…Region One teachers to undergo training to teach English to migrant students

SINCE the Venezuelan migrant crisis took effect, 800 children have been enrolled in the school system here and the Ministry of Education will soon train 19 North West District teachers to be equipped with skills to teach English as a second language to migrant students.

According to a release from the Ministry of the Presidency, the Government, through the Ministry of Education, has been working with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to develop educational interventions, which will improve the learning and communication skills of these children. Eight communities in the region are expected to benefit from this initiative.

UNHCR representative on the Multi-Stakeholder Committee, Ms. Cecilie Guerrero, made this announcement at Monday’s stakeholder meeting, which was held at the Department of Citizenship. The Committee is tasked with monitoring the arrival of Venezuelan migrants into Guyana.

Ms. Guerrero informed the Committee that 17 teachers from Region One and two from Georgetown will gather in Mabaruma later this week for the training, which will last until the end of the month. The two Georgetown-based teachers, she said, will be trained to be trainers. The teachers will be tasked with training their colleagues wherever the need arises.

The Committee was informed too that the Canadian based facilitator, who will be conducting the training, arrived in Guyana early on Monday. Although the figures may have since risen, as of February this year, Guyana hosted approximately 36,400 Venezuelan migrants.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) reported that a survey of 1100 Venezuelan migrants in Guyana indicates that 17 per cent of that population, which is school-aged, is attending school here. USAID said that its partners are working with the Government of Guyana to address educational needs among Venezuelans, including launching a safe-school initiative to increase service delivery in host communities.