A total of 1,502 teachers, the second-largest cohort in the institution’s history, crossed the podium at the Cyril Potter College of Education’s graduation ceremony on Friday.
The graduation ceremony which took place at the National Stadium in Providence, East Bank Demerara, saw teachers from all walks of life and across Guyana’s diverse regions, receive diplomas in various categories, including early childhood, primary, and secondary education, as well as technical and vocational education (TVET).
The breakdown of the graduates by specialisation were: 447 – Early Childhood Education, 602 – Primary Education, 169 – Secondary Education, 251 – secondary vocational TVET, and 33 – Technical Teacher Education. Each teacher has undergone training to enable and equip themselves with the necessary tools needed to shape the minds of future generations.
With a total enrollment of 1,818, this year’s CPCE’s matriculation revealed that 86 per cent of the graduates were female, and 14 per cent were male.
Fiona Sharma, who was named as best graduating student, expressed her gratitude to CPCE, highlighting their role in her success and that of her peers. “We are forever grateful to the CPCE and the government as a whole and of course with the change in times that we are living, systems need to be put in place. So, I am glad that they are actually, putting more courses on board and having more persons come along on board to be edified and knowledge of course is power.”
Rhea Sandy, a teacher at the Beterverwagting Special Needs Centre, shared how her training has positively influenced her classroom practice. “Everything that I have learned for the past two years in college I have put it into practice in my classroom and I have seen a lot of difference.”
Meanwhile, Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, praised the graduates, highlighting their role in reducing class sizes and improving educational outcomes across the regions. “I am always excited when we can add value to any classroom, and you are our value that we are adding to each and every classroom that you will stand before from now until you leave the teaching profession and even thereafter for everybody who comes before you.” The education minister reported significant progress in teacher deployment aimed at reducing student-teacher ratios across the country resulting from newly trained teachers entering the system.
In Region One, 88 teachers will be added this year, reducing the primary-level student-teacher ratio from 46 to 1, down to 32 to 1, with further reductions expected next year. Notable progress was also seen at Santa Rosa Primary, where the number of trained teachers will nearly double, from 15 in 2022 to 28 in 2024. Region Two will see an increase of 461 teachers, bringing the ratio down from 16 to 1 to a more manageable 13 to 1 for its 6,192 primary school learners. In Region Nine, 83 new teachers will lower the student-teacher ratio from 33 to 1 to 22 to 1, benefiting over 5,900 primary students.
Additional gains have been made in Region Three, where 63 teachers are being added to nursery education, supporting 3,582 young learners. At Eccles Nursery in Region Four,, the teacher count will increase from 8 to 18, enhancing educational support for young learners in the area.
Meanwhile, CPCE has introduced new courses in music, literature, special education needs, and health education, within its technical and vocational programmes, while expanding physical education across coastal and soon-to-be hinterland centres.
