There will be no change to the education system in Guyana at the national and/or institutional levels; the only change will come from individual parents/guardians who choose to accept a change in the definition of education from “the process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially at a school or university” to “Education is the process of facilitating learning, or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, morals, beliefs, and habits . ... Education can take place in formal or informal settings, and any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts may be considered educational”.

In my considered opinion, there are no ‘one-size fits all’ means of preparing children for the transition to productive and purposeful adulthood; a recent letter by an academic on this subject completely avoids mention of morality and ethics in the educating of our nations’ children, given his actions in the lead up to and during the 2020 elections, one can only assume that those lessons were never received. We must do more to produce better citizens.

I urge all parents/guardians to consider what sort of individual you want your child to become and to recognize the value of individualism, morality, ethics, creativity, mental and physical health to his/her personal development and longevity.