CPCE processed over 4,700 applications or so far

An estimated 4,705 applications has been processed by the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) for the 2022 cohort so far, with increasing submissions coming in from hinterland students.

CPCE’s Vice Principal of Development, Tamsin Henry Granville in a media related interview recently disclosed that the college is seeing an increase in applicants compared to that of 2021, where some 2,620 student teachers had applied.

“It has increased tremendously because we are now seeing an influx of our untrained teachers in the system who have now been mandated to become trained come September. So, the number has indeed increased,” Henry Granville said. It was revealed that in 2021, the college launched its online training programme in face of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, trainees are still required to attend face- to- face sessions in order to   complete their prevocational and secondary academic courses.

Henry Granville noted that the college is offering professional development sessions to lecturers and trainees in an effort to build capacity in technology.

Meanwhile, it was revealed that the college has 11 hinterland or riverine centres in Regions One, Five, Seven, Eight, Nine and Ten which offer teacher upgrade and trained teachers’ certificate programmes.

The Education Ministry has called for the expansion of the programmes being offered at the hinterland centres to ensure educators are in a better position to deliver quality education, even as Guyana moves towards a first-class education system.

The CPCE’s Vice Principal of Development, disclosed that an AD two-year programme will be added to the current programmes being offered.

It was pointed out that currently, pre-service students from hinterland communities in Regions One, Seven, Eight and Nine recently assumed residency at the college, to continue and access their training.

Therefore, to ensure in-service students are afforded the same opportunities as their pre-service counterparts, the college is working to bring the in-service teachers to the CPCE when school closes. Further, it will then be able to access courses that were missed from semesters one and two in order to complete their training.