This year marks 50 years since Guyana introduced co-education in public secondary schools — a landmark reform allowing boys and girls to attend the same institutions, promoting gender equality and social integration. Implemented in 1975 under the People’s National Congress (PNC) government led by then Prime Minister Forbes Burnham, co-education was seen as a quiet revolution in forging gender equality and equity as part of Burnham’s transformative agenda in national development.
However, social activist and talk show host Mark Benschop has sharply criticised former Minister of Education and current Minister of Local Government, Priya Manickchand, for politicising this milestone. In a recent social media post, Manickchand celebrated the achievements of Queen’s College—once an all-boys institution and one of Guyana’s premier secondary schools—while appearing to attribute credit for the school’s success and its students’ accomplishments to the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) government.
Benschop called the minister’s conduct “inappropriate, disrespectful, and a disservice to the entire education system—not just Queen’s College.” He urged that the milestone be recognized honestly and non-politically, condemning what he described as the usual partisan behaviour associated with Manickchand. “No political party has any sole ownership for education. However, if there should be any ownership, it should be the People’s National Congress that instituted co-education in Guyana, but still we don’t see the PNC running out there to score cheap political points,” Benschop said.
Benschop expressed concern that Manickchand was not honest in her acknowledgment of Guyana’s educational achievements. He pointed out that while she highlighted the 1997 success of female student Mohalani Chatterdeo—who received the Most Outstanding CSEC Award alongside then-President Janet Jagan—she failed to mention that Cecil Cox, who won the Most Outstanding CAPE Student Award in the Caribbean in 2015, received that honor under the administration of A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC). According to the social activist, Manickchand’s omission suggests her post was more about scoring political points than fairly recognising a historic national achievement.
Benschop also criticised Manickchand’s tenure as Education Minister, stating, “She was not focused on the sector. If she were to be graded, she gets a D-.” Drawing from his own experience as an executive member of the Queen’s College Parent Teachers Association (PTA), he recalled that many concerns raised by the PTA were ignored during her time as minister. “Queen’s College was neglected when she was the minister, and now there is this sudden interest in Queen’s College — all things Queen’s College — and it is noted.”
Despite notable progress in access to education Guyana continues to face significant challenges in learning outcomes and equity. Benschop contends that Priya Manickchand’s dismal performance as Minister of Education left the PPP with no choice but to reassign her to the Ministry of Local Government. Despite over 27 years in power and more than GY$2.863 trillion spent between 2021 and 2024 alone, the administration has consistently failed to meet the expectations of the people.
He pointed to the PPP’s heavy focus on spending, while critical outcomes—like education—continue to deteriorate. In 2024, only 34 percent of students scored over 50 percent in all subjects at the NGSA, a stark indication that the majority of Guyanese children are still not receiving a sound primary education.
A recent World Bank report also noted that while strides are being made in expanding access to education, with enrollment. learning outcomes remain weak across all stages of education. According to the Human Capital Index, a child born in Guyana today is expected to reach only half of their full productive potential due to gaps in education and health—placing the country below the average for both the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region and upper middle-income nations.
While students in Guyana typically complete around 12.2 years of schooling, the quality-adjusted measure—Learning-Adjusted Years of Schooling (LAYS)—reduces this to just 6.8 years. This gap has been further widened by the COVID-19 pandemic, with projections suggesting a loss of 1.6 LAYS due to a 13-month school closure. The IMF has also identified a national skills shortage, linking it to the country’s underwhelming educational outcomes and lower school enrollment compared to regional peers.
And according to UNESCO’s International Institute for Educational Planning, only around 31% of students earn a full Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC), with the rate dropping to 11% in hinterland regions. A World Bank report similarly points to systemic weaknesses across the Caribbean, including inadequate teacher training and outdated curricula, contributing to poor academic performance.
According to Benschop, “Manickchand’s record is one of poor performance.” His critique highlights the urgent need for nonpartisan recognition—not only of the need to reform the education system, but also of the importance of acknowledging both its milestones and its failures.
The social activist expressed hope that, as Guyana continues to grapple with issues of political transparency and honesty, the nation will resist efforts—particularly by the PPP—to overlook or erase the contributions of previous governments, including the PNC and the APNU+AFC, to the country’s development.
