Copyright kaieteurnewsonline
Why Guyana’s Adults Must Embrace Technology – For Themselves and Their Children Nov 02, 2025 Features / Columnists, News (Kaieteur News) – Standing in a grocery store checkout line last week, I watched something that has become all too familiar. A woman approached a functional self-checkout machine, stared at the screen for a moment, then retreated to the back of an extremely long cashier queue. I suspected her refusal to interact with the machine was because she did not understand how to use it and was fearful of making mistakes. This small moment captures a much larger crisis facing Guyana. The collective fear of technology is threatening to leave us behind just as unprecedented opportunities knock at our door. For years, I have worked in my role empowering young people with technological skills across Guyana, and what I have observed is both encouraging and deeply concerning. During training sessions with both youths and adult members, the pattern repeats itself: youths are curious and eager to learn about coding, software applications, and digital tools. Meanwhile, most adult participants’ adopt a mindset of reluctance or outright refusal to engage once the process seems too complex. This generational divide in technological comfort reflects a broader reality: Guyana’s historical development did not require widespread technical literacy in the way today’s economy does. The resistance many adults feel toward technology is not a personal failing but rather a natural response to skills that were simply not part of their educational or professional formation. Jobs were secured through traditional pathways, and technology remained in the periphery. Meanwhile the world has and continues to change dramatically, and Guyana with it. According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025, technological skills are projected to grow in importance more rapidly than any other skills in the next five years, with AI, big data, networks, cyber security, and technological literacy topping the list of essential competencies. The report indicates that employers expect 39% of key skills required in the job market will change by 2030. Therefore, the message is clear; technical proficiency is not optional; it is the baseline requirement for participating in the modern world. Some might argue that the younger generation should already be fluent in technology, having grown up in a more digital era. But this assumption doesn’t fully reflect Guyana’s reality. International comparisons provide useful context: In developed countries children typically have consistent access to technology, computers in classrooms from early grades, after-school coding clubs, and parents who are themselves comfortable with digital tools. Many young Guyanese have experienced something quite different. While some technology access exists, limited infrastructure, inconsistent internet connectivity, and educational systems that have historically prioritized traditional subjects over digital literacy continue to create gaps that persist today. Moreover, research on learning and development indicates that children’s attitudes toward new skills are significantly influenced by the adults around them. If we are serious about closing this gap, we must start with early technological education. There’s increasing evidence that supports developing nations are prioritizing this despite resource constraints. South Africa became the first African country to introduce coding education at primary and secondary levels in 2020, followed by Kenya in August 2022. Similar efforts are emerging across other developing nations where programs adapt coding education These countries recognised what we must now accept: technological literacy is as fundamental as reading and mathematics. Children who begin learning computational thinking in primary school do not just gain technical skills, they learned to break down complex problems, test solutions, fail safely, and iterate toward success. These cognitive skills transfer to every domain of life. The integration of technology across professional fields has reached a point where few career paths remain unaffected. Guyana’s expanding oil and gas sector provides a concrete example of how these requirements are reshaping the employment landscape. For example, Entry-level positions increasingly specify computer proficiency and the ability to work with technical systems as baseline requirements. This reality has implications for how parents and guardians support their children’s educational development. When young people pursue academic or vocational training in any field, they will encounter technological components regardless of their chosen path. The question of how they approach these components is what will ultimately determine their success. While there must be curriculum reform, parents hold equal power in this transformation. Many express anxieties about their children’s technological education because they themselves feel lost in the digital world. This creates a dangerous cycle where adults inadvertently transmit fear to children through subtle discouragement or inability to support digital learning at home. The solution is for parents to become co-learners with their children, to sit together at the computer, to explore new programs together, to celebrate small victories and troubleshoot frustrations as a team. When parents learn basic digital skills alongside their children, they can help with homework and school projects while demonstrating that technology is approachable at any age. They model curiosity rather than fear, showing children that confusion is normal, and persistence pays off. Understanding the global professional landscape makes this investment clearer. When parents recognize that their child’s future career, whether in medicine, business, education, or trades will require technological competence, the motivation to support digital learning intensifies. Technology is here to stay, and how we decide to interact with it will determine whether Guyana thrives or remains perpetually one step behind. The choice is ours, but the clock is ticking. Alisha Koulen, opportunities, STEMGuyana, technology
