Literacy Must Come First — Why Literacy is the Foundation of Innovation and the Key to Guyana’s Digital Future

Apr 13, 2025 Features / Columnists, News, Waterfalls Magazine

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By Karen Abrams, MBA, AA, Doctoral Candidate

Kaieteur News- Everywhere you turn in Guyana these days, the talk is about oil wealth and the many opportunities it promises. But while the excitement builds over oil dollars and big development projects, there’s something even more important quietly waiting for our attention. If we ignore it, we risk missing the real chance to transform our beautiful country for generations to come.

That something is literacy. Yes, simple, basic literacy. Every child, in every village, in every region of Guyana must be able to read, understand, and express themselves clearly. Without this, our dreams of building a successful technology-driven future, powered by artificial intelligence, will slip out of reach.

I see this every day through our programmes at STEMGuyana. We’ve invested in advanced AI-powered platforms, and they are incredible tools. But here’s the truth, when a child struggles to read or understand instructions, even the smartest AI won’t be able to help them, unless we first recognise literacy as the barrier and build solutions that address it directly. If a child doesn’t understand the question, they certainly won’t understand the answer, no matter how sophisticated the technology.

Sadly, this is the reality for too many of our children. National assessment reports show that about 50 per cent of students on the coast and in the hinterland fail to meet basic reading benchmarks by grade two and the problem continues in grades four and even grade six. These statistics represent our future doctors, engineers, nurses, farmers, and entrepreneurs. If we do not equip them with foundation skills like literacy and numeracy, their chances of finishing school, earning a decent income, and participating in Guyana’s technology future will be severely limited.

This literacy crisis is a national emergency. It’s not something the Ministry of Education should be expected to fix alone. The literacy problem often begins very early in our homes. Therefore, every single one of us who has the time should volunteer even two hours a week to help teach a child in our community to read. We would be fooling ourselves to believe that AI or any technology or government plan alone can fix this problem.

In fact, even the newest AI tools like ChatGPT depend heavily on human input to generate high quality results. Clear instructions, proper sentence structure, and well-framed questions are essential for getting good results. For example, asking AI to “build a website” is far too general. But if you say, “Build a mobile-friendly website for a small eco-tourism business that is easy for elderly customers to use,” you’ll get a much better outcome. For our children to achieve this level of precision, they must think clearly, read well, and express themselves properly.

That’s why at STEMGuyana, we expanded our work beyond technology alone. We now offer core academic courses, because we understand that if our students do not build a strong foundation in literacy and numeracy, they will not be able to thrive in the new 21st century AI-powered world. Our online academy uses AI, yes, but we have also integrated human facilitators who will soon guide students, help them frame better questions, and encourage them to not just look for answers, but to understand how to get to the answer.

I remember one student struggling with fractions. He turned to the AI chatbot and asked, “How do I divide mixed numbers with real-life examples?” That’s the kind of progress we want to see, a child learning not just how to solve a problem, but how to ask the right question.

We also use tools like text-to-speech so that children who are still developing their reading skills are not left behind. Every child deserves a fair chance, whether they are in Georgetown or in the far reaches of the hinterland. For many hinterland students, who face fewer resources, the Learning Pod programme and our online academy are game changers. These programmes bring high-quality academic support directly to them, along with trained facilitators who help bridge the gap between technology and understanding.

Some people believe that with AI, reading and writing won’t matter as much. But they are wrong. Without literacy, AI will only widen the gap between those who have opportunities and those who do not. AI will work beautifully for children who already have good reading and comprehension skills, but it will leave behind those who struggle. If we want our farmers to use soil analysis apps, if we want our nurses to read AI diagnostics, if we want our young entrepreneurs to take advantage of fintech solutions, they must first be able to read and understand the information.

This is why I am convinced that literacy must be the starting point for all our STEM education. It is not a side subject. It is the foundation. Policymakers need to see this clearly. Literacy is the language through which our children will unlock the power of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

When I look at the children in our Learning Pods, I see more than just kids doing math and science exercises. I see future leaders learning to shape their future. I see children learning to communicate with tomorrow’s technologies. I see children learning to dream bigger.

As a nation, we must be very clear, in this age of AI, literacy is not old-fashioned. It is our passport to the future. And for Guyana, that passport is far more valuable than oil.

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