Expanding teachers’ training

Jun 05, 2026 Letters

Dear Editor,

Where the United Nations is concerned, by 2030,countries must ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education (which of course) will lead to relevant and effective learning outcomes. In fact, this quest is not embraced by all nations, but where Guyana is concerned, we are truly ‘driving’ hard at achieving this goal.

I am most pleased then that “The Ministry of Education has received 13 bids for the construction of a Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) Centre at Charity, Region Two.” According to Minister of Education, Sonia Parag, “… the initiative will ensure that professional development be accessible to teachers residing in hard-to-reach areas, ending an era where they were forced to leave their homes and families to gain certification.” This translates to huge benefits for the students, and this ties right into the UN’s Goal 4, that “… education financing must become a national investment priority, (to facilitate) measures such as making education free and compulsory, increasing the number of teachers, improving basic school infrastructure and embracing digital transformation.”

Where this project is concerned, $45 million was allocated in the 2026 National Budget to kickstart the project, which is geared to serve educators in the Pomeroon River and other nearby remote communities. When all done, this will mean that professional development will be accessible to teachers residing in hard-to-reach areas, and thus ending an era where they were forced to leave their homes and families to gain certification.”

This kind of input from the People’s Progressive Party/Civic Government means that the Administration is treating education with the requisite gravity it truly deserves. The fact is that teacher training is essential because it equips educators with critical skills like classroom management, student psychology, and effective lesson structuring. Without formal training, teachers struggle to provide proper guidance, adapt to diverse learning needs, and integrate technology effectively.

So, to deliver on Goal 4, education financing must become a national investment priority. And this project is symptomatic of what I am saying. The Minister iterated that the project is about “quality education and quality delivery in the classroom,” noting that investing in professional growth ultimately translates into better outcomes for the nation’s children. As per the actual edifice, once completed, the new, modern facility will feature a dedicated classroom block, staff offices, a kitchen area and washroom facilities, all housed within an elevated, ridge-and-beam structure.” And the big picture is that “This new facility will aid the government’s mission to move the national percentage of trained teachers from over 90 per cent to a perfect 100 per cent.”

Guyana is getting there. It is one of the highest ranked developing countries in the Education Index of the United Nations Human Development Report. With a score of 0.943 on the Education Index, its overall rank is 37, and it ranks third in the Caribbean after Cuba and Barbados, and second in South America after Argentina.

We are getting there and in big strides too.

Yours truly,

Hargesh B. Singh

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Hargesh Singh, Letters, teachers’ training, United Nations

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