THE cries of Barticians for access to tertiary-level education in their region have been heard by the American University of Peace Studies (AUPS).
Several teachers, head teachers, welfare officers and other persons, are now able to read for a diploma or degree in Psychology through the AUPS.

This newspaper spoke with the facilitator of the programme, Clinical Psychologist and Senior lecturer at AUPS, Nadine McIntosh-Ramsarran, who said that their extension to Bartica was in response to letters that were sent by residents of the town, requesting accessibility to the programme without having to relocate.
McIntosh-Ramsarran said she saw it fit that they render assistance, since the persons who would have indicated their interest, were persons who work in the capacity of dealing with young minds.

With psychology she said, they will be taught to delve into the mind and behaviour of human beings, and given their line of work, she believes that the knowledge will be most beneficial to them to enhance their delivery.
“The knowledge they will gain from the programme will help them to better assist persons who are suffering emotionally. Since the class comprises mostly of teachers and welfare officers, I believe that the exposure to psychology will better equip them to understand their students or whoever they are dealing with, and be able to render the appropriate assistance,” McIntosh-Ramsarran said.

She explained that the programme also flexes with the students’ affordability. “We try to ease the burden of having to find a bulk of money to pay off tuition, so we offered the programme with a $35,000 deposit, and monthly installments to their affordability. They are also given a text book with the deposit and additional reading material,” she shared.
One student of the class said that they have been waiting years for the opportunity to access a higher level of education than the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate, without having to move from Bartica leaving their loved ones behind.

The student said that even though only one programme is being offered at the moment, it is at least a start to developing the human resource in Bartica.
Apart from the psychology programme, AUPS is also looking to offer other programmes for persons in the town who may be interested in a different area of study.
McIntosh-Ramsarran shared that AUPS also offers the programme in Essequibo and they have so far earmarked Linden and Berbice to offer same as well.

AUPS is a Higher Learning Life Skills Based Educational Institution that was established to promote life skills teachings to serve as a means to empower people in challenging situations to acquire knowledge, and to develop attitudes and skills, which support the adoption of healthy behaviours.

Its programs serve as a useful tool to assist humanity in making decisions and to take positive actions in changing behaviours and environments to promote health and safety, and to create a more peaceful world.

AUPS also provides non-traditional students adults with more options and opportunities for success.