improve the quality of supervision provided in the regions, and provide personnel and transportation to ensure that each regional office periodically visits the region’s schools. Link schools to nearby institutions capable of communication with the regional educational offices. Develop a means for teachers to obtain the necessary teaching/learning materials for themselves and their students, and in each region, study how its schools can be supplied with energy, water and other critical supplies. In training institutions, pay special attention to the development of a programme to train secondary school teachers in sufficient numbers. Strategic Issue: To reduce the loss of valuable human resources from the system. Proposed Strategies Establish an HRD unit in the Ministry, with the goal of improved management of the human resources available and decreasing the losses that the system suffers every year. Establish a training centre in the HRD for all non-teaching needs of the Ministry. Reduce the loss of teachers to a minimum through the following steps: Ensure that each candidate receiving training (in and/or before incorporation into the system) sign a contract making him/her legally obliged to work for a number of years determined by the type of training received. If that condition is not met the person and the hiring agency must pay compensation. Evaluate forms of compensation and other incentives for teachers and other MoE employees, in order to offer the best possible conditions by building a comprehensive and feasible reward system. Launch a campaign to develop a sense of vision throughout the system, and to encourage teachers to remain. Provide teachers willing to go to hinterland and riverain areas with special incentives and support to facilitate their acclimatisation. A proposal should be drafted by the Ministry on this issue and pushed for approval. Provide living quarters for teachers in remote areas. Management Issues Strategic Issue: To improve the managerial capabilities of the Ministry of Education. Proposed Strategies Form a high-level task group having access to any outside help needed and available, with the urgent responsibility of examining the different recommendations on re-organisation of the MoE, and of producing a time-bound plan to introduce whatever changes are considered necessary. To meet all the managerial needs of personnel development, create a training unit in the HRD of the MoE with the necessary human and material resources. The first task of this group should be to develop a comprehensive plan that will lead to the institutionalisation of the unit and the training of the necessary personnel at MoE. Institute training for personnel with managerial and administrative duties through a specific programme included each year in the action plan. 28 In each unit of the MoE, use a participatory process to develop a vision of the unit that fits into the overall picture of the institution and describes its role in the Ministry. From that vision it will derive the activities and changes required to be more effective in the future. Develop an adequate system for the MoE to generate the necessary information for managers and decision-makers. This task should be performed by the MIS department supported by the consultant in the area. Develop a programme for an effective financial system in the Ministry. This task should be carried out by the finance department supported by the consultant in the area , and the initiative should be carefully designed and implemented in a timely fashion. Develop an adequate system of human resources management for the MoE, so that these valuable resources can be used in the best way possible, all relevant information is available to managers and decision-makers in the institution, and actions can be completed in a timely and acceptable manner. This task should be carried out by the personnel department supported by the consultant in the area. Strategic Issue: To decentralise the management of the system. Proposed Strategies Name a task force, including REdOs in its membership, to urgently study and propose an adequate structure and mode of functioning for all regional offices, the report to cover all issues related to making these units effective. Institute a training programme to support all the regional offices by providing their personnel with special training as soon as they are selected. The Ministry will form a team to carry out the training in the regions. Organise for each regional office to apply the strategic and action plans to its own region, starting with a school map that will identify its current needs. At the end of an established period the regional offices will have developed their own action plans and will be ready to start implementing them. Institute an approach by the MoE to the TSC to look for ways in which regional directors can be empowered to appoint acting teachers. Clarify lines of authority for the REdOs, defining more clearly the respective roles of the Regional Councils and the Ministry. This initiative might require changes in current legislation. Evaluate procedures for allocation of funds to make the improvement of regional services easier. Develop a vision of responsibility and accountability in all regions, based on their commitment to the advancement of education in their regions and localities. Support Issues Strategic Issue: To obtain the support of other government agencies and civil society for the MoE at the central, regional and local levels. Proposed Strategies Obtain central government approval for the MoE to carry out several experiments to see how the new system of management can be implemented. This decision will open the door to a new structure and a different kind of organisation. 29 Create or hire a specialised unit in the MoE to develop and produce public campaigns to obtain support for MoE and the institutional initiatives that will take place in the period. This unit should present plans on the issues identified by MoE as priorities, with the aim of obtaining public support at all times. Maintain a line of communication between the MoF and the MoE, with the best persons from MoE designated to have systematic exchanges with their counterparts from MoF, in order to be able to secure its support at all times. The same needs to be done with the PSM in order to help them to understand whatever changes are undertaken in the MoE. It is important to have their support at all times so that structures can be revitalised. Develop a mechanism whereby the regions can appoint their acting teachers with final approval coming from the TSC. There is a very strong recommendation by several people that the REdOs be given the power to appoint acting teachers. At present, the Commission is the only agency empowered by the Constitution to carry out this function, although it has previously delegated this authority. Strategic Issue: To obtain adequate financial resources. Proposed Strategies Use the proposed public awareness unit as a fund raising unit, after some special training. Improve the existing working relationship of the MoE with the MoF and seek ways to improve how resources are assigned to and managed by MoE. Institute financial planning in order to minimise problems in the annual development of educational activities caused by delays in the approval of the yearly national budgets. Improve the MoE’s rapport with donors and insert them into the dynamics of the strategic plan in a way that permits their grants and loans to be used in a timely manner, and in the best interests of the educational initiatives of the country. List possible contributors to the educational effort and start or develop relationships with them. Start several national programmes, including an adoption programme (enterprises adopting particular schools); donations for specific programs; a national book fund; and development of teaching material. Consider the introduction of contingency fees at certain levels and/or new special taxes. LCR User C:\Angela\Guyana\EFA\Agreements\IPDP\IP strategy Guyana Ed-Aug8.doc August 9, 2004 9:55 AM 30