Georgetown : The Ministry of Education in collaboration with the University of the West Indies (UWI), Cambridge University, United Kingdom, Commonwealth Education Trust, and the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) is facilitating a project on Caribbean Poetry through a three-day workshop on “The Teaching of Caribbean Poetry”.
The aim of the Caribbean Poetry Project (CPP) is to enable English teachers at secondary and tertiary levels to help students develop a greater appreciation for poetry. The project has been ongoing in several countries in the Caribbean.
Minister of Education Priya Manickchand during the opening ceremony of the workshop, said that Guyana has always needed a poetry workshop because English should be at a higher level in the country, and it is a welcomed initiative. Over the past three years, the Ministry has been looking at various ways to better students’ English grades.
Speaking to the teachers, Minister Manickchand pointed out questions that the teachers should ask themselves, urging them that they are the ones that determine what Guyana tomorrow looks like.
“Today is your day to examine for yourselves how is it you can make yourself a better teacher, how is it you can make yourself a better teacher that you would want your children to be taught by…how can you be that teacher right now. Are you doing the very best that you can do…Have you been exploring your own talent… how is it you can get better, be better, she added.
Professor Morag Styles from the University of Cambridge giving an overview of the CPP, said that the achievements of the project include the increasing representations of the Caribbean poets of the archives with 10 new voices added to Caribbean Poetry.
Dr. Jennifer Obidah from the University of the West Indies giving her brief remarks highlighted that in a meeting with CXC last year, discussions were had about the possibilities of furthering the workshop. There will also be a website set up by CXC to showcase the work from CPP for future examinations for students.
Dr. Obidah added that the main reason for the setting up of the Poetry Project is to serve the children of the Caribbean.
The workshop facilitated 55 teachers from secondary schools, the Curriculum Development Unit, Cyril Potter College of Education and the University of Guyana.
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