GUYANA is seeking to learn from Jamaica in the establishment of its own national parent-teacher association (PTA) that will foster the active engagement of parents in the education system.

PTA coordinator in Guyana’s Education Ministry Nadia Hollingsworth was in the island recently, visiting several schools, where she got first-hand experience of parent-teacher bodies at work.

She also participated in the National Parent-Teacher Association of Jamaica (NPTAJ) Sixth Biennial General Meeting and National Conference held on July 14 at Jamaica College in St Andrew.

In an interview with JIS News following her address at the event, Hollingsworth informed that her one-week visit was to “seek assistance and knowledge in moving forward, so that we can have this body in our region to better serve our parents and students”.

She noted that students in Guyana perform well academically, but argued that better results could emerge with parents supporting the schools through a structured organisation that operates in a manner similar to the NPTAJ.

“I will take back with me a wealth of knowledge and experience from this exercise, so that in Guyana we will be able to have our national parent-teacher association going,” she said.

Immediate past president of the NPTAJ Everton Hannam told JIS News that Jamaica is deeply involved in discussions to launch the Caribbean Council of National PTAs slated for early 2019.

He said that other countries in the Caribbean face the same issues and challenges in education, and these could be addressed collaboratively through a regional body.