Portuguese launched as modern language in five secondary schools

Oct 18, 2013 News

Guyana is poised to have its name firmly etched in the annals of history with an ambitious move to introduce Portuguese as a modern language in secondary schools. The plan to formulate a curriculum in this regard was first disclosed earlier this year by Minister of Education, Ms Priya Manickchand.

Minister of Education Priya Manickchand (extreme right) hands over Portuguese reading material to three teachers

She said yesterday that although the programme will be initially incorporated at five schools, at the Grade Seven level, it is expected that within another two or three years it will be an examinable subject, even at the level of the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC). Moreover, the Ministry has already engaged preliminary discussions with CXC, according to Minister Manickchand.
“I am pleased to say that the Registrar of CXC said that they are willing to examine with us how we can get this on the curriculum,” said Manickchand, even as she pointed out that “putting Portuguese on the curriculum is not as easy as getting up one day and making a declaration.”
She explained that in order for the subject area to be an examinable one, CXC will have to craft a curriculum of its own, prepare schemes, and have textbooks written. And since the materials that will be used in the local classrooms were prepared by local teachers, they are in fact the ones who will more than likely support the efforts of CXC, an undertaking which will represent another achievement for Guyana, Manickchand observed.
At a simple ceremony held at Theatre Guild, Parade Street, Georgetown yesterday, the Minister officially launched the subject area, even as she urged the students in attendance “…not to treat this as just another course. Treat this as though you will be the first set of students in the Caribbean writing Portuguese at CXC, and getting distinctions.”

Two Cummings Lodge Secondary School students are intrigued by a workbook.

According to the Minister, the rationale behind introducing the subject in five schools is premised on the fact that there are not enough teachers to teach it in more schools to make it effective. And since it is expected that the subject will eventually be taken to more schools, the Minister said that fervent moves will have to be made to introduce the Portuguese curriculum at the Cyril Potter College of Education.
The Minister disclosed yesterday, too, that the move to introduce Portuguese is a simple but rather significant one, particularly when considerations are given to Guyana’s Portuguese-speaking neighbour, Brazil.
Brazil, according to her, is currently the sixth largest economy of the world and Guyana stands to forge even closer ties with this strategic move which will prove beneficial to the peoples of both nations.
She noted that in order to grow as a country and become incorporated in the Global Village, it is essential that Guyana offers foreign languages in a strategic way. As such she said that “even though we have had Spanish and French, we need to examine whether they are both still as relevant as they used to be…I am not sure that French is as useful anymore as Spanish,” asserted the Minister.
According to her, “the Ministry of Education is at a great place right now. It’s at a place where

A dance performed at the official launch of Portuguese as a Modern Language in Secondary Schools at the Theatre Guild yesterday

much of the groundwork has been done; much of the fundamental work to get our students to become global citizens has been done…but there is still more to be done.”
She noted that while initially the move to introduce Portuguese did not find favour with some teachers, it certainly is an example of how “we are so capable right here in Guyana to do just about anything we want to do….We have the brains, we have the mentality and the resources.”
At the forum yesterday the inclusion of Portuguese was already evident, with one student reciting a poem in Portuguese and a couple performing a Portuguese dance.