Dear Editor,
Education delivery in Guyana is not just about nursery, primary and secondary schools. The final outcome of education intervention is because of the positive interactions of the many agencies involved and the services that they provide. However, if there is deficient action of any one agency, the ripple effect will be felt in the system. If in a school every class teacher is working according to expectation with the exception of one, then any child that passes through that teacher’s level will face difficulty in the following levels. Relevant training at the level of the Training College has to be maintained so that this can be transferred to the classrooms. Training of teachers are of vital importance because their competencies are felt by the children.
I would like to make a comparison between the Certificate in Education Administration offered by the University of Guyana and the Education Management Certificate Course that is offered by NCERD on behalf of the Ministry of Education. By far, the latter is highly effective and relevant to the management of schools in this country. This course which is made up of nine study modules covers all aspects of school leadership which is by far superior to the Cert. Ed. Admin which deals with a lot of theories about managing education universally. Vague in its outlay and nothing about important aspects in a principal’s daily trials. One can look at the course outline for a two year Cert. Ed programme as against that offered by the Management Modules and determine which should really be the one that should offer its graduate the raise in pay.
Both courses are for a two year duration, the Management course is offered to teachers of all regions in Guyana, the teachers or trainees of the course are assessed on management activities on the job, and the trainees are also given points for completing a project that benefits the school. The trainers are drawn from retired educators who have such knowledge of the programme from workshops that they would have attended. Hence, they are able to guide the participants throughout the course. However, the Ministry of Education and the Minister need to look seriously at the present status of the course. It seems to be limping along and there is much that is not right about its present pace. Modules are not always available when needed, trainers are at a loss about the little stipend they would receive. The last cohort which was 2018-2020 are still to know about their examination results.
With the Covid-19 blamed for any and everything, the relevant agencies need to take stock of our education agencies and render some assistance and/or advice so that their responsibilities will not wane and demoralize those who willingly offer their services and those who look forward for such services by these agencies.
Sincerely,
Name and Address Provided
