THE Teacher Upgrading Programme being offered by the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) will return to Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) this year , the Ministry of Education has said.

Initially, the programme was offered through a special project, but it was suspended because of a number of issues and challenges, which included monitoring and evaluating what obtained in the region to ensure the quality was similar to what was being delivered at the college’s main campus at Turkeyen, East Coast Demerara.

However, the programme will now be re-launched in Paramakatoi in the first quarter of this year with renewed vigour to ensure that there is no disparity in the standard of education offered and accessed on the coast and in the hinterland communities, the ministry added.
Currently, there are 68 students from the North Pakaraimas that are teaching, but are untrained. With the re-introduction of the programme, the CPCE will provide those teachers with the necessary upgrading skills. This upgrading programme lasts for two years, after which they can enrol in the Trained Teacher’s Certificate Programme.

Meanwhile, to further improve the level of teaching offered by the CPCE in the remote communities, a Course Delivery workshop was recently completed. During that exercise, 36 tutors and co-ordinators from communities across Guyana visited the Turkeyen campus where they received special training.