CPCE Science Department further boosted with donation from Chinese government
(September 26, 2019) – The science laboratories of the Cyril Potter College of Education have been further enhanced with a gift from the People’s Republic of China of equipment to improve teacher training at the college.
This gesture was birthed during a conversation His Excellency Brigadier David A. Granger President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana had with China’s Ambassador to Guyana Mr. Cui Jianchun in 2017 where the President was asked how can the People’s Republic of China assist Guyana in its education system.
The CPCE was singled out by His Excellency and the equipment were procured and today the formal handing-over was done at the Turkeyen Campus.
Delivering the feature address, the President said that it is important that teachers are educated in an environment that is conducive for academic achievement.
He said that training is essential for teachers, necessary for upgrading skills, acquiring knowledge and to make studies interesting.
“Trained teachers are the sinews of the education system. They are central to achieving the education standard which will produce graduates equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes and the values for their personal development,” His Excellency noted.
Further, he said that teachers of today must be geared to train the generation of tomorrow and they must be prepared for the important role in educating students to become citizens of the 21st century.
“The teaching of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) is being given priority. It will allow the entire country to develop a more technologically competent workforce essential to the establishment of this digital state of which I speak. It demands the re-orientation of the education system with placing greater emphasis on technology,” the President remarked.
He said that the primary mission out of today’s event was to ensure that the training of teachers is at an exceptionally high standard to enable the college to graduate teachers who are capable of providing service of an exceptional quality to the public education system.
He said that Guyana looks forward to continued international cooperation in education of friendly countries such as the People’s Republic of China particularly during the decade of development from 2020 – 2029.
According to the President, during that decade there will be a greater focus on education particularly to satisfy the constitutional requirement of free education from nursery to university.
Minister of Education, Dr. the Hon. Nicolette Henry during her presentation said that she does not doubt that the equipment, consumables and reagents will enhance the science capabilities of CPCE to more effectively discharge its mandate.
She said that focusing on science is becoming more and more imperative as science is creating wonders almost every day. “In keeping with this reality, our educational institutions are mandated to upgrade for the betterment of our human resources, skills, capacity building and emerging industries,” Minister Henry noted.
Minister Henry added that education is a strong area of cooperation between the two countries since the Chinese government has continually provided scholarships and training opportunities to strengthen capacity.
She said that improving the standard and support systems at CPCE should allow both lecturers and students to have an improved experience. “The benefits of this will gradually be filtered into our school system as the quality of teachers is the most significant school-based determinant of student’s outcome,” the Education Minister stated.
Meanwhile, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Guyana, His Excellency Cui Jianchun said that it was in 1972 that Guyana and China established bilateral relations. He said that without this relationship today’s ceremony would not have been possible.
He said that it was the focus of President David Granger’s on education that made the gift of science equipment to CPCE a reality. According to the Ambassador, China is more than willing to advance teaching and learning in Guyana.
The Ambassador said that the equipment handed-over to CPCE is an important contribution to the development of the institution and looks forward to continued cooperation between the two countries.