THE World Bank yesterday approved a US$4.2 million credit to advance the quality of teacher education in Guyana.

A statement from the Washington-based World Bank headquarters said the Improving Teacher Education Project will work in partnership with the Ministry of Education to support Guyana’s Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) and the University of Guyana’s (UG) School of Education and Humanities to improve the delivery of quality teacher education.

Education Minister Shaik Baksh said this project is aligned with the Government of Guyana’s Education Strategic Plan (ESP) 2008-2013, which aims to increase the number of trained teachers for quality improvement in education.

It will support one of the primary goals of the ESP to reach at
least 70 percent of teachers trained by 2013, while raising the standards of teacher education programmes in the country.

The project has three components:
(1) Improving the quality and efficiency of teacher education delivery, which will support the implementation of the Associate’s Degree in  Education and the Bachelor’s of Education.

This will be accomplished by:
(a) developing appropriate courses and teacher educator assessment tools and practices;
(b) improving future teachers  practicum semester and induction year; and
(c) integrating information and communication technologies in the teaching and learning process in both face-to-face and distance education teacher education programmes.

(2) Building human resources and technical capacity for more effective teaching and learning by improving the quality of teacher educators and strengthening management at CPCE and UG’s School of Education and Humanities.

(3) Communications, project management and monitoring and evaluation to inform stakeholders of benefits and changes in education policy and teacher education programmes, in addition to building capacity within the Ministry of Education for project management and monitoring and evaluation of the project’s objectives and outcomes.

World Bank Representative in Guyana Mr. Giorgio Valentini said that by raising the overall quality of teacher education in Guyana, teachers will acquire the essential knowledge, skills and support to effectively improve students’  learning, which in turn will help develop a more productive and competitive workforce.

This project complements Guyana’s Education for All-Fast Track Initiative (EFA-FTI) Programme administered by the World Bank, which focuses on access to and completion of a quality primary education, as well as other donor interventions.

The US$4.2 million credit provided by the World Bank’s fund for the poorest, the International Development Association (IDA), has a 10-year grace period and a final maturity of 20 years.