Minister of Education Shaik Baksh says teachers should undertake continuous professional development courses in order to equip themselves with the tools to meet new classroom challenges as well as to qualify for promotions.
In his address on Monday at the launch of a series of continuing professional development courses at the National Centre for Educa-tional Resource Development (NCERD), Baksh said he observed that many teachers are being promoted to senior posts without adding to their qualifications. The minister noted that such promotions should not be automatic but a teacher must first “accumulate a certain amount of credit to be promoted to a position of senior master/mistress,” a press release said.
Baksh told the meeting which comprised Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) President Collin Bynoe and teachers from across the country that continuous professional development courses are part of a wider programme to continuously upgrade teachers to boot their delivery of education and outcome in the classroom. He then said he plans to meet with Bynoe on the matter.
Meanwhile, the ministry is hosting Guidance and Counselling, Professional Ethics, Continuous Assess-ment Methodology, Class-room Management and Health and Family Life Education (HFLE) from a set of 50 courses, over the August vacation. These courses are expected to provide teachers with “current and relevant training in foundation courses that will impact positively in creating a conductive learning environment,” the release said. The initiative, which is not new to the department, will be submitted to all schools. Baksh said more programmes will be offered shortly and he called on head teachers to request programmes that they would like teachers to undertake.
He also told the meeting that the Guidance and Counselling course will be a great assistance to teachers as it would equip them with the necessary skills to promote positive, acceptable and not conformational behaviours in school. The other programmes are geared to instil positive work attitudes in teachers, improve their delivery and students outcome as well as build students confidence and self-esteem.
The HFLE programme will soon be extended to another 30 schools countrywide. Teachers will be trained, in their respective regions, to impart the course. The two-credit course will give them an advantage when applying for promotions. Additionally, the Associate Degree in Education programme which will start at the Cyril Potter College of Education in October will include 17 new programmes and existing courses will be revised. The minister noted that trainee teachers will have to score at least 80 per cent to pass their practicum.
They will also be closely monitored to adapt the requisite attitude for the teaching profession. Baksh also told the meeting that it is time to establish a teachers’ council, a move that has been endorsed by Caricom education ministers.
