Many schools reopened their doors last Monday, after a prolonged period of closure due to the Covid 19 pandemic. Many parents and teachers are happy that once again students have the opportunity to engage in face-to-face learning, which they believe is more engaging and effective.
Once the dust is settled and the teaching and learning process is fully back on stream, the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) through the Ministry of Education (MOE) intends to reengage our students, who are our future leaders and business owners, on the importance of Standardisation.
It is crucial that our younger folk understand the importance and applicability of standards to every aspect of their lives as human beings. Standards can affect the products and services that are provided to us in many ways including those related to trade, competitiveness, quality and innovation. Additionally, some standards provide guidelines to protect our environment, while some are referenced in legal requirements.
The GNBS, like many other standard setting institutions across the globe, believes that the whole concept of Standardisation can be entrenched in society’s culture and practices once introduced to the concept at a younger age. The education system in Guyana is structurally ideal for the transfer of such knowledge in a formalised manner.
The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) has been advocating that standards be introduced in schools so as to allow students to be sufficiently educated on the benefits of standards. The ISO believes that from this initiative, there can be a transition from the early levels to higher learning and ultimately the working environment where products and services are produced and provided.
In the past, the Bureau has routinely conducted lecture sessions for secondary school students across the country. In these sessions, students learned about the services the GNBS offers to protect consumers and to guarantee improved products and services. They also learn of the importance of measurements for trade. Older students who are preparing for the world of work are also provided with knowledge on the career opportunities available in Standardisation, locally and internationally.
The engagements did not only benefit students of secondary schools but the GNBS facilitated engagements with pupils at the primary level as well. In 2017, the GNBS launched an initiative in collaboration with the Ministry of Education (MOE) to teach pupils at the primary school level about the use and importance of standards. This “Standards in Academia Initiative” was geared to be a bold and timely effort to make Standardisation a part of the primary schools’ curriculum. No doubt, the countrywide Quiz competition, which saw pupils from 10 selected schools in Regions 3, 4, 6 participating, was an incredible success. As soon as the Education system returns to a state of normalcy, the GNBS plans to approach the MOE to conduct another of such Quiz competition, and implement other initiatives, which are beneficial to the sector.
In closing, it is important for learning opportunities to be created for every individual to understand the usefulness of standards, which helps to make our lives easier in every way.
For further information on this subject, contact the GNBS on telephone numbers: 219-0064 or 219-0065 or WhatsApp us on 692-4627.
