Education initiative to assess performance levels of school
Guyana Chronicle
February 27, 2004

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THE Ministry of Education has embarked on a new initiative, called the Annual School Effective Ranking and Awards Scheme, which has the objective of assessing the effectiveness of the performances of schools throughout Guyana.

Minister of Education Dr. Henry Jeffrey launched the initiative yesterday at the National Centre for Education Resource Development (NCERD), Kingston.

Under the initiative, schools would be required to conduct self-audits each term, and the staff of each school would be responsible for the improvement of their respective institutions. A four-point rating scale and a percentage scale are included for use to determine the extent to which the operations meet the standards set by the Ministry of Education.

A stuffed anteater for Prince Andrew
Prince Andrew is presented with a stuffed anteater during his tour of a special Amerindian exhibition mounted in his honour on Wednesday at the Botanic Gardens. (Picture by Winston Oudkerk)


According to the Ministry, user-friendly instruments would be used to measure the extent to which schools implement policies, adhere to the required procedures and practices, and utilise available resources in pursuit of their educational goals.

These instruments would enable the staff of schools to gauge their own performances in terms of efficiency in the management of their resources. Areas to be monitored include community alliance, the physical environment, attendance, punctuality, academic achievement and supervision.

The Ministry said that external assessors will use the same instruments to conduct summative evaluations, and these assessors will comprise officers from the Department of Education, and a representative each from the Educational Committee and Parent Teachers Association.

A corresponding manual, which provides clear and simple guidelines on the use of the instruments of assessment, will be provided to each school to facilitate a standardised approach to the assessment exercise.

Each Educational District will have a Rank Order Table, which has been developed for each sector. All schools will be accounted for under this system where points would be awarded to schools based on their effective performances.

Regional Democratic Councils (RDCs) will be responsible for publicising these tables.

It is anticipated by education authorities that the table of ranking and awards would result in institutional and public pressure for improved performances in schools, and would enable Education Officers to identify more easily the weaknesses in schools, and, through insightful interventions, implement corrective measures to enhance performances. (Chamanlall Naipaul)