PRESIDENT Irfaan Ali has expressed profound gratitude to past and present teachers and educators across Guyana, while Education Minister Priya Manickchand said the pandemic has reminded all of the critical role teachers play in the development of the nation.

Their comments were made against the background of Guyana joining countries the world over in celebrating World Teacher’s Day on Monday.
Established in 1994, World Teacher’s Day, also known as International Teacher’s Day, is celebrated annually on October 5, in recognition of the hard work of educators in overcoming hurdles to educate the world’s children.

This year, the event is being celebrated under the theme, “Teachers: Leading in crisis, reimagining the future”.“This year’s theme is especially significant, as we face, head-on, the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the immense strain it has placed on education systems around the world,” President Ali said in a statement on Monday.
“As we join together to celebrate the teaching profession worldwide, we must take stock of our national achievements, and recognise the crucial role our teachers play in shaping our nation, even in these challenging times. Our educators have had cause to adapt to new norms of education delivery, and in so doing are faced with the ever-present challenge to ensure that no child is left behind,” the president said.

He said that the Government will ensure that they do their part to put mechanisms in place to guarantee that our teachers are equipped to succeed.
“We commit to strengthening our education system, and working with our educators to guide them through this uncharted landscape, shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic,” the President said, adding:

“In our Manifesto commitments, while we assured of improved access to, and quality of education at every level, we also assured of improved remuneration and conditions of service for teachers, inclusive of opportunities for training and skills development.”

During her message, Minister Manickchand said she joined with all stakeholders in celebrating our teachers.
“In partnership with the Guyana Teachers Union, the Teaching Service Commission and all stakeholders, we will work to ensure that teachers and teaching are given their due regard and recognition. In doing this, we must ensure that the standards set for the profession are consistently adhered to, and that the teaching service reflects the highest ideals,” Minister Manickchand said.

UNSETTLING GLOBAL CONTEXT

The minister highlighted that the world is celebrating World Teachers’ Day in an unsettling global educational context, and in so doing commended the theme for aptly reflecting the state of affairs and challenges that teachers the world over are facing.

Minister Manickchand applauded teachers here for selflessly placing the needs of all of our nation’s children as their foremost priority.
“The countless anecdotes capturing the lengths to which many of our teachers have gone to continue to engage their charges are testaments to the quality of the teaching service we are blessed with in Guyana,” the minister said.

She added: “In the face of the displacing effects of the COVID 19 pandemic, our teachers have had to find innovative means of meeting the educational needs of our diverse student population. Our education system, like no other time in our history, has had to confront the issues of the digital divide and other related equity concerns.”
Manickchand said the commitment and dedication of teachers has given great confidence in “our ability as a nation” to meet the challenges of re-imagining and re-tooling the country’s education sector to meet the demands of the future.

“We stand on the cusp of a new era in education, one that requires the creation of highly adaptive learning environments. This demands that the system incorporates a multiplicity of approaches and adequately equips its teachers with the skills, knowledge and resources to effectively deliver,” she said.