EDUCATION Minister Shaik Baksh has announced that more resources will be made available to the St. Ignatius Secondary School in Lethem, Region Nine, to push the Secondary Competency Certificate Programme (SCCP) there.
Baksh made the disclosure at the school’s recent graduation ceremony where he also pointed out that the intention is to stem school drop-outs by giving students who are not academically inclined an opportunity to learn a skill that will make them employable on the job market.
The SCCP, which is a technical and vocational programme, offers students an alternative path from the academically oriented streams. It came on steam for the first time at Grade Nine at the commencement of current academic year.
The minister also used the opportunity to outline to the gathering his ministry’s teacher education and training reform agenda, notably the Associate Degree in Educate (ADE) programme that will be implemented at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) form next month.
The ADE programme significantly reduces the time it takes for a teacher to complete formal training at the college and to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from the university.
Students who successfully complete the ADE will only have to study for two years at the University of Guyana to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree in Education.
In essence, with the new programme on board, a teacher can become a trained graduate in four years, unlike under the previous system where this process required studying for seven years, three years at CPCE and four years at UG.
Those teachers who have already completed formal training will have to study at the university for three years to obtain their first Degree in Education.