–Minister Parag announces new programmes, expansion of CPCE

GUYANA continues to inch closer to achieving the goal of having all teachers across the country fully trained, as some 1,345 new teachers graduated from the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) on Friday.

The college held its 92nd graduation exercise on Friday at the Guyana National Stadium, during which Minister of Education Sonia Parag congratulated the cohort for their perseverance and for completing the journey to become trained teachers.

It was against this backdrop that she underscored that as Guyana continues its rapid transformation; the country’s human capital must also transform with it.

“The country cannot physically transform without our human capital, which is our most valuable asset, transforming with it,” she said while adding that teachers are an integral part of that process.

The minister went on to describe the teaching profession as one of the highest forms of service to humanity and urged the newly trained teachers to uphold the integrity, compassion and lifelong learning as they enter classrooms across the nation.

Speaking on the strides made towards achieving the goal of having 100 per cent trained teachers across the country, Parag noted that with this new cohort, the country’s trained teacher population moves to approximately 68 per cent, even as the number of trained teachers in the hinterland regions will rise to nearly 92 per cent.

The positive strides made are part of the government’s vision, which was championed by President Dr Irfaan Ali to ensure that every teacher across all administrative regions receives training.

Giving a breakdown of the numbers of the 2025 cohort by region, Parag stated that Region One produced 135 graduates, Region Two 164, Region Three 169, Region Four 304, Region Five 119, Region Seven 35, Region Eight 23, and Region Nine 76.

These figures, she noted, add to the 6,083 trained graduate teachers who have successfully completed the programme between 2020 and 2025.

Over that period, the number of graduates steadily increased from 509 in 2020 to 845 in 2021, 1,046 in 2022, 1,837 in 2023, and 1,501 in 2024.

Meanwhile, the Minister announced an expansion of the offerings at CPCE, noting that the college will now provide specialisation programmes for secondary trainees in Geography, History, Chemistry, Physics, French and Portuguese.

Added to this, they will now offer a one-year training course for Guidance and Counselling officers and a six-week programme designed for parents of children with special needs, which she noted was a stride toward inclusive education.

“We are most certainly moving as if we are working towards world-class education,” Parag said. “You, the teachers, will contribute to ensuring that we achieve universal secondary education.”

Meanwhile, the education minister reminded the graduates that their work will influence generations and urged them to remain focused despite the everyday pressures of the profession.

Further to this, Parag used her personal words as a charge to the graduating class, telling them, “Teach with passion, lead with kindness and aim to inspire every day. You are changing lives, one lesion at a time.”

The Minister further noted, “You are the future nurturers of Guyana.”