Akawini Primary School in need of trained teachers

Dec 19, 2008 News

…Minister Fox acknowledges problem as difficult to overcome

The Akawini Primary School, sited some 46 miles up the Akawini River, is another of the many hinterland schools in need of trained teachers.

The school is currently short of teachers, said one current staff member, Barbara France, who said that the school services some 250 children in the region.

When contacted yesterday, Minister within the Ministry of Education, Dr Desrey Fox acknowledged the problem and said that that one of the major problems was that of adequate accommodation for teachers who were willing to travel from the coast.

The Minister blamed the regional administrators for this scenario, noting that they have to step up and assist the Ministry.

She added also that persons from the Region who have been trained should return to their communities and render their services.

Another problem facing the country as a whole is the brain drain syndrome that has seen a significant number of teachers migrating.

Minister of Education, Shaik Baksh, delivering the feature address to the recent batch of graduating students of the Cyril Potter College of Education, stated that with more trained teachers in the system, a higher level of achievement from children in Guyana is expected.

“At present, only 57 percent (10,000) of our teachers are trained, but that is totally inadequate. Over the next five years, we will have to triple the number of graduates of the CPCE in order to achieve a 70 percent trained teachers in Guyana.” The education sector, he said, enjoys the highest percentage of the budget.

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