“You have become a leader in the Ministry of Education” – Minister Manickchand tells new Education Officers

Today, forty-eight teachers who began the fifth Cadet Officers Training Programme in February 2019 graduated and are now education officers across the 11 education districts in Guyana. The Honourable Minister of Education Priya Manickchand welcomed the graduates into the cadre of leaders within the Ministry.

She told the newly minted officers that their completion of the programme means that they are now ready to begin their stint of leadership in the Ministry. “You have become a leader in the Ministry of Education. I congratulate you for that without reservation,” Minister Manickchand said during the virtual graduation ceremony.

The cadets were told by the Education Minister that with guidance from Senior Officers at Central Ministry, they are now collectively responsible for over 170, 000 students. Minister Manickchand said that the Ministry of Education has confidence that the officers will deliver the quality of service that is necessary based on the training and resources they have benefited from.

She told the officers that they are entering the Ministry at a really exciting time. According to Minister Manickchand, the Ministry is on the trajectory to increase its percentage of trained teachers in the system from 73% to the high 90% range where every teacher in the classroom will either be trained or actively undergoing training.

She said that it is also an exciting time for the Ministry whereby Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is being implemented so that every child leaves secondary school with certification and training to make them employable or to move on to post-secondary or tertiary education.

Further, the new officers were told of the Ministry’s plan to ensure secondary education is equal across Guyana. She said, “Together we can turn all secondary schools into quality schools that will produce children that are marketable.” She said too that the Ministry will ensure that hinterland education and those children with special education needs are not left behind.

Chief Education Officer, Dr. Marcel Hutson said during his charge to the graduates that the programme was birthed out of the desire to produce education officers with the competence, wherewithal and pride that are considered necessary ingredients for the sustained transformation of the education sector. He said that today’s graduates are better able to understand the workings of the education system and to develop an appreciation of the needs of schools in the hinterland as well as those on the coast.

“This observation is important particularly as we contemplate closing the gaps in the performance between those schools in the hinterland and the coast,” Dr. Hutson noted.

He said that it was not by accident that a strong leadership component was incorporated into the programme. Dr. Hutson expressed the view that many of the problems faced by organisations stem from poor leadership. He charged the graduates not to be afraid of failing but to use it as a learning experience to succeed and keep going.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Education Officer (Administration), Ms. Fazia Baksh spoke on some of the programme highlights during the period of training. She said that the cadets were required to submit application forms, after which each shortlisted applicant was required to attend an interview.

She said that all cadets participated in a one-week orientation exercise and participated in workshops that aimed to develop an understanding of nursery and secondary education, Ministry of Education policies and professionalism and work ethic among other components.

According to Ms. Baksh, the cadets were challenged to become more knowledgeable of the operations of the Ministry while understanding their purpose. She said that each officer was placed on five stints where they spent time at offices of each Education District, the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD and Central Ministry. During one of their stints, cadets were also required to spend one month in a hinterland or riverine district to complete a special project.

Ms. Baksh added that the cadets also participated in oil and gas with a focus on the need for inclusion in the secondary school curriculum. She explained that the Ministry of Education expects that this batch of cadets who are now education officers will become integral in the transformation of our education system making it more relevant in local, regional and international contexts. “The expectation also is that with a better understanding of the policies, regulations, and laws which govern our education system, they will develop their units and departments for the overall good of the education system,” Ms. Baksh remarked.