High threshold must be set for persons seeking to become teachers – BVI Minister

…as consultations begin to improve teaching standards

“We cannot expect students who are not properly learned to properly teach, so it is imperative to set a high threshold for those seeking to enter the profession as is the case with law and medicine. If one would not want a C student operating on their body, one should not tolerate a C student operating on the young minds of the nation”.

These were the sentiments shared by the Education, Culture, Youth Affairs, Fisheries and Agriculture Minister of the British Virgin Islands (BVI), Natalio Wheatley, during the opening of consultation sessions at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre on developing standards for the teaching profession in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Making his position known on the matter, the Minister went further to list some special skills teachers must be equipped with. According to him, “Teachers must be equipped to teach students who are not only visual learners, but who learn through doing, who are tactile and auditory. Teachers must learn to use technology to enhance the learning experience. Teachers must be trained in identifying students who have learning disabilities and recommend them for support services as necessary”.
Representing Guyana on this front was Chief Education Officer (CEO) Marcel Hutson, who underscored the importance of setting these higher standards.
“Standards for teachers or teacher educators are paramount. Why? Teacher educators are strategically positioned to serve as catalysts for the required change in the education delivery and outcomes,” he added.
As a consequence, the CEO noted that these persons must be able to model teaching that demonstrates content, professional knowledge, skills and the dispositions which reflect research, proficiency with technology and accepted best practices.
Meanwhile, the Assistant Secretary General of Caricom, Douglas Slater, outlined the agenda of the Regional Two-day meeting which wraps up today (Thursday).
He explained, “At the 34th meeting of the Council of Human and Social Development 2018, the technical working group for teachers’ innovation and education leadership submitted draft standards for teachers, educational leaders and teacher educators. The course had mandated the member States to convene consultations with relevant stakeholders and provide feedback to the Caricom Secretariat. The feedback gained from member States significantly influenced the revision of the draft standards that is being presented here today”.
In addition, the Assistant General Secretary outlined that the teaching profession is formed within the context of social practices. With this on the forefront, he said that the draft teaching standards, “is a collection of aspirational statements” and “they refer to the sets of values and dispositions that influence the form of actions that occur in the teaching-learning relations”.
The event is being undertaken as part of a series of consultation workshops being done in five regions internationally to acquire input from key education stakeholders including teachers, teacher organisations, education planners, teaching regulatory councils, teacher educators, and researchers.
Participants will be asked to review and comment on a guidance framework and suggest ways in which it can be refined as well as recommend approaches for local adaptations.