TEACHER training is a major area of focus for the Education Ministry (MoE), and the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) yearly turns out large numbers of graduates.

At its 80th graduation ceremony held at the National Cultural Centre on Friday 359 more persons were certified as trained teachers. The ceremony, held under the theme “21st Century Pedagogical Transformers”, saw the

graduates gaining certification in three categories: the Associate Degree in Education, the Trained Teacher’s Certificate, and the Teacher Upgrading Programme.

Duviena Badray of the Anna Regina Satellite Centre in Region Two was adjudged the top performer and was also winner of the Prime Minister’s Prize for the Best Overall Graduating Student. She, moreover, won the Vice Principal’s (Development) Prize for being the Best Overall Graduating Student in the Distance Education Primary Programme, and the Chief Education Officer’s Prize for being the Best Overall Graduating Student in the Distance Education Programme in Teaching Practice.

A number of her colleagues also received prizes for their respective performances in various specific subject areas, along with the Guyana Improving Teacher Education Programme (GITEP). Among those individuals were Loiselle Robinson of Region One, Anyanna Peters of Region Three, Muneshwar Baskaran of Region Four, Livia Gentle of Region Five, Shemaine Caesar of Region Six, Sylvester Tobin of Region Seven,  Floyd Rodrigues of Region Nine and Clair Ramesar of Region 10.

Speaking at the ceremony, CPCE Principal, Ms. Viola Rowe pointed out during the presentation of her report that 50 of the graduates are trained to cater to the Early Childhood Education level, while 120 are trained to offer Primary level education. A total of 189 are trained to deliver Secondary education.

Rowe noted that challenges such as recruiting part-time staff with the right skills to supervise students on their in-school practicum resulted in full-time staffers having to facilitate in this regard in order to compensate for the shortfall.

She, however, added that, unlike the previous reporting period, wherein several classes were left unattended, this was not the situation this time around; and she credited the effective time-tabling and improved departmental management by section heads and coordinators for this improvement.

Noting that there are also challenges in specialised subject areas, the principal said the students benefited from general course offerings in those areas which were made possible through the successes under the GITEP Programme.

“We graduate students who are not only intellectually, psychologically and professionally prepared for their role in society, but graduates who understand their moral responsibility for the learners with whom they interact,” she stated.

In delivering the charge, former Chief Education Officer Ed Caesar told the students that they should use Martin Luther King’s words as guidance. He quoted: “If you can’t fly, then run; if you can’t run, then walk; if you can’t walk, then crawl; but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.”

Caesar also urged the graduates to build on what they have learnt, and to maintain good relationships with their teachers and students.

There are 15,055 teachers at the CPCE, spread across four programmes in nine administrative regions. The two-year associate degree programme is offered to coastal students at Anna Regina, Linden, Georgetown, New Amsterdam, Rose Hall Town, Vreed-en-Hoop and Turkeyen. In September 2014, more than 513 persons enrolled for this programme.

For the trained teachers’ certificate three-year degree programme, 69 students from Moruca, Mabaruma, Aishalton and Lethem enrolled.

The teacher upgrade two-year programme had an enrollment of 250, some of whom are accessing satellite training in Moruca, Mabaruma, Port Kaituma and Upper and Lower Mazaruni.

Teacher training will also include training for teachers in the technical field on a new one-year programme set up for teachers in technical institutes and technical vocational education and training (TVET) programmes.

(GINA)