Minister of Education, Sonia Parag, has established a National Mathematics Taskforce to examine current performance trends across all school levels and craft a comprehensive, sustainable strategy to improve mathematics performance nationally.
The taskforce, which comprises specialists from every region, recently convened its first meeting at the National Centre for Education and Research Development (NCERD) auditorium in Kingston, Georgetown.
Minister Parag, in her address to the educators, reminded them that their mandate is to devise a plan that strengthens how mathematics is taught and grasped in schools, recognising that not all mathematics experts are capable of effectively teaching the subject.
As such, she instructed the taskforce to look closely at teacher training and professional development, focusing on how to best balance content knowledge with instructional delivery.
This means any plan to improve the subject must start at the level of the teacher’s training college – the Cyril Potter College of Education – and address the way teachers themselves are being taught to teach.
“You have teachers who have the knowledge, but they don’t know how to deliver; you have teachers who can deliver, but they don’t have the knowledge. So, we still have to align those things so that you have more teachers who have the knowledge and can also deliver in the classroom,” Minister Parag said.
“And I don’t think it’s to be offensive to any teacher,” the minister said. “It’s just saying that perhaps we at the Ministry of Education need to improve the way we are training our teachers.”
Minister Parag also emphasised the need for deeper student comprehension rather than memorisation and test preparation alone. She noted that true understanding is necessary for learners to navigate complex examination questions.
“We need to rethink whether we’re teaching children to understand mathematics or teaching them to memorise just to pass an exam. It’s something very serious because if you prepare them to understand mathematics, then even if a curveball is thrown, it’s not going to throw them off, and that is what we should be aiming for now,” Parag affirmed.
She also encouraged the taskforce to examine the psychological hurdles that prevent learners from approaching mathematics with optimism.
“For many students, from the time you hear mathematics, there’s already a block in your head. There is already that block, so the teacher has that extra effort they have to put in to now break down that block and then teach. Breaking down that block is something that we don’t necessarily take into account,” the Education Minister acknowledged.
Touching on the issue of literacy, she highlighted how this also hinders mathematics performance.
“For a child to properly answer a mathematics question, they first have to be able to read it correctly and understand what exactly the question is asking them to do,” Minister Parag said.
Therefore, to support teachers, the ministry is aligning mathematical readiness with early literacy development, ensuring that children, from as early as nursery school, have the necessary foundational skills to read and comprehend. To this end, Minister Parag has introduced several literacy assessments to ensure that poor performance can be easily detected and remedied with targeted support.
“We will now have national literacy assessments in Grades Two and Four. The idea behind that is by Grade Four, all of our children must know how to read properly and comprehend well. If they can’t do that, it means they can’t answer exam questions. It means they cannot reason, which is what mathematics is – reasoning,” Minister Parag surmised.
Throughout the session, the educators discussed a number of recommendations, including the establishment of a rewards programme, a national mathematics competition, mathematics clubs across all schools, the implementation of standard weekly evaluations and the creation of ‘maths walls’ for every classroom to outline formulas and theories.
There were also suggestions for schools to host fun and interactive games that align with topics being covered.
“We’ve been trying everything for years and while we have seen improvements, more still needs to be done. This is not a Guyana problem; poor maths performance is affecting the entire world, but we must do what we can to stop it here,” Minister Parag charged.
She continued, “I will work with you every step of the way, but you are the experts so I am reliant on you to come up with a strategy that will work as a long-term solution.”
Moving forward, the minister insisted that the strategy must be fully collaborative, directing the taskforce to take the draft to every single administrative region so that it can benefit from intensive consultations and input from mathematics teachers and headteachers across the country.
“They have to be engaged and I want them to be in agreement with the final plan before anything is implemented,” the Education Minister instructed.
Moreover, she emphasised that the government’s extensive investments in schools, resources and training must be matched by strong leadership and supervision at the school level.
“Leaders have to lead; they have to supervise and ensure that quality instructions are delivered in the classrooms and that this is resulting in good students learning.”
Minister Parag also highlighted the role of Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) in creating a supportive bridge between the home and the classroom. This led to a discussion on the need for improved parental support and involvement across all school levels.
“This is what I am hoping to achieve as I continue to move across various schools and regions to meet with the PTAs,” Minister Parag shared.
“The ministry cannot do it alone, the teachers cannot do it alone and our children cannot do it alone. Their development requires the best of all of us,” she said firmly.
Minister Parag energised the gathered specialists to view the upcoming strategy as a definitive turning point that charts a bright future for mathematics education throughout Guyana.
“I want this to be a new beginning for mathematics,” the Education Minister declared.
Discover more from INews Guyana
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
