The World Bank approved yesterday a US$4.2 million credit to advance the quality of teacher education in Guyana.
According to a World Bank news release from Washington, the Improving Teacher Educa-tion Project will work in partnership with the Ministry of Education to support the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) and the University of Guyana’s (UG) School of Education and Humani-ties to improve the delivery of quality teacher education.
Minister of Education Shaik Baksh is quoted as saying that “This project is aligned with the Government of Guyana’s Education Strategic Plan (ESP) 2008-2013, which aims to increase the number of trained teachers for quality improvement in education.”
He explained that it will support one of the primary goals of the ESP to reach at least 70 percent of teachers trained by 2013, while raising the standards of teacher education programmes in the country.
According to the release, the project has three components, one of which is improving the quality and efficiency of teacher education delivery which will support the implementation of the Associate’s Degree in Education and the Bachelor’s of Education.
And this will be accomplished by developing appropriate courses and teacher educator assessment tools and practices; improving future teachers’ practicum semester and induction year; and integrating information and communication technologies in the teaching and learning process in both face-to-face and distance education teacher education programmes.
A second component is building human resources and technical capacity for more effective teaching and learning by improving the quality of teacher educators and strengthening management at CPCE and UG’s School of Education and Humanities.
And thirdly, there will communications, project management and monitoring and evaluation to inform stakeholders of benefits and changes in education policy and teacher education programmes, in addition to building capacity within the Ministry of Education for project management and monitoring and evaluation of the project’s objectives and outcomes.
“By raising the overall quality of teacher education in Guyana, the release stated, teachers will acquire the essential knowledge, skills and support to effectively improve students’ learning, which in turn will help develop a more productive and competitive workforce,” said Giorgio Valentini, World Bank Representative in Guyana.
This project complements Guyana’s Education for All-Fast Track Initiative (EFA-FTI) Pro-gramme administered by the World Bank, which focuses on access to and completion of a quality primary education as well as other donor interventions.
Meanwhile, the US$4.2 million credit provided by the World Bank’s fund for the poorest, the International Development Asso-ciation (IDA), has a 10-year grace period and a final maturity of 20 years.
