EdYou FM hosts Spanish workshop to guide educators in becoming versed with language 

As the Government moves forward with implementing Spanish mandatorily into the primary and secondary school curricula, the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD) is currently hosting a three-month Spanish workshop to aid educators.
Facilitated by bilingual educator Latoya Atwell, these practical and theoretical sessions are seeing the participation of education officers, their staff, and other interested individuals.
During the workshop’s opening ceremony on Tuesday, Head of the Education Ministry’s EdYou FM, Phillip Williams shared the radio station’s commitment to serving the children of Guyana despite language barriers.
Meanwhile, NCERD’s Head of the Curriculum Unit, Omawattie Ramdin, commended the EdYou FM team for their efforts, noting that it is crucial for teachers to be able to respond to students’ needs, with the workshop aiming to bridge the existing language gap.
The workshop’s participants will attend classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays and will be required to take an assessment that includes a practical component.
During a press conference in July, President Dr Irfaan Ali disclosed plans to introduce Spanish as a compulsory subject, given the influx of Spanish-speaking persons operating in the economy as well as Guyana’s geographical position amidst a host of Spanish-speaking countries.
He had noted the importance of knowing a second language in order to compete internationally and secure jobs out of the country.
In that regard, the President had also encouraged both private and public sector members to make efforts to learn the language as well.
However, in August, Education Minister Priya Manickchand noted the lack of trained Spanish teachers in the country and disclosed plans to source teachers from Cuba and Mexico while Guyanese teachers receive training in the subject.
Meanwhile, last month, the Education Ministry announced plans for Head Teachers to oversee the introduction of the subject in primary and secondary schools in the Christmas 2023 term.
At the primary level, Head Teachers were advised to confirm their schools are using the renewed curriculum and expose Grades One to Four students to Spanish during one or two of the Beyond Core periods every week.
Meanwhile, Grade Five students, who are using the Consolidated Curriculum, must do Spanish for at least one 30-minute period per week, while Grade Six students are expected to engage in studying the subject after they have written the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA).
At the secondary school level, Head Teachers were told to ensure all students of Grades Seven to Nine were learning Spanish as a foreign language.
Though if student intends to pursue French or Portuguese at Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) in Grade 10, they may be exempted from doing Spanish in Grade Nine, upon their request to the school.
However, Spanish must be offered in each stream in Grade 10, while Head Teachers are required to do staff rationalisation to identify teachers who can teach the subject within the school.