1345 new teachers graduate from CPCE

…as Guyana pushes closer to achieving 100% trained teachers

The number of trained teachers across Guyana has been significantly increased after some 1345 teachers graduated from the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE), with a mandate to shape future leaders of the country.
Held on the tarmac of the Providence National Stadium under the theme “Empowering Educators, Inspiring Futures: A Legacy of Excellence”, Friday’s graduation ceremony saw one of the largest graduating cohorts in the history of the CPCE, taking the number of trained teachers since 2020 to now just over 6000.

According to Education Minister Sonia Parag, this is one step closer to achieving the Government’s vision of having 100 per cent trained teachers in every region across Guyana.
“From 2020 to now, we have approximately 68 per cent trained teachers. We’re moving slowly but steadily, and every year, it moves from strength to strength,” she stated.
In fact, among the graduates on Friday were 135 from Region One, 164 from Region Two, 169 from Region Three, 304 from Region Four, 119 from Region Five, 224 from Region Six, 35 from Region Seven, 23 from Region Eight, 76 graduates from Region Nine and 96 from Region 10.
“The percentage of trained teachers in the hinterland after this 2025 graduation will be close to 92 per cent,” Parag added.

Professionally trained teachers
Of the 1345 graduates, 388 are trained in early childhood education, 384 in primary education, 187 in secondary academic, 303 in secondary TVET, and the remaining 83 in other specialisations, including Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), the General Teacher Education Programme (GTEP), and Technical Teacher’s Education (TTE).
This, according to the CPCE’s Vice Principal – Development, Tamsin Henry Granville, who delivered the college’s annual report, “…therefore, presents a matriculation rate of 94.25 per cent.”
Vice President Henry Granville went on to emphasise the institution’s commitment to providing the nation with academically and professionally trained teachers.
“This significant graduation exercise will witness hundreds of our teacher candidates returning to classrooms across all 10 administration regions throughout the country as professionally trained teachers, and in many cases, trained graduates.”
“More significantly, however, several hundreds of these teachers will return to the hinterland and riverine areas across the country as academically and professionally trained teachers to deliver our national curriculum to thousands of hinterland students in the same manner as their coastal colleagues,” the CPCE VP stated.
Meanwhile, it was revealed that some 1456 students from 20 satellite centres across the country have already registered this year to be trained in various disciplines over the next two years.

New specialisation programmes
In fact, during Friday’s graduation ceremony, Minister Parag announced the introduction of a series of new specialisation programmes that are now being offered at the CPCE. These include: Geography to secondary trainees; History to secondary trainees; Chemistry to secondary trainees; Physics to secondary trainees; French to secondary trainees; and Portuguese to secondary trainees, as well as a one-year training programme for guidance and counselling officers and a six-week programme for parents of special needs children.
According to Parag, this reflects that Guyana Government’s commitment to ensuring that everyone is included as part of the vision to achieve world-class education and universal education, while commending the work done by her predecessor – former Education Minister Priya Manickchand.
In fact, she told the graduating teacher that they will have a role to play in ensuring that Guyana achieves universal secondary education. The country has already reached the goal of universal primary education with the highest access to nursery education in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region.

Upgraded salary scales
Nevertheless, the education minister told Friday’s 1345 graduating teachers that with their new academic achievements, their salary scales have been automatically upgraded in keeping with the new adjustments rolled out by President Ali back in 2023.
“I am pleased to announce, on behalf of the President and the Ministry of Education, that your upgrade will be from October 1, 2025, as graduate teachers,” Parag declared to loud cheers from the audience.
In her charge to the graduated teachers, the Education Minister further reminded them of the important role they have to play in shaping future leaders of the country.
“I implore you that as you step out of this tarmac today, and as you step out of this college as a graduate, that you take with you every ounce of training that you had, every experience that you have had as a student, and every experience and memory that can take away from your lecturers and impart it in a manner in which delivery will not be monotonous but delivery will be impactful in the classroom.”
“You are changing lives one lesson at a time… You are the future nurturers of Guyana. You are the most important profession of Guyana, and that means in 10 years when we have a new president… And in decades to come when you have leaders in the community and nationally, they will be your product. So, teach with passion,” Minister Parag encouraged the graduates.