Hutson confirmed as Chief Education Officer

Former substantive Deputy Chief Education Officer, Marcel Hutson, has recently been confirmed as the Chief Education Officer (CEO) at the Ministry of Education after nearly nine months of acting in that capacity.
Hutson’s acting appointment began in August 2016 following the removal of then CEO, Olato Sam, whose contract was not renewed by the APNU/AFC Administration. Sam had been sent on annual leave before his contract ended.
Speaking with the Government Information Agency (GINA) on Monday, Hutson revealed that he assumed duties as confirmed CEO since May 10.
“I received a letter from the Public Service Commission giving approval for my appointment as Chief Education Officer,” Hutson told the agency.
He described his confirmation as bringing legitimacy to his undertaking. “What I like about that is that whatever I am doing now as a CEO, the confirmation brings legitimacy to the office,” Hutson said.
“Sometimes, when you have an office but you are not confirmed, sometimes you tend to be wavering because you do not want to pretend to be what you are not. And so the fact of the matter is (that) confirmation brings legitimacy to the office; and therefore I (can) be more confident and certain with what I am doing as Chief Education Officer,” he explained.
Hutson said that at the end of his tenure he hopes to leave a legacy that would see students being proficient in literacy and numeracy. “I wish that my legacy can be that our children can read at grade level and our children are able to matriculate; that is, pass English and Mathematics and go on to higher levels of (study).
“Without a literate and numerate society, we cannot be productive and prosperous; and so I will be moving in that direction, and I hope that many of my colleagues and stakeholders would come alongside me and the Ministry as we move education forward,” he declared.
Hutson has a Trained Class 1 Grade 1 Teacher’s Certificate; a Bachelor of Social Science Degree in Sociology, Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theology; a Post-Graduate Diploma in Education Administration, and a Master’s in Education Management, Planning and Supervision. Additionally, he holds a certificate in the Management and Delivery of Education in Guyana via the Ministry of Education’s first Teacher Cadet Scheme; a Certificate in Reforming School Supervision for Quality Improvement (IIEP) through the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO); and a Certificate of Training in Project Management through the Government of Guyana and Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).