At 33rd graduation…
THE Institute of Distance and Continuing Education (IDCE) of the University of Guyana (UG) staged its 33rd graduation last Saturday, for another 747 graduates.

A section of the crowd of graduands at the Institute of Distance and Continuing Education 33rd Graduation Ceremony.

At the function, which was hosted on the Turkeyen Campus, East Coast Demerara, 16 received diplomas as Administrative Professional Secretaries:14 as Information and Library Technicians; 60 in Industrial Relations and Management; 17 in Marketing Management and 25 in Supervisory Management.

Twenty-five more successfully completed the Academic Upgrading Programme in English; 22 the Academic Upgrading Programme in Mathematics; 99 the 031 Proficiency in English course; 15 the 031 Proficiency in Chemistry course and 110 the Proficiency in Mathematics course.

Twenty-eight others studied Care of the Elderly in Semester one; 30 Care of the Elderly in Semester 2; 94 Early Childhood Education 1; 49 Early Childhood Education 2; 90 Introduction to Social Work 1, Semester One; 73 Introduction to Social Work 2 in Semester one 1.

“The stark reality is that you are at a most crucial juncture of your life,” Deputy Vice-Chancellor of UG, Mr. Tota Mangar told them in the feature address.

He commended them on their hard work in arduous times, citing economic recession, climate change and other challenges.

Mr. Tota Mangar, UG’s Deputy Vice Chancellor during his address.

Mangar appealed to the graduating batch to take their achievement in a spirit of modesty, simplicity and humility.

Delivering his report, IDCE Director, Mr. Francis Glasgow said the more people are involved in learning, the more developed their country will become.

He said, in recognition of this fact, IDCE mounted a number of programmes and courses which were supported by many adults in most of the Administrative Regions.

CRUCIAL
Glasgow said collaborating with other agencies and stakeholders is not only crucial to the success of those institutions but affords online distance learning (ODL) officers insight into the needs of organisations and communities.

He said some of the successes of the previous year could be attributed to the collaboration developed with various public and private sector entities.

According to Glasgow many agencies exemplified such cooperation and he named Merundoi Incorporated, Hope for Humanity, Guyana Association of Administrative Professionals, Community-based Rehabilitation (CBR) Programme, Help and Shelter, Guyana Power & Light (GPL), Alpha Foundation College, Ministries of Education and Labour, Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC) and Regional Democratic Councils (RDCs).

He said there is a need for more full time staff at IDCE, that being crucial to the continued expansion of the UG’s online programming.

Glasgow also called for changes in the organisational structure of IDCE, in order for it to serve its constituencies more effectively.

He said the enrolling of approximately 3,000 persons in the various programmes represent a significant increase from the previous year.

The traditional face-to-face programmes included Occupational Health and Safety, Industrial Relations and Management, Academic Upgrading Courses in English Language, Mathematics, Principles of Accounts, Principles of Business, Office Administration, Social Studies, Biology, Chemistry and Information Technology.

Among the professional programmes are for Administrative Professional Secretary, Language and Communication, Social Work, Counselling, Early Childhood Development, Tourism and Hospitality, Project Management and Human Resources Management. Continuing Glasgow said the institution’s vocational thrust was for the care of the elderly, Childcare, Home Nursing Care and Healthcare programmes.

Craft floral arrangements, garment construction and catering comprised the skills-based courses that were offered and classes for the Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety were renewed after an absence of six years and 12 continued the first year courses, he informed.

AVAILABLE
Glasgow said that the 031 courses in Mathematics, English and Chemistry is still available to those desirous of entering university.

He said IDCE is happy to report that, more than 50 young adults, from Kumaka, Mabaruma, Hosororo and Santa Rosa successfully completed 031 courses in English and Mathematics.

Glasgow pointed out that IDCE has improved in product offerings at Vreed-en- Hoop, West Coast Demerara and classes have already started at Belle View, on the West Bank of Demerara.

He said residents of West Coast and West Bank Demerara are now able to pursue 031 courses in Social Work and Childhood Development without having to travel to Georgetown and adult learners from New Amsterdam, Berbice, Linden, Upper Demerara River and Essequibo Coast are pursuing them.

Glasgow said, in addition to traditional programmes, IDCE was also able to offer customised ones, designed for specific individuals and groups, while courses in Tourism, Event Planning, Creative Writing and Stress Management were conducted.

He disclosed, too, that apart from employees in the Public and Private Sectors, tuition in English was offered to speakers of other languages

Glasgow said IDCE contributed to the overall improvement of literacy in Guyana through its ‘Skills for Success Programme’ which was attended by residents from various communities in Region Four Demerara/Mahaica).

He said staff members participated in programmes that were conducted locally and in the wider Caribbean.

In that context, the Head of the Programming and Conferences Department attended the Association of Caribbean Tertiary Institutions Conference in Barbados earlier in the year and non-academic staffers also got the benefit of training sponsored by UG and external agencies.

Concluding his presentation, Glasgow said, in spite of constraints such as limited space and budgetary allocations, IDCE was still able to discharge its mandate of satisfying the diverse learning needs of the people it has served during the past year.