79% of Guyana’s teachers now trained after batch of 1796 graduate from CPCE

– PM sounds call for more men to join teaching profession

Guyana now boasts 79 per cent trained teachers in classrooms, after the largest batch of 1,796 teachers graduated from the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) on Wednesday.
The 89th CPCE convocation ceremony was not only the largest cohort of teachers to ever graduate from Guyana’s training college, but also the largest cohort of graduating teachers in the Caribbean.
Previously, the country’s trained teachers stood at 65 per cent. As the Education Ministry pursues its goal of having 100 per cent trained teachers in schools by 2025, 99.5 per cent of them are either trained or in the process of becoming certified.
Some 477 teachers graduated from the Early Childhood Education Programme, 841 from the Primary Education Programme, 238 from the Secondary Academic Programme, and 240 from the Secondary Pre-Vocational Programme. 66 graduated from the Trained Teachers’ Certificate Programme, while the remaining 1,730 completed the Associate Degree Programme.

Education Minister Priya Manickchand charged the new graduates to excel in adding value to the lives of children. She added that through a partnership with the University of Guyana (UG), these persons can now complete their degrees.
“We know that you’re more likely to deliver quality if you are taught to teach. We know that your salaries will look better when you are trained. We know that your life will improve once you can deliver better,” she said.
“We have worked with the University of Guyana to allow all of you to train at the same time. That has never happened before. You had to get releases, and only some from a school could go. You can enroll immediately on a degree programme at GOAL, so that you can train further,” Manickchand told the new graduates.
Admissions into the training college have significantly increased after systems were put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic to put the institution fully online. Previously, just over 500 persons could have been accommodated at CPCE.
“We believed in you, and we invested in a system that would give you and your life a better purpose and direction, and that would allow us to put trained teachers in the classroom. Where there is a will, there is always a way,” she zeroed in.
More than 20 per cent of the graduates hailed from hinterland and riverine communities, while 35 per cent of the teachers were from Region Four, 11 per cent were from Region Ten, 14 per cent were from Region Three and 12 per cent were from Regions Two and Six respectively.
Some 238 trainees are graduating as Secondary Academic teachers, 78 per cent are English trained, 75 per cent are Math trained, 35 per cent are Science trained, 31 per cent are Social Studies trained and 9 per cent are Spanish trained.
Meanwhile, CPCE Principal, Noella Joseph, urged the newly trained teachers to be professional in the execution of their mandate to educate and nurture the nation’s children.
“You have completed the first phase of your path to becoming a professional educator, which is worthy of commendation and celebration. It is, however, very important that you exhibit the correct attitudes and qualities for your learners to emulate. Here is where you demonstrate the professional deportment synonymous with this noble profession.”
There currently exist in the school system over 200 teachers who are untrained and above 50 years of age. They will be required to complete short courses until retirement.

Male teachers
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Brigadier (retired) Mark Phillips called for more men to join the teaching profession, after the gender makeup saw a larger batch of women graduating this year.
Of the 1796 teachers who graduated this week, 87 per cent are women.
As he delivered the feature address at the graduating ceremony, the Prime Minister urged more men to seek out opportunities in the teaching profession.
“We need more men to come forward in our education system. We need to recruit more men. However, with the 13 per cent of men graduating and our female graduands, your dedication and passion has led you to this stage,” PM Phillips voiced.
He emphasized the importance of trained teachers in the classroom, and reiterated the Government’s commitment to fostering quality education by investing in tangible initiatives, including improving educational facilities, expanding the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in education, enhancing TVET facilities, and increasing scholarship opportunities, among other things.
“The Government of Guyana remains steadfast in our commitment to fostering a better education system. We have set ambitious goals to enhance access to education from nursery to university, to elevate the overall quality of education, and to equip students with the skills needed for success in the job market, especially in technical and tertiary fields,” he disclosed.
When the CPCE operations were brought fully online during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a surge of 2500 new students within the first year. Manickchand had projected that, in the coming years, this would be advantageous to Guyana when other countries are recording lower numbers.
CPCE offers a wide variety of courses and programmes for every level of teaching, including early childhood programme for both pre-service and in-service students, the primary programme, and the secondary academic and pre-vocational programmes. In total, there are four programmes for the Associate Degree in Education (ADE), along with a Trained Teacher Certificate (TTC) programme for in-service teachers who are not eligible for the ADE programme.
This year, for the first time in education history, CPCE students who are training in the system earned an in-service salary as of January. (Rupa Seenaraine)