Ministry of Education Set to improve HR Capacity through Leadership workshop

(April 6, 2018) – The Ministry of Education is continuing its efforts to develop its human resource capacity through the National Centre for Education Resource Development (NCERD) work plan to enhance education delivery in Guyana with a global perspective.

In this regard, a three days training exercise is set to commence on Monday at Duke Lodge with international/ professional facilitation from the ‘Leadership in Education Services Ltd’ based in London.

Headed by Ms. Dennise Hilliman, the Leadership in Education Services Ltd. As facilitators of the workshop with the goal to bridge gaps and change the leadership conversation through education with a view that everyone has the ability to be an example of inspiration every day.

Ms. Hilliman an education and leadership consultant, as well as director of THE LEAD Curriculum company, is a Guyanese at heart who was educated in Guyana and is also a national.

As a lead up to the Conference today Ms. Hilliman along with her Personal Assistant Ms. Sandra Gaskin met with Hon. Nicolette Henry in the presence of Ms. Cumberbatch, head of NCERD at the MOE,26 Brickdam Ministerial Secretariat to receive her blessings and support which was one of the high points of the engagements.

The workshop that is to be facilitated by several key officials has a forward thrust for the Education Sector through the LEAD Curriculum of this innovative leadership training programme. The initial 50 beneficiaries are educators drawn from the private and public sectors and according to Ms. Hilliman, the conference sets the tone for a paradigm shift to service leadership, collaboration with the private sector and teaching at all levels in Guyana.

In addition to the excitement of the conference is aimed at creating a base for networking and leadership training, Minister Henry posited the need for the conference to meet and be impactful to the new and emerging talents and skills of the Guyanese people while respecting diversity through brain steering. etc

“This conference is content based with a major component being the honing of participants understanding what is required of them beyond academics,”.

Further Minister encouraged that the contributions received from it (the Conference) should inform recommendations and network development to push the objectives of the forward thrust of her sector through NCERD.

This, the minister said, “is not just an event but a process to promote delivery of better and relevant education for curriculum development after 20 years of dormancy.”

The conference also dovetails on what the MOE is working to implement by this year’s end to improve systems affecting needed changes for human resource and by extension national development.

The leadership conference that will benefit Fifty (50) Primary schools’ head teachers aside from having the Minister’s support is aimed at raising the standards of Education delivery through collaboration with the private sector. “We are promoting a new model to bridge the gap between the public and private sector while preparing youths for the real world,” Miss Hilliman said. The project is funded by the Ministry of Education through NCERD to the tune of 7000 pounds to shape the conference, deliver and follow up over a period of one year.

The key areas to be addressed are three-fold: Collaboration with businesses looking at the benefits of strategic cooperation, a paradigm shift to service leadership to change the status quo and the current narrative and to teach at all levels to start the ball rolling to ‘charge-up’ or motivate others. Models of accountability will be part of the reflections also.

The facilitators for the conference include University of Guyana Vice Chancellor, Professor Dr. Ivelaw Griffith, Ms. Merna Bernard head of human development CARICOM, Chief Education Officer Mr. Marcel Hutson, Ms. Jennifer Britton the deputy programme manager of Department of Public Information and Dr. Henry Jeffery. Additional facilitators from the Business sector includes the head of Scotia Bank mr. Raymond Smith, business entrepreneurs Stanley and Collin Ming, Dr. Roshan Khan, Ansa Mcal Mcal director Ms. Beverly Harper as well as London based Dr. Veronica Broomes.

This model has already been successfully employed in the UK and Ms. Denise Hilliman who served to the level of head teacher at the London Leadership College says businesses are enthused. Minister Henry in commending the efforts of the LEAD group said, “This training is a much-needed one to fill and plug the gap in the local education sector.

The programme has been in planning for the past four years.

Minister Henry in dubbing the initiative as a timely one noted too that there is a need for a global review of our education to ensure that it is delivered with a focus administration development for leadership roles as a very important component that impacts teachers. “An innovative way of bridging the skills gap to better prepare future leaders… It is more of what you bring to the table beyond the regular teaching-learning environment”.

“Systems and capacity in the 21st century is of paramount importance and I recognise the need to have people trained while building capacity so to me this is not just a conference it’s the first step towards shaping, delivering and follow up. It also offers an opportunity for our human resource to find and understand their roles as leaders in leadership and to understand the dynamics thereof.”

Further Minister Henry said that she recognised the need to understand how the leadership theory works through participation and demonstration for the strengthening of delivery.

Minister Henry also noted that the Academic part is already moving along progressively at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) but this is (conference) more to provide baseline support adequately. All told it is our duty as we move forward with education delivery to include tabletop interactions.

“We have to start with the mindset. Guyana is not in silos but is part of a global village and if we do not change to what’s current and future we would be left behind and we cannot afford that. It’s about the changing face of accountability and technology to formulate policy”.

A very productive three day of interactions is promised as ideas for leaderships, Mentorship and exchanging of ideas through twining and collaborations is being targeted also.

“I want to ensure that every cent spent is given value for the people of Guyana,” said Minister Henry as she noted that “it’s not a top-down but more of a self-sustained approach. There was also talk of plans to introduce a pilot programme for secondary schools.

“I support this conference in a large way to be more than visible but to be impactful to the people when it comes to the development of soft skills that have worked in other places the Universities, secondary schools and technical education institutions must be involved”, Minister Henry stated.