Improved performance and quality of work expected following SEN Unit’s Annual Conference
Ministry of Education, Press Release – Wednesday, March 13, 2019
The Special Education Needs (SEN) Unit of the Ministry of Education will be working towards improving its performance and quality of work as the SEN Officers meet for their Second Annual Conference in Bartica, Region Seven.
At the opening of the Conference today, National SEN Officer, Savvie Hopkinson said that at the end of the two-day conference, she expects that there should be a better understanding of the SEN Unit’s work and role within the Ministry.
“Officers would be expected to improve their performance and improve the quality of their work. Participants must leave with a fuller understanding of their roles and responsibilities as part of the SEN Unit and as Officers assigned to Departments of Education,” Hopkinson remarked.
She said that some of the work to be done over the two-day period include reviewing, strategising, identification of challenges and sharing of experiences. Additionally, she said that the SEN Work Programme for 2019 will be discussed and a structured approach for realising the objectives will be employed.
Moreover, according to Hopkinson, participants will be introduced to the functions of the Regional SEN Centre for Treatment and Diagnosis that is located at the CPCE Turkeyen Campus.
She said, “This centre is a welcomed addition to the architecture of special education and will impact the national efforts that are already in progress in this field.”
Further, Hopkinson explained that the evolution of the education system is plainly visible in the changed perception of students who learn differently; those that face formidable cognitive challenges; those who were formerly abandoned or left behind; students who stood on the periphery and notably the blind, the hearing impaired and those with other disabilities.
She noted too that the establishment of the SEN Unit and the embrace of a new paradigm in respect to curriculum and teaching methodologies, with all their ramifications, is testimony to an inclusive and accessible approach to education by the Government.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Education Officer (Administration), Ingrid Trotman addressed the officers and explained to the officers her expectations of them.
She said that they should embrace punctuality and having a competitive spirit. She said being in competition mode will encourage each officer to want to work hard to ensure that the region they are responsible for does well.
Trotman added that the SEN Officers need to be fast learners, work smarter, think outside the box, must be able to adjust, need to be accountable and must have respect for self and others.
She said that with these qualities, the officers will ensure that they represent the Ministry of Education and its values as they ought to.
Welcoming the SEN Officers to the township of Bartica was its Mayor, Gifford Marshall. He urged the officers to work towards improving the quality of education delivered to students in the town and the region at large.