UG hosts Consultation on Writing

Today, the Minister of Education, Hon. Nicolette Henry along with officers within the Ministry of Education participated in a ‘Consultation on Writing’ held at the University of Guyana. 

The engagement was organised by the University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ivelaw Griffith, to address what has been described as a serious deficiency in the writing skills of many persons in the workplace, whether it be graduates or non-graduates.

Attending the consultation were representatives from UG, the University of the West Indies, Banks DIH Limited, the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) and the University of Guyana’s Students’ Society.

Speaking initially on behalf of the Ministry of Education, was Director of the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD), Ms. Jennifer Cumberbatch. She said that writing communication involves writing, expressing one’s self clearly, language and precision, note taking and report writing.

Ms. Cumberbatch said that in the past NCERD had approached the University to address the said issue the consultation sought to address to the point that modules were developed for a programme to be implemented in a few primary schools as a pilot project before taking it countrywide. However, that initiative was not able to get off the ground.

Participants who are technical officers within their respective organisations shared views about the quality of writing presented by their colleagues.

It was noted that while some persons may possess the technical knowledge to perform duties within their positions, a great number of those individuals have difficulty writing reports to submit to superiors or to simply place on record.

Based on reports, this deficiency is growing and is common with some graduates from the University of Guyana. As such, some organisations have begun offering staff opportunities to learn proper writing skills while on the job to enhance their capacity.

The students’ representative highlighted that youths are generally bombarded with various forms of language in order to effectively communicate. These include standard english, informal english, creole and social media language.

According to Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Michael Scott, the purpose of the consultation is to begin the conversation about the issue and to highlight ways in which it can be addressed which is not limited to policy formation.