Laying a Solid Foundation for Sandwatch Monitoring in Guyana, December 2025
The National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD) in Guyana hosted a two‑day Sandwatch Training Workshop aimed at strengthening environmental education and promoting sustainable development practices within Guyanese schools. The workshop was facilitated by Andy Paul from Trinidad and Tobago, and Megell Mohammed, and brought together a diverse group of educators and curriculum officers committed to enhancing coastal and river stewardship. A total of 25 teachers representing four regions participated in the interactive workshop. Both primary and secondary schools took part, ensuring a wide representation across the education system. Curriculum Officers from NCERD were also in attendance and played an active role in the training and follow‑up planning.
The participation of the NCERD Curriculum Officers is particularly significant, as they will serve as a central support team when Sandwatch rolls out in 2026 by offering guidance to teachers as they begin implementing the programme, and overseeing quality assurance in data collection and reporting. This approach will sustain momentum and ensure continuous technical support. Each Curriculum Officer has been assigned two to three schools to oversee.
The workshop covered a comprehensive set of topics designed to equip teachers with the knowledge and tools needed to implement Sandwatch activities effectively. Key areas included:
Most importantly, the workshop participants developed a Sandwatch implementation plan and agreed to monitor and collect data once per term. This phased approach will allow teachers and students to build confidence in the methodology while generating meaningful baseline data for long‑term environmental monitoring.
The workshop has laid a strong foundation for expanding Sandwatch across Guyana and strengthening the role of schools in promoting sustainable development and environmental resilience. Support for this workshop was provided by a UNESCO Participation Programme Grant for the “Sustenance of Sandwatch for Longevity in Guyana”, and is embedded in the Ministry of Education’s sector plan.
The success of the workshop can be seen in a Facebook post from the Tagore Memorial Secondary School (TMSS) Sandwatch Group, formed from the TMSS Environmental Club, who successfully conducted their first Sandwatch Beach Monitoring at No. 63 Beach, a few days after the workshop.
Photos from the first day of monitoring by Tagore Memorial Secondary School, December 2025
The National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD) in Guyana hosted a two‑day Sandwatch Training Workshop aimed at strengthening environmental education and promoting sustainable development practices within Guyanese schools. The workshop was facilitated by Andy Paul from Trinidad and Tobago, and Megell Mohammed, and brought together a diverse group of educators and curriculum officers committed to enhancing coastal and river stewardship. A total of 25 teachers representing four regions participated in the interactive workshop. Both primary and secondary schools took part, ensuring a wide representation across the education system. Curriculum Officers from NCERD were also in attendance and played an active role in the training and follow‑up planning.
The participation of the NCERD Curriculum Officers is particularly significant, as they will serve as a central support team when Sandwatch rolls out in 2026 by offering guidance to teachers as they begin implementing the programme, and overseeing quality assurance in data collection and reporting. This approach will sustain momentum and ensure continuous technical support. Each Curriculum Officer has been assigned two to three schools to oversee.
The workshop covered a comprehensive set of topics designed to equip teachers with the knowledge and tools needed to implement Sandwatch activities effectively. Key areas included:
- Understanding the Sandwatch programme and its alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals, environmental literacy, and experiential learning.
- Sandwatch MAST methodology Monitoring, Analysing, Sharing and Taking action.
- Sandwatch techniques – measurement of beach changes over time, including erosion and accretion, sediment characteristics, water quality, beach ecology and human use of the beach; and entering the data into the Beach Records Platform. Each school received a set of Sandwatch equipment including a measuring tape, anemometer, compass, field data sheets, digital microscope and other tools.
- Strategies for embedding Sandwatch activities into the science, social studies, geography, mathematics, and TVET curriculum.
- Expansion of Sandwatch principles to river environments, focusing on water quality, bank stability and community stewardship.
Most importantly, the workshop participants developed a Sandwatch implementation plan and agreed to monitor and collect data once per term. This phased approach will allow teachers and students to build confidence in the methodology while generating meaningful baseline data for long‑term environmental monitoring.
The workshop has laid a strong foundation for expanding Sandwatch across Guyana and strengthening the role of schools in promoting sustainable development and environmental resilience. Support for this workshop was provided by a UNESCO Participation Programme Grant for the “Sustenance of Sandwatch for Longevity in Guyana”, and is embedded in the Ministry of Education’s sector plan.
The success of the workshop can be seen in a Facebook post from the Tagore Memorial Secondary School (TMSS) Sandwatch Group, formed from the TMSS Environmental Club, who successfully conducted their first Sandwatch Beach Monitoring at No. 63 Beach, a few days after the workshop.
Photos from the first day of monitoring by Tagore Memorial Secondary School, December 2025