The Ministry of Education’s first-ever radio station EdYou FM (99.7 FM) is seeking to create content targeting mature students and adults this year.
EdYou FM is part of the ministry’s mission to provide youths with equitable access to education, despite their geographical location.
National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD), Acting Coordinator, Distance Learning and Information Unit, Ayanna Waddell, said while the agency primarily focuses on circulating educational programmes for young children, the new project will also entertain its audience.
“We have so much time to play with where the radio is concerned, and so we are hoping to build into edutainment (concept) in that you learn something, even if we’re adding some elements of entertainment to it,” she explained.
At present, the station broadcasts its Morning Drive show with the intention of launching its counterpart for the afternoon time slate, according to Waddell.
This step, she said, will allow the agency to gauge the response of its targeted age group to make any changes, if needed, to grasp their attention.
Such development is an ultimate achievement for the agency, one which Waddell believes will not only create new opportunities, but also amplify its listeners’ base.
She added that, “accompanying in what the Guyana Learning Channel (GLC) has been doing, the radio station provides reach, accessibility for those areas that may not have access to television.”
In 2020, government earmarked $300 million to expand the GLC and establish a radio station. Six new learning channels were also established to target students from nursery year one through to grade 11
Television sets were also installed in schools in over 210 Amerindian communities. Each school was outfitted with a solar panel system with batteries, and a satellite dish to ensure the channel can be accessed. The approach ensures students were engaged in timetabled educational content aligned with the local curriculum to reduce their learning losses during the covid pandemic. It is also in keeping with government’s vision to utilise technology to boost education delivery.
