THE Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat is continuing efforts to increase the teaching of regional integration and the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) in CARICOM classrooms via a new initiative due to start Monday. According to a release, Eletha Stewart-Johnson, a teacher in Social Studies and History at Queen’s College in Guyana, will teach virtually, students at the Ladyville Technical High School in Belize. The lesson begins at 12.30 EST/10.30 Belize time and will focus on an introduction to CARICOM.

The students in Belize will participate with their lecturer, Abdiel Medina, who is a teacher in Social Studies. Students from both classes (Guyana and Belize) will engage each other throughout the lesson which will be taught online. Medina will then teach Stewart-Johnson’s class on 17 May, 2021 via the online platform and complete the topic of an introduction to CARICOM. A total of four teachers, two from Guyana and two from Belize are paired to teach each other’s classes during the month of May, 2021. The other pair of teachers are Stefphoney Grinage of Sacred Heart College in Belize and Albert Inshanally of Queen’s College in Guyana, who will teach lessons from another CARICOM topic later this month.

The ministries responsible for Education and Trade and the participating schools in Belize and Guyana have been supportive of the novel project. This online pilot is a precursor to a proposed activity for teacher exchanges, where they would travel and be attached to classrooms across CARICOM to observe and share experiences in the hosting member state. The original plan to be facilitated with assistance from the European Union was placed on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic. These activities are part of the CARICOM Secretariat’s ongoing initiatives of Public Education on the CSME.