Guyana’s struggle with mathematics requires a fundamental shift away from an examination-driven approach toward one that develops reasoning, problem-solving and practical application, according to Dr. Karen Abrams, executive director and founder of Pathway Online Academy and STEMGuyana.
In a strongly argued op-ed, published in Kaieteur News, Abrams is calling on the Ministry of Education to establish a national mechanism for engaging mathematics specialists wherever they are found—including in the Guyanese diaspora, universities, research institutions, engineering and technology industries and programmes already exposing students to advanced mathematics.
Her central argument is that improving examination pass rates alone will not resolve Guyana’s mathematics challenge.
“Guyana cannot solve its mathematics problem by treating mathematics as a subject to be passed. It must cultivate mathematics as a way of thinking.”
Abrams said too many students are taught mathematics primarily as a collection of rules, formulas and familiar question types. While acknowledging the value of memorisation, fluency and practice, she argued that these approaches do not necessarily equip students to solve unfamiliar problems.
She proposed that mathematics specialists work alongside, rather than replace, classroom teachers by developing richer learning tasks, coaching teachers, mentoring students, strengthening assessments and creating opportunities for students to tackle problems for which there is no memorised formula.
Beyond Examination Performance
The call comes amid continuing concerns over mathematics performance in Guyana’s schools.
The Ministry of Education reported that the CSEC Mathematics pass rate increased from 27 per cent in 2024 to 32 per cent in 2025, while the National Grade Six Assessment Mathematics pass rate rose from about 40 per cent to 55 per cent over the same period.
Abrams acknowledged the improvement but cautioned against treating higher pass rates as proof that students are becoming stronger mathematical thinkers.
She pointed to her experience at STEMGuyana, where some students who perform well in CSEC Mathematics struggle when required to apply those concepts in robotics and other practical settings.
“Some students who have earned an A in CSEC Mathematics still struggle when they must apply concepts they know well to make a robot turn accurately, interpret sensor readings, calculate a gear ratio, determine an optimal route, diagnose an error or defend a design choice.”
She said the gap illustrates the difference between procedural competence and transferable problem-solving ability.
Expanding Advanced Mathematics
Abrams identified the Blackman-Waddell Summer Math Institute, led by Dr. Terrence Richard Blackman and Dr. Cleveland Waddell in partnership with STEMGuyana, as an example of the type of initiative she believes Guyana should expand.
The programme focuses on advanced problem-solving, proof, geometry, statistics, computational thinking, coding, number theory, cryptography and mathematical modelling. It encourages students to question assumptions, explain their reasoning, collaborate and persist when confronted with unfamiliar problems.
Abrams also criticised what she described as institutional obstacles faced by the programme, including the reported decision by the Queen’s College Board to deny the Math Camp use of its laboratory shortly before its scheduled start. She said a Ministry of Education official subsequently prevented the camp from using alternative taxpayer-funded facilities.
“These decisions demonstrate either a troubling failure to understand, or a complete disregard for, the enormity of the mathematics crisis confronting our nation’s children.”
She argued that such programmes should not be viewed simply as enrichment for a small group of gifted students but as models for broader mathematics reform.
A National Specialist Partnership
Abrams is proposing a National Mathematics Specialist Partnership linking Guyanese mathematicians, educators and specialists in the diaspora with classroom teachers, the Cyril Potter College of Education, the University of Guyana, STEMGuyana, professional associations and industry.
The partnership, she suggested, could develop non-routine mathematics problems rooted in Guyanese realities, including flood forecasting, drainage, transportation, energy consumption, crop yields, budgeting, coding and robotics.
She also called for regional mathematics laboratories and holiday institutes, including in hinterland communities, as well as teacher demonstration lessons and lesson-study programmes.
Assessment, she argued, should place greater emphasis on explanation, mathematical modelling, alternative strategies and error analysis rather than simply the final answer.
Abrams linked the reform directly to Guyana’s economic transformation, arguing that growth in oil and gas and related industries will increase demand for workers capable of quantitative reasoning, modelling and problem-solving.
“An oil-producing economy cannot outsource its intellectual future.”
Engineering, data analysis, logistics, environmental monitoring, risk management, finance, automation, cybersecurity and technology entrepreneurship, she said, will require workers able to solve problems that have no answer waiting in a past paper.
Abrams said the Ministry therefore faces a choice between leaving specialist expertise on the margins and deliberately mobilising it for national development.
“Guyana does not need more students who can only recognise the question. It needs more young people who can define the problem, choose a strategy, test a model, explain a result and build a solution.”
“That is the mathematics muscle an ambitious country must now develop,” she concluded.
