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Guyana to train 1500 IT teachers this year
Guyana wants to train 1500 teachers this year in IT.
The National Centre for Education Resource Development (NCERD) is aiming to train at least 1500 teachers this year to use the computer as a teaching and learning tool.
According to Senior Subject Specialist and Information Technology Coordinator within the Ministry of Education, Marcia Thomas, to date an estimated 150 teachers have completed basic IT training.
Apart from NCERD, the training programme has been extended to Regions Two, Six, Ten and Georgetown.
Thomas, who is also the Caribbean Examination Council’s Chief Examiner for IT, pointed out that since the Basic IT programme for teachers started in 2009, close to 3000 of them have been trained.
It is now believed that the target for this year can be achieved once the finance is available.
In addition to training teachers, NCERD has implemented the Success Maker in 29 primary schools and continues to convene regular staff development sessions for teachers on how to use the Jolly Phonics, a low cost literacy and numeracy software designed to supplement work in the classroom.
The Success Maker software is used to reinforce literacy and numeracy concepts and is licensed, marketed and sold by Pearson. It was piloted in 2000 in four schools under the Primary Education Improvement Project and implemented in 14 schools under the BEAMS programme.
As a result of the success achieved, authorities are now hoping to implement it in 50 primary schools by the end of April.
According to an NCERD report, the programme which is used between Grades One and Three, has been having a positive impact on students.
“The report has noted that the programme has been able to generate a 50 per cent reading improvement in pupils enrolled on the systems after 25 sessions on the computer and 75 per cent improvement in Mathematics in the same number of sessions,” the Ministry of Education said in a statement yesterday.
The report also noted that the innovation has created positive behavioral patterns in pupils who were found to be more focused, have developed more fluency in reading and have a more disciplined attitude towards learning.
The Ministry of Education, in its 2008-2013 Education Strategic Plan, aims to equip all secondary schools and 50 per cent of primary schools with computer laboratories by 2012.
“At the primary level, emphasis is being placed on teacher training, curriculum development and the creation of interactive materials for use in the schools and for distance education. Aside from the Success Maker and Jolly Phonics, the Connecting Classroom program has been implemented,” the Ministry said.
This initiative is a web-based learning and social network that enables students in the hinterland to enjoy the same teaching and learning opportunities as the children on the coastland.
In an effort to ensure that teachers are adequately prepared to use computers for teaching and learning, the Ministry of Education has developed an ICT competency framework for teachers.
“This plan provides a roadmap for teachers’ professional development in ICT and makes available the training opportunities for teachers to develop appropriate skills. Support for this undertaking has been provided by the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Commonwealth of Learning, and Microsoft Corporation,” the Ministry disclosed yesterday.
Education Minister, Shaik Baksh, had disclosed too that under the new teacher education and training reform agenda, the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) and the Faculty of Education and Humanities, at the University of Education (UG), will be equipped with a state-of-the-art computer laboratories for teachers pursuing the education programmes.
The Minister said that the primary objective is to ensure that every teacher who graduates from the college is computer literate and can use the computer as a teaching and learning tool.
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