As part of the Ministry of Education’s efforts towards improving the education system and the delivery of education in Guyana, on Wednesday Primary School headteachers in the Georgetown District participated in a statutory meeting geared towards improving their administrative capacity.
The session was organised by the Department of Education – Georgetown in collaboration with the National Centre for Education Resource Development (NCERD) and held at the NCERD office in Kingston, Georgetown.
The four topics addressed were Teaching of Reading, Improving School Leadership, Succession Planning, School ‘self-evaluation’ for School Improvement and Improving School Leadership.
During the active discourse, the headteachers were divided into groups and tasked to discuss and present on one of the aforementioned subject areas.
According to Deputy Education Officer – Primary, Ms Deborah Hutson, the Department of Education meets with the headteachers from the nursery, primary and secondary levels once per month to discuss issues relating to the management and monitoring of their particular institutions.
She said that just last week a similar session was concluded with the nursery level headteachers and another is planned for the secondary school headteachers at a later date. Ms. Hutson said categorically that due to these sessions there has been improvement in the management of schools across Georgetown. She said that progress is being made despite the undisputable challenges which the headteachers face.
In addition to the headteachers conducting an interactive discussion, they benefited from relevant information from representatives of the Department of Education on matters of accounting, student welfare, personnel, mathematics and literacy.
Ms. Hutson explained that on the accounting end of things, the headteachers were updated on new policies, practices and challenges experienced at the Department. This encompassed the presentation of documents from headteachers to the Department of Education. They were also given advice on how such documents are to be prepared since incorrect preparation creates difficulties when information is to be processed.
Further, she said that student welfare covered issues such as child abuse, neglect and poor attendance. The headteachers received tips on what is expected of them in dealing with these issues and advice on what can be done to address them.
Concerning personnel matters, Ms. Hutson said that the discussion pointed towards matters specifically relating to teachers which included application for leave and attending the University of Guyana.
The headteachers also benefited from presentations by the Principal Education Officer (PEO)– Primary, Immanuel Bridgewater, Deputy Education Officers (DEOs) – Primary, Ms. Hutson and Adrian Elgin and Assistant Chief Education Officer (ACEO) – Primary, Owen Pollard.
This and similar events are being executed with the clear intention of the Ministry of Education to push for a better education system that works to the greatest benefit of students and teachers alike.