THE University of Guyana (UG) has launched the Centre of Excellence for Teaching and Learning (CoETaL) at the University’s Turkeyen Campus.

ACCORDING to a press statement from the Ministry of Education, CoETaL will provide a menu of services and programmes which will be focussed on teaching and learning scholarship.

The Centre was launched with a symposium which was held at the School of Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation Lecture Hall.

Minister of Education Dr. Nicolette Henry said that, over the years, UG had been evolving into a more competitive and respected tertiary institution in the region and was responsible for a lot that was required for Guyana’s human resource development.

“I believe that this achievement is in no small part due to the emphasis that the university places on providing a dynamic, highly student-centred learning environment in which student-learning is pursued as a primary goal, and excellence in teaching is recognised and rewarded,” the Education Minister said.

According to Minister Henry, the aforementioned emphasis was well positioned, as it was with the institutions of higher education that Guyana sought to develop a globally competitive workforce.

Further, she said that on the eve of a petroleum supported economy, there was an unprecedented demand for, and a great diversification in, higher education as well as an increased awareness of its vital importance for socio-cultural and economic development.

“Without adequate higher education and research institutions providing a critical mass of skilled and educated people, Guyana cannot ensure genuine endogenous and sustainable development, which is imperative to reduce the gap separating Guyana from the industrially developed countries,” Minister Henry added.

Moreover, she said that the education system must evolve to provide a platform for a permanent exchange of ideas of enhancing higher education and a framework for joint action.

According to Henry, emphasis on life-long learning must be sustained to help students keep their knowledge current. She said that such would ensure that they remained relevant in the new economy and be in a position to take advantage of new market opportunities.

Delivering the keynote address was Director of African and African Diaspora Affairs at the Florida International University, Professor Percy Hintzen, who said it must be appreciated that students have a lot to offer their teachers.

He said that if this is understood, the students can produce new horizons of possibilities. According to Professor Hintzen, excellent teaching can produce excellent learners.
Following the launch of the school, an Advisory Board was installed by the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Ivelaw Griffith, to support the management of the CoETaL.

The members of the Advisory Board are Ms. Paulette Paul (UG), Mr. Lenandlar Singh (UG), Dr. Jacqueline Murray (UG/IDCE), Ms. Maureen Bynoe (UG), Ms. Kara Lord (UG), Mr. Kelvin Bovell (UG), Mr. Sekhar Mallampati (UG), Mr. Fidel Captain (UG), Ms. Donette Washington (UG), Dr. Theodosius Velloza (UG); Ms. Yulette Park (alternate), Ms. Viola Rowe (CPCE), Ms. Patrice LaFleur (UNESCO) and a Ministry of Education representative.