The University of Guyana’s School of Education and Humanities (SEH) yesterday declared open its Information Communication and Techno-logy (ICT) Laboratory, which was acknowledged by Vice-Chancellor Jacob Opadeyi as the first practical step he has seen towards improving teacher education during his tenure.
The project is an initiative of The Guyana Improving Teacher Education Project (GITEP), which seeks to improve the effectiveness and efficiency in the delivery of quality teacher education in the country and is consistent with the government’s Education Strategic Plan 2008 to 2013.
The project is linked to the newly-implemented Associate Degree in Education at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) and the revised Bachelor of Education Degree at the SEH. Benefi-ciaries of the project include students, teacher administrators and educators.
Education Minister Priya Manickchand stated that as Guyana and the world over continue to change and develop, information communication technology has become and will continue to be instrumental to the sustenance of this growth. As such, she said, if we are to develop competitively, we must expose our children to a higher learning experience, which can be accomplished by advancing the capacity of their teachers.
Manickchand said that though the completion of the facility is a significant accomplishment, the commitment of those who will be benefiting from the lab will also be needed. She said that if Guyana is to develop at the levels it is capable of developing, those benefiting from the lab must also be committed to using what will be taught to them to facilitate this development.
Opadeyi noted the poor performance in high schools in Mathematics, English and science subjects and said that poor performance in high schools will translate into poor performance at the tertiary level if the deficiencies are not addressed. He lauded the laboratory and stated that it can be used to improve the capacity of teachers, who in turn will be able to provide a better learning experience to their students.
He stated, however, that more can and should be done. He said that many teachers face several challenges in their pursuit of higher education. Opadeyi shared the plight of school teachers who, because of school regulations, are unable to leave school until 3pm, forcing them to attend evening classes. He commended the university, for facilitating evening classes to cater for these teachers.
He also highlighted the predicament of teachers in far-flung areas, who, because of distances, are not able to attain a university education. Opadeyi said that distance learning possibilities should be an option to consider in order to accommodate such teachers and he opined that the very ICT lab, or a similar one can be used to facilitate such an opportunity through teleconferencing.
Former Deputy Vice-Chancellor Tota Mangar explained that the project was made possible by the Govern-ment of Guyana, in partnership with the World Bank. He described the accomplishment as important, since it allows for the incorporation of information communication technology into the curriculum and learning programme of teachers.
An ordinary classroom on the top floor of the Education building was transformed into a room worthy of housing the lab. Mangar said that repairs were made to the room’s walls and ceiling, which were also repainted before the entire room was carpeted and the equipment was installed. The room has also been grilled as well as fitted with an air-conditioning unit. These works were all done to the tune of $2,855,160.
The ICT lab now houses 30 fully-functional computer work stations, which means that 30 teachers can be accommodated during every tutorial. In addition, the computers have been fitted with seven Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) systems, two printers and several routers, at a cost of $5,311,723.
In addition to the lab itself, Mangar shared that staff members of the department have been given netbooks, all of which were heavily subsidised. He also mentioned that the World Bank has made finances available for several persons to advance their qualifications through further studying. He said that the cost of each of these scholarships is US$120,000 ($24Million).
Furthermore, four administrative staff members from the department have been selected to attend leadership seminars, which are to be held this summer.
