Draft Teachers’ Professional Standards gets overseas attention

Apr 11, 2014 News

– Education Minister heartened by response

Nationwide consultations, intended to foster stakeholders’ input in the Ministry of Education’s Draft Professional Standards for teachers have commenced, and according to Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, the response has been heartening.
In fact, during a recent interview with this publication, Manickchand said that the document, which is currently available on the Ministry’s website (www.education.gov.gy) and on its Facebook page, has even been attracting overseas attention.

Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand

“It is very pleasing to me to see persons living abroad giving their input too. I will write to each of them personally to say thanks for being interested and paying attention to our sites and to actively engage with us,” informed the Minister.
The overseas response, she disclosed, has seen the Ministry being able to access other similarly crafted documents from various countries which could help guide the way forward.
“It has been extremely good, the input we have been getting so far, because people are telling us what they think is wrong or right,” the Minister said.
And the local response has been no less gratifying, she pointed out, even as she alluded to the overwhelming turnout at stakeholders’ consultations that have been conducted thus far.
This is especially pleasing, the minister said, in light of the fact that all of the meetings held so far were optional.
“I am very satisfied…our aim has been to make it known that we have these draft standards and get feedback from everyone in the country about how they feel about them. This is to allow them to see if they want to delete stuff, if they want to add stuff…and that is the aim of the conversation and I am extremely pleased to see the turnouts, because these are not mandatory meetings,” the Minister said.
“People come with their notes written, which means they would have read it (the document) before they came,” added the Minister as she pointed out how involved stakeholders have been towards the draft standards.
About 10,000 copies of the draft documents were handed out to teachers and those without copies are able to access it online.
The Professional Standards set expectations to achieve the desired educational outcomes and therefore speak to the performance of those who teach, lead and or supervise the education system. As such it is underscored that such performance is the collective outcome of pre-service training, on-going professional development and the experience gained through the practice of the profession.
However, the document notes that since the education professional is ultimately responsible for his or her impact on the system, it is therefore expected that the assessment of the standards will be based on practice rather than on examinations.
It has been pointed out too that the Education Professional Standards are not intended as a tool for punitive action but rather, they should reflect professional consensus of what is desirable in the supervision, leadership and delivery of education and, provide a framework that permits professionals to assess themselves.
The Standards advocate for research and practice to generate new knowledge and to maintain a responsive profession that takes a diagnostic approach to the delivery of education.
Moreover, inclusiveness, equity, commitment and a desire for excellence are seen as the under-pinning principles of the Standards which focus on the quality of education.
As a result, professionals are expected to apply these Standards within the variety of situations that arise as they provide services at the various levels of education. “Ultimately improved achievements will depend on the education professional’s’ commitment, competence and determination that all those who pass through the education system ought to and will achieve optimum success,” the document states.