Many of the teachers at schools in Moraikobai in Region Five are in acting positions because of the absence of programmes in their area to upgrade their qualifications to enable them to enter the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE).
This was revealed during a visit on Tuesday by Education Minister Priya Manickchand to initiate the Guyana Learning Channel in that community.
A release from the Government Information Agency (GINA) said that the minister also attended a Parent-Teachers Association (PTA) meeting, at the Moraikobai Community Research Centre,where she interacted with parents and teachers.
Minister Manickchand said that there will be no entrance into CPCE without the relevant qualifications, but upgrading is possible, and the ministry is willing to take full responsibility to have the teachers rewrite the subjects of their choice. Several teachers indicated their willing to upgrade.
GINA said she told the gathering that, “I’m very happy to say that schools are in better shape compared to some that I have seen in Georgetown, and I’m very impressed with the level of work the teachers are doing,” she stated.
Prior to the meeting, she had toured the St Francis nursery and the Moraikobai primary schools, where she observed a wide variety of academic aids for which she commended the teachers, but urged the inclusion of more nationalistic ones as the curriculum includes symbols of nationhood and leaders of Guyana.
According to GINA, teaching without mobile aids has been a major setback in schools across the country, and the ministry has been advocating that teachers correct this issue and a new policy would be established shortly.
It was reported that the schools at Moraikobai have a 90% attendance and most of the students are mastering reading. “That means half of your work is finished, children are coming and it’s now up to you to ensure that instructions are given,” the Education Minister said.
She stated that once the children can read then a lot has been accomplished and urged, “don’t just come and teach because it’s a job and you just want to keep the children busy, think of it as something important, which you can mould the people, the children are going to become.”
GINA said Manickchand charged them to work with the children because they are no different from the teachers in Georgetown who can produce Queen’s College students. “Make sure we put some of these kids on the scholarship programme,” she urged.
Parents also raised concerns about termite infestation in the ceiling of the Moraikobai Primary School and the distribution of laptops under the One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) programme.
According to GINA, the minister said that the village’s Toshao was given the go-ahead to rehabilitate the school ceiling immediately. However, with regards the distribution of government’s laptops, she promised to look into fast forwarding the process for the community.
Concerns were also raised about the state of the passageway at the lower end of Moraikobai, which affects children getting to school during the rainy season.
GINA said that Regional 5 Chairman, Bindrabhan Bisnauth committed to providing fuel for the rest of the term so that the students can be transported to school by boat.
