Guyana is working to modernise its education system and better position its young people for the demands of a rapidly evolving global economy, prompting renewed calls for greater national investment in teachers.
While the country has expanded access to education, stakeholders acknowledge that Guyana still has ground to cover in fully integrating technology and strengthening science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) instruction. Among the organisations seeking to help close that gap is STEMGuyana, which has been playing a leading role in equipping both students and teachers with the digital skills needed to compete in the 21st century.
In that vein, STEMGuyana recently launched a free, one-day online artificial intelligence (AI) workshop exclusively for public school teachers to support the integration of AI into classroom instruction. Due to high demand, additional sessions are being planned, and hundreds of teachers have already participated.
Reflecting on a recent national engagement, Karen Abrams, MBA, AA, a doctoral candidate stated: “Last week, [STEMGuyana] had the distinct honour of engaging with more than 700 teachers. I personally spent time in deep conversation with more than 400 of them on the topic of artificial intelligence and its implications for teaching and learning. In a country the size of Guyana, those numbers are not incidental. They represent a meaningful share of the national teaching workforce choosing to give their time, attention, and mental energy to professional growth in a rapidly changing world. That choice matters.
“Professional learning is often treated as a checkbox exercise, something endured rather than embraced. Yet these teachers showed up voluntarily. They listened closely. They asked thoughtful questions. They demonstrated curiosity and courage at a moment when the demands on teachers are heavier than ever. Conservatively, this group represents more than 10 percent of Guyana’s teachers signaling a desire to learn, adapt, and do better for their students.”
The workshop focuses on helping educators use AI tools to reduce lesson preparation time, strengthen lesson plans and enhance student engagement, while maintaining the teacher’s central role. Participants receive practical training and a certificate of completion. The initiative forms part of STEMGuyana’s broader mission to advance STEM education nationwide and provide educators with modern tools to better prepare students for a technology-driven future.
The push to strengthen teacher capacity was also underscored in an op-ed published in the February 7, 2026 edition of Kaieteur News, which urged greater national investment in educators, arguing that teacher effectiveness remains one of the most powerful in-school factors influencing student achievement and long-term success.
The article, written by Abrams, Executive Director of STEMGuyana, highlighted extensive research showing that teachers significantly shape student outcomes. Citing education researcher John Hattie’s large-scale synthesis of studies, Abrams noted that teacher effectiveness ranks among the strongest influences on student achievement, engagement and long-term trajectories.
“A good teacher does not simply deliver content. A good teacher changes trajectories and we see this reflected repeatedly in real lives,” Abrams wrote.
The column referenced international examples to illustrate the impact of strong teacher engagement. In the United States, Abrams cited the case of Erin Gruwell, a high school English teacher in Long Beach, California, whose work with at-risk students became widely known through the Freedom Writers story. Gruwell’s students, many facing poverty, violence and low expectations, graduated at rates exceeding district averages. Longitudinal evaluations later showed improved literacy, attendance and post-secondary enrollment among her students.
The piece also pointed to rural India, where teacher-led literacy interventions documented by the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab demonstrated that structured coaching and support for teachers significantly improved reading and numeracy outcomes for low-income students. Abrams noted that when teachers were given training, mentoring and autonomy, student learning gains followed quickly and measurably.
“These stories are not anomalies. They are evidence,” she wrote.
Abrams argued that teachers spend more waking hours with children than most other members of society and therefore play a central role in shaping attitudes toward learning, authority and self-belief. This reality, she said, creates a national obligation for parents, governments and institutions to ensure teachers are supported, respected and well-prepared.
Drawing on Self-Determination Theory, developed by Edward Deci and Richard Ryan, Abrams emphasized the importance of autonomy, competence and relatedness in fostering motivation and learning. She highlighted relatedness — the quality of the relationship between teacher and student — as particularly critical in classroom research.
“Relatedness refers to the quality of the relationship between teacher and student. When students feel seen, respected, and understood by their teachers, engagement increases and resistance decreases,” she wrote, citing studies published in Educational Psychologist and Review of Educational Research that link strong teacher-student relationships to higher academic achievement, improved behavior and greater persistence, particularly among students facing socioeconomic challenges.
The op-ed also outlined the complex realities teachers navigate daily, including classrooms with wide disparities in academic preparation, home stability, nutrition and emotional regulation. Abrams noted that within a single 40-minute lesson, teachers may confront students several grade levels apart in understanding while working with the same curriculum expectations.
Technology, she wrote, offers opportunities to support differentiated instruction. Research from the OECD and UNESCO suggests that adaptive learning tools, formative assessment platforms and AI-supported tutoring systems can help personalise instruction and provide timely feedback. However, Abrams cautioned that such tools are effective only when teachers receive proper training and support, adding that studies show technology without professional development can increase stress rather than value.
Turning specifically to Guyana, Abrams called for teachers to be treated as “gems,” emphasising the need for preparation, support, respect and fair compensation, along with access to modern tools and high-quality training.
Referencing a recent engagement with hundreds of teachers, she noted that many remain committed to growth and excellence despite ongoing pressures.
“That commitment deserves more than applause. It deserves investment,” she stated.
The article concluded with a call to action: “Let us acknowledge teachers. Let us elevate them to the levels they deserve. And let us invest in teachers so that they can effectively invest in our children.”
Guyana’s ambition to strengthen STEM education and digital readiness will depend heavily on how well it empowers its teachers. Initiatives like STEMGuyana’s AI training, combined with broader policy support, signal a shift toward placing educators at the centre of national development and global competitiveness.
