Georgetown : President Donald Ramotar calls for the standard of practice that has been developed for the teaching procession which outlines the academic and professional benchmarks for educators within the Caribbean to be implemented expeditiously.
The President was at the time addressing delegates of the 25 member Caribbean Union of Teachers (CUT) for its 36th Biennial Conference, to strengthen the bonds of solidarity among teachers of the region.
The overall goal, the President explained, is to promote the professional development of teachers, provide professional leadership in teaching, aid policy formation, regulate, build and maintain the competence of the profession, evaluate and improve its status and promote cohesion between training and practice.
“These are all critical elements which when attained, will place our teachers squarely among the top respected professions where they actually belong,” President Ramotar said.
As Guyana hosts the Biennial Conference for the first time in 20 years, there was an acknowledgement that the theme “Improving the Professional Status of Teachers in the Caribbean” was regarded apt for the occasion.
“It seems as though… the community of teachers that we have right now… certain professional ethics within this community seem to be eroding… our professional status is being challenged,” President of the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) Colin Bynoe said in his remarks.
The two- term sitting GTU President is hoping that the conference aids in regaining the much needed professional status in the teaching profession and the paramount position it holds over several other occupations.
A message from Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretary General Irwin La Rocque to the delegates of the conference won the approval of cheers with the call for standardisation of programmes that offer initial professional teaching qualification.
“In the various institutions across the region, the teaching certificate, the teaching diploma, pre-service bachelors of education and the post graduate diploma in education are all awarded upon completion of a programme of professional studies. However, the programmes that lead to these initial professional qualifications, differ significantly in content duration and assessment… and are delivered at different academic levels,” La Rocque said.
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