Applications to study at CPCE increase threefold
-2,122 applicants already accepted
Minister of Education, Hon. Priya Manickchand today announced that the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) has this year received the largest number of applications in its history.
The Minister said the College has received 5,537 applications but the staff has only been able to process 3,784 of them.
“The same number of staff dedicated stuff, but smaller number that would ordinarily process 1,500 applications are now processing in a much shorter time, or I’m asking them to do that, 5,537 applications.”
Minister Manickchand said trained Guyanese teachers are actively sought to improve the education system in other countries, so the large number of applicants is welcomed.
Some 2,122 persons are qualified for the Associate Degree in Education. In this programme, persons would be trained for two years at CPCE and then spend another two years studying at the University of Guyana.
One thousand one hundred sixty-nine teachers who are already in the classrooms, have been accepted to earn an Associate Degree in Education, while 834 who never lectured, have been accepted.
Additionally, 119 persons have been enrolled in the college to study for a Trained Teacher’s Certificate. This was previously only accessible to persons living in the hinterland.
The CPCE is yet to contact a number of persons who are eligible to be accepted in the college. Minister Manickchand explained that connectivity remains a significant challenge but everyone eligible will be notified.
“If you have not yet heard from CPCE, you are going to hear from them between now and Thursday midday. As I said we are getting some challenges where we’re trying to contact some of the applicants by way of email, and telephone numbers that they’ve given us, and we’re not getting through to them on those, but we’re still trying different ways to reach them.”
The college has been able to accept 525 students each year but with the classroom being virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more persons are being accepted.
Minister Manickchand said the Government has invested heavily there will be high quality online schooling.
“We’ve invested quite a bit of money in buying EBSCO; that’s an online library that’s catering for teachers, in buying for Dina, that’s a programme that allows us a software to register and track and follow students, in helping us to get Moodle, which is a platform that allows a very versatile way of teaching. A partnership with the Commonwealth of Learning has done that. And so, a lot of work has gone into getting CPCE up and running online over the past six months.”
The CPCE will begin its online classes on April 19.