Westminster Secondary School launches SCCP

Parents of Grade 10 students of the Westminster Secondary School in Region Three along with
their children, on Monday, were briefed on the plan to launch the Secondary Competency
Certificate Programme (SCCP) at the school.
The parents and students were briefed by Officers within the Ministry’s Technical Vocational
Education and Training (TVET) Unit yesterday. They were told about the different subjects the
students will be exposed to and what will be expected of them. Ms. Marcia Paddy, Assistant
Chief Education Officer (Technical), pointed out that the meeting was aimed at sensitizing
parents and students about the programme since the teachers have already benefitted from a
similar process. Paddy disclosed that due to the path Guyana is taking, more industries will be
expanded and greater emphasis is being placed on skills development formally known as
Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

The ACEO (Technical) noted that initially, the programme will offer training in agriculture
science, furniture making, hospitality and business studies. Paddy said the programme will
expand to offer training in agro-processing and livestock farming. She noted that Guyana needs
to produce the workforce to supply the expanding industries. The ACEO (Tech) said that it is the
intention of the Ministry that every student leaves secondary school with at least one skills
certificate.
Chief Education Officer, Dr. Marcel Hutson stressed that the education ministry believes that
every child is born gifted and therefore the education sector must do everything possible to
ensure those gifts are maximised so that children can function at their optimum. He revealed that
Guyana has experienced a revival in terms of the importance and interest in TVET. Dr. Hutson
said that offering this programme to students of the school will give them the perfect opportunity
to advance, develop, fulfil their purpose and be dispatched into society to be contributors to the
development of this nation.