GTU/Canadian Teachers Federation commences two-week workshop in Kwakwani

Jul 18, 2017 News

The visiting Canadians with the locals at Kwakwani.

Kwakwani may be a community of low performing schools at present but all things being equal there may soon be a shift for better and improved performance.
On Monday, Chief Education Officer Marcel Hutson called on a gathering of teachers at the Kwakwani Primary School to turn the tide through collective engagements with stakeholders and through self-development as a motivator to the rest of the nation.
Hutson made these remarks to signal the commencement of a two-week training workshop for teachers in Kwakwani. This has been an annual feature for several years, funded by the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) and the Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF) in collaboration with the Government through the Ministry of Education.
While funding has been reduced by the Canadians, the GTU has opted to continue pumping finances into its realisation to the benefit of all teachers to raise the standard of teaching on the local shores.
The certificate course is expecting participation from more than 100 teachers in the community and its environs.
Chief Education Officer, Marcel Hutson, during remarks at the workshop’s opening, stressed the importance of learning communities as was done in the past, while pointing out that it is an example of the Canadians sharing their experience in the profession with Guyanese teachers to adopt best practices.
Hutson who was once the Region Ten Education Officer said, “Teachers must share and be examples of responsible attitudes and actions.” He spoke too of the requirements for successful schools. These include effective Parent Teacher Associations (PTA), Leadership about Government’s overall school improvement Plans (SIP), .
CEO Hutson reminded the participants that it is up to them to choose the levels of teaching that they opt to present: “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires,” he said.
Hutson commended the stakeholders for pushing to keep the teacher-training programme which he endorsed as “very significant, “alive.
Come September, Guyana will celebrate Education Month under the theme ‘Promoting wellness in communities through education’. It is no secret that sometimes riverine schools suffer much, but according to Mr. Hutson, teachers from those communities will be helped to improve.
“For any school to do well we must have strong PTA so that children can do better. There must be a coming together to make an impact…No one teacher should be making moves on his own to be extraordinary.
He said that guidance counselling is important to fix conflicts as a teacher and plan for improvement. The former East Ruimveldt boy who became CEO encouraged teachers to soak up all that they can and to use the method of counselling and planning to do better because the nation’s future depends on it.
Team Leader for the 2017 CTF, Ms Alvarine Aldridge described the training as “a great partnership through which six Canadian educators will learn from Guyana and teach.
They will take away best practices to employ in Canada while sharing ours to help improve the delivery of education in Guyana.” Subjects to be covered over the two weeks of the Certificate course include HIV/Aids, guidance and counselling, admin, Education and language, science and mathematics and Administration.
At the Workshop opening, it was also announced that a day care facility has been put in place for the children of teachers who are in attendance.
Ms Aldridge while offering greetings from all members of the Canadian Teachers Federation called on the six Canadians on her team to act as tutors. They have been communicating for four months and collectively they bring approximately 100 years of teaching experience.
She noted too that “this alliance has brought us together and together we can change the world…by your one bold, positive step to participate.”

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