MOE Strategic Plan 2003-2007

Introduction

Education has been signalled as a national priority. The National Development Strategy (NDS) document and the Guyana Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (GPRSP) contain clear statements to this effect. There is considerable agreement in the society that the road to national development can be achieved only through learning and hard work. There is a profound level of consciousness in the leadership of the country that it is necessary to improve the human capital of Guyana by giving all citizens the opportunity to grow to their fullest potential, paving the way to greater productivity and economic development.

During the past decade the Government has made substantial efforts to improve the education system. The proportion of the national budget allocated to education was increased by over ten percent; international loans from different agencies and bilateral cooperation from some countries have supported initiatives in the education sector; and some significant changes have been introduced. In 1995, the Ministry released the Education Policy Document, outlining several options to improve the schools and the learning taking place in the country.

In March 2000 a consultant’s evaluation of the results of this plan showed that some significant improvements had been achieved. The report detailed successes and failures, but overall showed a government and an education system committed to improving and to ensuring a better future for the younger generations.

As a continuation of these efforts, a Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) was formed under the leadership of the Chief Planning Officer (CPO) of the Ministry of Education (MoE) to develop a strategic plan covering the period from 2003 to 2007. Twelve officers from various levels and departments in the Ministry were charged with developing the new plan and outlining the direction that the Ministry should follow during this five-year period. The work of this team was also supported by an international consultant.

The consultation process which was part of the planning process was extensive. Trips were completed to each of the regions, and experts from different sectors and members of civil society were invited to participate in various meetings and task teams. The process in itself must be considered a great achievement.

The outcome of all this work was not only a written plan, but the development of a strategic planning system that could respond to the implementation of the plan by generating the evaluations, the new thinking, and the adaptations required by its results.

To facilitate a full understanding of the plan and the process that led to it, this document has been structured into four parts. The first outlines the methodogy used in developing the plan and the framework in which the process took place; the second part presents the mission, strategic issues, and priorities identified during the consultations; the third part details the plan itself; and the fourth part discusses its feasibility.

ACRONYMS

ACEO	Assistant Chief Education Officer
AIDS	Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
BEAMS	Basic Education & Management Support (Project)
CARICOM	Caribbean Community
CHS	Community High School
CPCE	Cyril Potter College of Education
CPO	Chief Planning Officer
CSEC	Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate
DFID	Department for International Development
ECE	Early Childhood Education
EN	Escuela Nueva
GBET	Guyana Basic Education Teachers’ Training
GDP	Gross Domestic Product
GEAP	Guyana Education Access Project
GEMP	Guyana Economic Management Programme
GPRS	Guyana Poverty Reduction Strategy
GPRSP	Guyana Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper
GUIDE	Guyana Inservice Distance Education Programme
HFLE	Health & Family Life Education
HRD	Human Resource Development
IDB	Inter-American Development Bank
IRI	Interactive Radio Instruction
MIS	Management Information Systems
MoE	Ministry of Education
MoF	Ministry of Finance
NACE	National Advisory Committee on Education
NCERD	National Centre for Education Resource Development
NDS	National Development Strategy
OAS	Organisation of American States
PEIP	Primary School Improvement Project
PIC	Practical Instruction Centre
PSM	Public Service Ministry
PTA	Parent Teachers Association
PUTT	Planning Unit Task Team
SIAC	School Improvement Action Committees
SIMAP	Social Impact Amelioration Programme
SIP	School Improvement Plan
SME	School Mapping Exercise
SPC	Strategic Planning Committee
SSRP	Secondary School Reform Programme
STEP	Skills Training & Employment Programme
SWOT	Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats
TSC	Teaching Service Commission
TVET	Technical and Vocational Education and Training
UG	University of Guyana
UNESCO	United Nations Education, Scientific & Cultural Organisation
USE	Universal Secondary Education