The Ministry of Education has appointed Keon Cheong to be the Ministry’s Assistant Chief Education Officer with responsibility for Special Education Needs (SEN).
A Ministry of Education release on the Facebook page of Education Minister Priya Manickchand said that Cheong has been serving as the Coordinator of the Regional Special Education Needs/Disability Diagnostic and Treatment Centre from October 2018 to present.
The Regional Centre is located in the compound of the Cyril Potter College of Education’s (CPCE) Turkeyen Campus where its main function is to identify, treat and diagnose disabilities in children, adolescents and youths.
Cheong graduated as a Trained Teacher in 2001 from CPCE and currently holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from the University of Guyana as well as a Master’s Degree in Special Education from the University of New Mexico, USA. He is presently pursuing his Doctorate in Education (Special Education) through the University of North Dakota, USA, the release said.
Cheong has served in various capacities and brings a wealth of experience, the release said. From 2001 to 2010 he worked at the School of the Nations as Supervisor of the school’s Special Education Needs Unit where he planned and monitored individual student progress and provided training for staff and parents in the areas of teaching and coping techniques and skills.
He also served as the Head Therapist of the Guyana Greenheart Autism Society from 2010 to 2011. The release said that Cheong was also a part-time lecturer at the CPCE from 2015 to 2020. From 2014 to 2018 he functioned as an Education Officer II within the Ministry of Education before becoming the Coordinator of the Regional Centre. Presently, he also lectures part-time at the University of Guyana where he delivers instruction to students in special education courses.