Education Ministry launches online training for teachers

The Education Ministry in collaboration with the Organisation of American States (OAS) and the ProFuturo Foundation launched a mass innovation and ICT training that will ensure that all teachers are equipped to deliver quality education to Guyanese students.
Education Minister Priya Manickchand, during her remarks at the virtual launching of the initiative, said that her Ministry heard about the difficulties teachers are experiencing during the pandemic, and has since partnered with the OAS and ProFuturo to provide them with mass training in innovation and ICT.
She added that the ProFuturo teachers’ training is aimed at rapidly bringing teachers up to speed with knowledge and skills to allow them to begin delivering learning online, based on sound principles.
The training is divided into two parts – Innovation and ICT – with each track consisting of modules across four levels, basic, intermediate, advanced and professional.
The Education Minister in her address during the launching explained that the duration for all modules is 100 hours, and the training will be delivered on the ProFuturo platform with coaches assigned to groups of 20 teachers to provide support during the learning journey.
“Part one of the programme is about innovation, so if you have a glass, and a bottle, and a cork, and that is all you have in your classroom, how do you use that to deliver your lesson? It is teaching and reorganising, and revaluating what we have been taught…what we have done is to print the modules…”
For the first part, teachers will get modules and arrangements will be made for them to write their exams and be able to be certified for the second part, which is ICT.
Manickchand posited that the training is expected to increase the awareness of methodologies, tools and basic skills needed for the online delivery of education.
“This will address learning at a distance during COVID-19 and enable teachers to engage in online, hybrid and blended approaches post COVID-19. The training will be done on the ProFuturo’s online platform.”
To ensure all teachers receive free access to the ProFuturo platform, the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company and Digicel Guyana have agreed to zero-rate access to all the relevant text-related material required for completing the training modules on the platform.
This means that any teacher that goes on the ProFuturo platform will not have to use their personal data or internet services for the relevant text-based material. In fact, they would not need a data plan. However, supplementary YouTube videos which are not absolutely necessary for completing the training modules will incur data charges.
Local OAS Repre-sentative, Will Campbell and OAS Washington, USA, Representative, Luis Benitez both applauded the Government for this undertaking. Benitez said he is “thrilled to see Guyana as an example for all the other countries in the Caribbean”. He added that they hope the project is sustained as the world moves forward into the digital age.
Upon completion of the course, each teacher will receive certification that will be recognised by the Education Ministry.
Teachers who would like to be registered for the training are asked to visit the link: www.education.gov.gy/retoolingteachers. The Education Ministry will also be reaching teachers through official channels. (G9)