Latest update April 16th, 2025 7:21 AM
Latest News
- Oil production in Guyana to climb to 900K barrels per day… as 4th FPSO arrives
- Italian company secures contract for early works on Exxon’s 7th project yet to be approved
- Israel proposes Gaza ceasefire deal to release 10 hostages for hundreds of Palestinians, Hamas says
- Peru’s ex-president and first lady sentenced to 15 years in jail
- Brazil to auction 172 oil blocks in June
Leadership is a weakness facing the education system
– Former Education Officer
One of the main weaknesses facing the education sector is that of leadership at the level of the schools. This is the deduction of former Chief Education Officer, Ed Caesar.
Caesar, who was tasked with delivering the charge to the most recent graduating batch of students from the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE), said that the institution has an important role to play in developing the leadership ability in teachers.
However, the College’s effort, according to him, cannot impact the general school system noticeably, unless the leadership deficiencies at the school level are corrected.
Former Chief Education Officer, Ed Caesar
Ahead of detailing intervening measures that can be implemented by CPCE in this regard, Caesar pointed out that teacher leadership of quality must be a feature that must be indispensable.
Moreover, he noted that teacher leadership cannot succeed if teachers who are selected as leaders are not viewed by their peers as more effective, and as having the knowledge and skills to help others. For this reason, he intimated that clinical supervision and appraisal must be professionally addressed and record-keeping must take centre-stage.
Caesar, in continuing his deliberation, even stressed the need for the Ministry of Education to sustain efforts at attracting high-performing teachers to low-performing schools. But according to him, “this must not, however, be by any means of coercion; the right foundation should be established.”
He went on to note that such teachers should gain support in the areas of technology and networking relationships, even as the heads of such schools should be committed to participating management and shared leadership and a compensation package should be discussed and formalised with involvement from the Union.
Further, Caesar noted that the Education Ministry, with the support of the Union, must ensure that there is a role for teachers in leadership policy decisions in affecting their practice.
“A key tenet of professional work is that practitioners are viewed as the expert problem-solvers in their field,” said Caesar. He amplified the need for well-defined roles for teachers to lead at the policy level where they can solve the problems of the profession beyond the classroom.
And even as he alluded to a strategic tactic by CPCE to pursue pedagogical transformation, the former Chief Education Officer made reference to the need for the College to re-examine its mission with a view of ensuring that the resources, human and otherwise, that are necessary are in place.
And it is the conviction of Caesar that in the not too distant future the Undergraduate (Education) Programme offered at the University of Guyana will also be offered at CPCE while the University focuses on the Post Graduate, Master’s and Doctoral programmes.
“The College, even if my dream is not realised, must address elements that relate to pedagogical transformation,” said Caesar as he underscored the need for the College to fully embrace technology. And according to him, persons who are not supportive of technology should not be employed at the College and “every lecturer at the College must be provided with the opportunity to get on board; technology must be fully integrated in every discipline offered at the College.”
He noted that the institution must be able to initiate and foster collaborative programmes with other institutions of higher learning and collaboration among staff must become part of the culture of the College.
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
In praise of the Almighty Executive Order
Peeping Tom… Kaieteur News- Democracy, as we know it, is a kind of ménage à trois — the elected, the appointed,... more
Collaborative Government–Private Sector Action Imperative for a Resilient Trade Future
By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News- On April 9, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 90-day suspension of the higher... more
Weekend Cartoon
