336 graduate from CPCE

Dec 20, 2013 News

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 – trained teachers target surpassed

Poised to lend a priceless hand to the Ministry of Education’s mission to deliver quality education, a batch of 336 students yesterday graduated from the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE).
Of the graduates, 74 are trained to deliver Early Childhood education, 110 (Primary education) and 152 are trained for the secondary level.

This has by extension allowed for CPCE to surpass its mandate, as was announced by the Education Ministry in 2008, to contribute 70 per cent trained teachers to the education system.
The graduation ceremony, held at the National Cultural Centre, represented the 79th Graduation exercise which was held under the theme “Transforming dreams into reality.”
The auspicious event was chaired by Deputy Chief Education Officer, Donna Chapman, who at the onset reminded the proud graduands that teaching is a passion that contributes to development. Moreover, she underscored that teachers are in fact “the architects of the future of Guyana and the world.”
In presenting her inaugural report as Principal of CPCE, Viola Rowe, insisted that the institution remains committed to preparing men and women from all Regions of the country for formal entry into Guyana’s teaching profession. This, she noted, is possible through both face-to-face and distance modalities, the latter being via print-based and computer assisted.
Rowe in her presentation disclosed that “we are confident that our graduates are capable of providing high quality instruction to students in urban and rural classrooms of Guyana, contributing to the national development goal of having a competent citizen.”
And although there were some challenges in producing the graduates, ranging from inadequate supervision to unfavourable physical conditions for resident students and limited stakeholders’ support, Rowe did note that there were some very notable successes.
According to her there were, for instance, several successes under the Guyana Improving Teacher Education Project. These were realised even as the College continued to work diligently to ensure that “we graduate students who show high degrees of intellectual and psychological maturity and demonstrate the commitment and dedication required by teachers to improve the quality of performance of students in our school”.
As such, Rowe noted that it was recognised that there was a need for the institution’s systems and processes to be congruent with its standard.
In commending the achievement of the graduating batch, Rowe urged them not to lose sight of the fact that “you are leaving us as developing novices.”
Although Veronica Jeffrey of the CPCE Turkeyen campus was named the best graduating student – allowing her to receive, among others, the Prime Minister’s Prize – she was listed, along with a few others, as the outstanding performers. These included: Madavi Manbood, Tulsidai Ramnarine, Donnella Britton, Vanessa Ram of the Anna Regina Satellite Centre; Chyanne Fredericks and Sabrina Dookie of the Georgetown Centre and Stacey Alder, Suelaire Thomas and Danwattie Dyal of the Linden, New Amsterdam and Vreed en hoop Satellite Centres respectively.
Outstanding performances were also recorded for Giresh Bashu, Jamie Koulasar and Rookmin Sahoy of the Turkeyen campus.
The outstanding performers were presented with prizes and along with the other graduates were presented with their teaching certificates during a segment of the ceremony that was briefly interrupted by an electrical power outage.
In delivering the feature address, Chief Education Officer, Olato Sam, observed that the graduates are entering the education system at an extremely important phase of evolution in Guyana. He pointed that it is common knowledge that if education is to move forward it must start with the qualifying of teachers, a task which is being undertaken well by CPCE.
He emphasized that “any approach at transforming education and moving the agenda forward must give prominence to the teaching force.” And according to him, measures are very much apace to improve teaching education, so much so that the CPCE is on a path to becoming “an institution of the highest rating regionally and internationally.”
In alluding to the importance of teacher educators, Sam in his passionate address commended their role in the education sector, a statement which evoked much applause from the audience of graduates, education officials, family members and friends in attendance.
According to Sam, CPCE is on the upsurge and must be singled out for the significant contribution it has been making and will continue to make towards development.
Vice Chancellor of the University of Guyana, Professor Jacob Opadeyi, presented the charge to the graduands.
The near four-hour long ceremony was not without some entertaining features which included musical renditions, with a Christmas flair, from the Guyana Police Force Band and singing from the CPCE choir. But undoubtedly it was an ethnic fusion dance by Kijana Lewis and Indira Itwaru that commandeered intense applause and a standing ovation from sections of the audience that proved to be the most intriguing.

 

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