The Co-operative Republic of Guyana has a multi-party legislature headed by an elected President with a 5-year term. The President appoints the prime Minister and the Cabinet. The political system is based on a mix of proportional representation and directly elected deputies. The National Assembly has 65 elected seats, of which 25 are elected directly and the remaining 40 are filled proportionally from slates of nominees elected by regional constituencies. The People's Progressive Party and the Civic party have been re-elected to power, as was the incumbent President. The main political parties are ethnically based, and social unrest and violence marred the post-election period.

Women and minorities participate in the political process. One-third of the parliamentary candidates must be female. There are 19 women in the National Assembly and 3 in the 20-member Cabinet. The Chancellor of the judiciary is a woman. There are 4 Amerindians are in the National Assembly and 1 in the Cabinet. The judiciary is independent in law but is subject to the influence of the executive branch and accused of inefficiency.

All persons regardless of race, sex, religion or national origin are guaranteed basic rights, but the provisions of the legislation are not enforced. Access to government information has not been legislated, and officials are loath to provide information without approval from senior levels. Torture is illegal, but allegations of police abuse continue. 35% of the population lives below the poverty level.

Freedom of speech and of the press are guaranteed. Journalists express a wide variety of views without restriction, Internet access is not restricted and international media are allowed to operate freely, though the country's sole radio station is government-owned.

Internal and external trafficking in persons is reported, and anti-trafficking legislation has been enacted. There is discrimination against persons living with HIV/AIDS, including dismissals and denying of employment for HIV-positive status.

By law, education is free, compulsory and universal for ages 5 to 14. However, the public education system continues to deteriorate, and by 2015 Guyana may no longer achieve primary education for all. Facilities in Georgetown are better than in other areas of the country; children living in rural areas or in slums have little educational opportunity, but long periods of urban isolation deter people from moving from the city. Many children work to help with family finances or provide child care to allow parents to work. The education system has deteriorated seriously, and inequalities are common at all levels.

Trained teachers tend to work in the cities, since rural housing is inadequate and rural education resources are virtually non-existent. Education problems are compounded by a decline in the number of trained teachers; their salaries and working conditions are so poor that many have found other employment or have emigrated. Guyana has a state-financed university. Students are required to pay a major part of tuition costs, though some have been able to benefit from government loan schemes.

Corporal punishment is common in schools and homes; principals have to be present when corporal punishment is administered in a school. The Ministry of Education has dropped a programme intended to phase out corporal punishment in schools. The following statistics are official but NGOs believe they are inflated.

A 2-year programme begins at age 4. At this level 1% of education is private. The Net Enrolment Rate (NER) is 91%. Of the 2,237 teachers working at this level, 99% are women and 46% are trained. The pupil/teacher ratio (PTR) is 15: 1.

Education is compulsory for ages 5 to 14. Primary school begins at age 5 and continues for 6 years. The NER is 94% (49% female). Of students who enrol in Grade 1, 59% reach the last grade of primary school. 1% of students repeat grades. 4,174 teachers (66% female) work at this level, and 57% of them are trained. The PTR is 27 : 1.

Secondary education begins at age 12 and is completed in 5 years. 10% of students in lower secondary and 5% in upper secondary education study in technical vocational programmes. There are 3,041 secondary teachers (65% female) in lower secondary and 901 (65% female) in upper secondary education. 57% of secondary teachers are trained. The PTR is 16 : 1 in secondary schools.

6,693 students (65% female) study in tertiary institutions, giving a Gross Enrolment Rate of 9%. Guyanese students also study overseas, mainly in the USA (1,004), Argentina (563), Cuba (468), Chile (371) and Germany (219).

A National Commission on Disabilities is preparing new legislation covering persons with disabilities. Schools and training centres for children and young persons with disabilities lack trained staff and are poorly equipped.

The government is not party to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees or its 1967 Protocol, and it has not established a system for providing protection to refugees. The UNHCR continues to urge the government to ratify the UN Refugee Convention.

Indigenous Amerindian peoples in 9 tribal groups make up 8% of the country's population. They live on reservations and in villages in remote parts of the interior with an extremely low standard of living and have little participation in decisions affecting their lives or in the allocation of natural resources. Access to education in Amerindian communities is very limited, hampered by remoteness and a nomadic culture.

All teaching is in English, and indigenous languages face extinction. Ethnic tensions between citizens of African descent and those of South Asian origin influence society and political life. Social and political organisations are polarised along ethnic lines, and discrimination and exclusion continue. Although it is recognised that an intolerant society harms children in the classroom, there has been little or no improvement in race relations. The civil service and security forces are mainly staffed by Afro-Guyanese.

Reports do not indicate any restriction of academic freedom, and Internet access is limited only by cost and location.

Women make up a significant proportion of the work force, but despite enactment of gender equality legislation they do not enjoy equality of treatment. The law prohibits dismissal on the grounds of pregnancy.

Sexual harassment is not prohibited in law. A husband's will can be overturned if it does not provide for his widow and she was dependent on him for financial support. There is little access to education for girls outside the capital.

The Factories Act and the Employment of Young Persons and Children Act set minimum age requirements for employment of children. No one under age 14 may be employed unless family members are employed in the same enterprise, while children 14 and 15 may only be employed in exceptional circumstances. But legislation on compulsory education and on the minimum age for work is not enforced effectively. 19% of children aged 5 to 14 are reported to be employed. Child labour in the informal sector is a serious problem, and very young children are engaged in street trading.

Workers have the right to form or join trade unions, except security force members, and 32% of the work force is unionised. Collective bargaining is permitted in both the public and private sector, and collective contracts are recognised by the relevant government ministries. Workers have the right to strike provided the action has been endorsed by the union leadership. Essential service employees may strike provided a skeleton staff is left in place. Forced or compulsory labour is prohibited but occurs.

Minimum wages are set for various categories of private employers. A civil service arbitration ruling established a minimum public sector wage which is increased periodically by unilateral government action; currently it is US$109 (G$22,099) a month. Informal sector workers, mainly women and children, are paid less than minimum wage, as are untrained teachers at public schools. The legal minimum wage for the public sector does not provide a decent standard of living for a worker and family. The work week is regulated at 44 hours.