A total of 30 teachers from Region Four will be the initial beneficiaries of a Specialist Mathematics Teacher Training Program-me that is being rolled out under the Canada-CARICOM Expert Deployment Mechanism (CCEDM).
The programme, launched yesterday at the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD), at Kingston, is being funded by the Government of Canada and is part of an initiative that will benefit nine Caribbean countries.
It will run for four years, during which time it will be further expanded to include teachers from other regions across the country.
Speaking at the launch, Vishnu Panday, a representative of the NCERD Math Team, said that the first phase of the programme will “empower teachers with the necessary knowledge and skills in the conception framework of the teaching and learning process.”
He said the phase “targets the cohort of teachers in Region Four in a random stratified statistical method” but added that “they also possess the necessary skills…they’re the chosen ones. We have really taken a lot of time in identifying the potential of these teachers.”
In a press release, the Canadian High Commis-sion said assistance offered through the programme can take the form of advisory services, coaching, training and workshops to meet the needs of government representatives. With the current training programme, it added, NCERD’s Math Unit is partnering with the CCEDM to empower primary school teachers with the necessary knowledge and skills to bring them to the level of Specialist Mathematics Teachers. Towards this end, Hylin McLaren, a Specialist, from Red River Valley School Division in Canada, will be the technical lead working with the Mathematics Unit of NCERD.
This training program-me is being implemented by the Canadian Executive Services Organization (CESO), which recently signed a memorandum of understanding, formally committing to the successful implementation of the CCEDM, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
Meanwhile, also speaking at the launch was CCEDM’s Regional Representative for Guyana and Suriname, Renata Chuck-A-Sang, who explained the objectives of the mechanism.
“…What we do for this particular programme is aimed directly at government agencies and parastatal agencies,” she noted, adding that it helps to address priority needs identified by national governments, while supporting countries in their efforts to strengthen and diversify their culture.
Chuck-A-Sang said that governmental organisations, such as the Guyana Geology and Mines Com-mission, the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission, the University of Guyana and Parliament Office, could also be the potential beneficiaries of many services being offered by the CCEDM.
She further explained that once the agencies make a request in line with the strategic plans of the CCEDM, and once it is realistic, then it will be funded by the Canadian Government.
She added that the CCEDM covers a range of areas, such as communication, operation management, gender mainstreaming and climate change.
Also speaking at the launching was Canadian High Commissioner Mark Berman, who encouraged governmental agencies to make their requests so that Guyana can thrive in the various sectors.
He was optimistic that the programme will help teachers to make up for the learning loss that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic.
