Guyana gets US$6.7M education grant from World Bank  

The World Bank has approved a US$6.7 million grant for Guyana that seeks to improve learning in nursery schools, increase technology use in primary schools, and improve functionality of the national education management information system.

A release from the Bank on Wednesday said the grant is part of its Global Partnership for Education (GPE).

According to Ozan Sevimli, the World Bank Resident Representative for Jamaica and Guyana, Guyana’s education sector has made progress in the last 15 years.

He added that while there have been improvements, the learning outcomes remain low, and improving the quality of education at all levels will be the priority for Guyana to develop its human capital.

Meanwhile, Alice Albright, the Chief Executive Officer of GPE said it will continue to help make Guyana’s education system more resilient and effective so that the most vulnerable girls and boys can go to school and learn.

 “As the impact of the pandemic on education is still being felt around the world, GPE’s support to strengthen education in Guyana is more critical than ever,” she added.

The Education project, at the nursery level, will support teacher training to improve pedagogy or the method of teaching and delivery of a new curriculum.

Training will include foundational skills, as well as student-centered pedagogy, formative assessments, and socio-emotional aspects, which are of particular importance during the pandemic.

The project will also provide learning materials and deliver parental education.

At the primary level, the financing will equip schools with computer tablets to enable them to use technology for foundational skills like mathematics and literacy, as well as smart classrooms to support learning.

Finally, the project will finance the further development and roll out of an integrated education management information system at the national level in the nursery, primary and secondary sectors.

This enhanced system will generate information, enabling stakeholders across levels to make informed and evidence-based decisions.

Further, this project will complement two ongoing projects financed by the World Bank’s International Development Association. The Education Sector Improvement Project aims to improve mathematics education and the University of Guyana’s Faculty of Health Sciences.

Additionally, the Secondary Education Improvement Project will be aimed at strengthening innovative teaching methods, increasing enrollment in secondary schools, and supporting school construction.