Dear Editor,
The Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) is the institutional embodiment of the word “pandemonium”. Their students are confused, demotivated, disoriented and simply overwhelmed. I have borne witness to this for about two years and I refuse to remain silent for longer.
The institution is one of the most difficult places to pursue higher education. The college is supposed to train teachers to function effectively, behave appropriately and teach properly. However, the people in charge are irresponsible, dismissive and totally unprepared to deal with the number of students they currently have in training. This observation/opinion is shared by many individuals, both past and present students. There are incidents of missing grades for student-teachers spanning from their first semester at the college to their fourth and fifth, lecturers are not assigned to students, some of the students’ relevant courses are unavailable and inaccessible, classes are not held and yet students are forced to continuously submit countless assessments with little to no guidance.
During the first few weeks of January 2023, students were forced to sit their examinations, having only been informed one day prior. Representatives of the college explained that they were also unaware of the “scheduled” examination until the last minute. After they were notified, they then passed the information along to their students. Students who pleaded for leniency and for the college to reschedule the exams were ignored. The college disregards the fact that they are training human beings and not machines. Their decisions seem to be made by flipping a coin and hoping for the best. Student Body Representatives are also ignored and dismissed by those in in higher authority. Nothing gets through to the people in charge and the more the students try, the more futile it seems. The newer generations of teachers that will experience their training at the college are going to be soulless and uninterested. It is the sad reality that will be realized if something is not done and change does not occur.
Sincerely,
(Name and Address Provided)
