On Monday, parents of Grade 10 students of the Westminster Secondary School in Region Three along with their children were briefed on government’s plan to launch the Secondary Competency Certificate Programme (SCCP) at the school.
Parents and students were briefed by officers within the Ministry’s Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Unit about the different subjects the students will be exposed to and what will be expected of them.
Assistant Chief Education Officer (Technical), Ms. Marcia Paddy said the meeting was aimed at sensitizing parents and students about the programme since the teachers have already benefitted from a similar process. She explained 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).
She said that initially, the programme will offer training in agriculture science, furniture making, hospitality and business studies. However, according to Ms. Paddy, the programme will expand to offer training in agro-processing and livestock farming. She said 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 said that the Ministry of Education 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 said that Guyana has experienced a revival in terms of the importance and interest in TVET. Dr. Hutson noted 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.
