Minister of Education Sonia Parag recently announced that her ministry has embarked on implementing a range of new initiatives while expanding existing interventions to increase the Mathematics pass rates nationwide.
During an interview on the Starting Point Podcast, Parag commended her predecessor, Priya Manickchand, now Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, for her work at the ministry and for launching the Mathematics Intervention Programme. Parag noted that she plans to build on this foundation and amplify student outcomes.
She highlighted the 5% increase in Guyana’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) mathematics passes last year, noting that while the figure may appear modest, it represents more than 500 students.
“You’ve had an improvement in Mathematics for over 500 students. So it tells you that the investment that we’re making, the initiatives that we’re putting forward, the policies that we’re putting forward, they were working,” Parag said.
She acknowledged that even passing Mathematics at the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) can be challenging, stressing that investments alone do not automatically translate into higher pass rates. The minister said students must also be supported in spite of their individual abilities.
Parag also described the CSEC and NGSA Mathematics mock examinations as a great initiative that provides insight into areas requiring improvement. She said results from the recently completed NGSA mock exams showed that fractions remain a weakness for some students.
“So we have to work on fractions. We’ll work on the methodologies. We’ll work on different things,” the minister assured the citizenry.
One such measure, the minister said, is the expansion of the Mathematics Intervention Programme. She disclosed that when she assumed office, there were just over 50 mathematics monitors, some overseeing multiple schools, but that number has since increased to 84. She also revealed that 18 hinterland schools are benefiting from the programme for the first time through virtual classes, while additional steps are being taken to provide face-to-face support.
Further, she explained that Mathematics monitors will be deployed to hinterland regions for weeks at a time to work directly with students. “So, it’s not only virtual, and so I expect that in the second mock exams, we’ll see an improvement from the first, and likewise, in the final exams,” she added.
Another initiative highlighted by the education minister is the “Adopt a School” programme, under which Deputy Chief Education Officers and other education officials dedicate months at a time to working closely with schools to ensure the curriculum is properly delivered and teaching methods are effective.
“So they are monitoring these schools, not monitoring them from a distance but being there, being present,” the minister said.
The minister further disclosed that the ministry plans to introduce Mathematics tents in communities and to continue publishing Mathematics lessons on its social media platforms for students to access.
On long-term interventions, Parag said the ministry is reviewing the standardisation of teaching methods. “This is not me saying my idea is this. This is me saying that I’ve sat with Maths teachers. I have sat with these Maths monitors. I sat with the leadership of the ministry, and went through this to understand how we can work together to improve student outcomes…,” the minister concluded.