Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) will begin operating its full online school from today. Education Minister Priya Manickchand made the announcement on Friday during an engagement at New Amsterdam High School.
Minister Manickchand said provisions have also been made for face-to-face learning for students who have challenges with Internet connectivity.
“We are launching CPCE completely online, but fully online does not just mean online, so there [is] still a place for people to board and lodge around CPCE and go to a face-to-face classroom. Especially those kids from the hinterland, but we go full on where everything can be done online. ”
The minister said that while lectures would be taught through Zoom, trainees would also be able to access resource materials, tutors, library and other services through their own devices.
He noted that in line with the government’s objective to provide training opportunities for teachers in remote areas and throughout Guyana, three categories of training were established.
These include the Associate Degree in Education, the Taught Teachers Certificate Program and for individuals who are unable to access these programs due to the lack of qualifications, upgrade courses are available.
The minister said that this cohort would be the most accepted in college compared to previous years.
“Every other year for the last 10 or 15 years our intake has been 500, 550, 530 and we have been rating the same number every year. We registered as yesterday, just over 2000 people who will be trained to be teachers, ”he said.
In order to minimize the impact of the pandemic on the education sector in the future, Minister Manickchand noted that it is essential that the ministry craft solutions to ensure that learning and training takes place for these personnel. He said that transforming the education sector would bring more trained teachers into the school system, improve the delivery of education and ultimately lead to better scores in the classroom. (DPI)