Georgetown: As the Ministry of Education (MOE) intensifies efforts to have Portuguese taught in all schools across the country, and to further develop the capacity of modern languages teachers within the education system, it launched the “Training for Teachers of Portuguese” programme on Friday May 23, 2014. In a simple ceremony held at the Theatre Guild in Georgetown, the Ministry revealed its elaborate plan to present Portuguese as a viable modern language option in schools across Guyana, and to create a teacher training module at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) to better equip student teachers desirous of pursuing training in teaching Portuguese.
Presenting an overview of the programme was Deputy Chief Education Officer (Development), Ms. Doodmattie Singh, who reminded the gathering of the pioneering work done by the MOE to establish Portuguese as a new modern language on the national curriculum, when it initially launched the Portuguese curriculum last year in six schools. She pointed out that an additional 15 schools will now offer Portuguese when the new school year begins in 2014.
The additional 15 schools earmarked to carry Portuguese in 2014 are as follows:
Georgetown – Brickdam Secondary, Christ Church Secondary and Central High
Region #3 – Zeeburg Secondary and West Demerara Secondary
Region #4 – Hope Secondary, Annandale Secondary, President’s College and Diamond Secondary
Region #5 – Rosignol Secondary and Bygeval Secondary
Region #8 – Madhia Secondary
Region #9 – St Ignatius Secondary
Region #10 – Mackenzie High
These additional schools are added to the six schools that formed part of the initial launch of Portuguese in Guyana. These schools are Queens College, The Bishops’ High, Saint Stanislaus College, Saint Roses High, Saint Joseph High and North Georgetown Secondary.
Ms. Singh further explained that this new “Training for Teachers of Portuguese” programme forms part of the teacher professional development programme of the MOE that will facilitate the training of teachers from the schools identified above in the delivery of the Portuguese curriculum. CPCE will expand its teacher training in Portuguese as part of its modern language teacher training programme.
Delivering the feature address was the Honorable Minister of Education, Ms. Priya Manickchand, who expressed her satisfaction that after nine months, the Ministry can be embarking on a programme of this magnitude that further establishes Portuguese in schools across the country. “We at the Ministry of Education are very conscious that we have a huge responsibility to make sure we meet the needs of Guyana today, as well as prepare our young people to meet the needs of Guyana tomorrow,” the Minister said.
She underscored the importance of Guyanese children being able to access and learn a foreign language particularly Spanish and/or Portuguese, which significantly helps in communicating and integrating with our immediate neighbors. Because the world is now a relatively smaller place as a result of technology, more and more businesses are working closely with companies in other countries. Knowing more than one language enhances opportunities in all areas of life.
The Minister was also very pleased to announce that the launch of this programme is in line with the commitment that the ruling PPP-C Government made during its Election 2011 campaign in which its manifesto irrefutably states that within the next five years it will work at “Strengthening foreign language teaching both in the school system, including at the primary school level and for the public at large, with special emphasis on Spanish and Portuguese, reflecting our country’s continental prospects.”
“This morning we are fulfilling a part of that promise by preparing ourselves to introduce Portuguese all across this country,” she said.
The Minister further indicated that very soon the MOE will be reaching out to members of the public through the Learning Channel with specialized programmes to teach Portuguese in very creative and innovative ways.
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