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It
is an achievement of no little significance when an institution
can celebrate a Diamond Jubilee Anniversary. The untiring
efforts of the past and present administrative staff and
teaching personnel must be highly commended. During the
passage of almost seventy-five years the face of teacher
training has changed from time to time to reflect new policy
goals and directions. During these years the institution
had undergone name changes, changes in location and matriculation
requirements, uniform changes and most importantly curricula
changes.
The
College began its formal existence in September 1928 under
its first Principal, Major Bain Gray as the Teacher Training
Centre, in 1942 it was renamed the Government Training College
and on 7th December 1976 the name was changed to the Cyril
Potter College of Education. This final name change was
in honour of Robert Cyril Gladstone Potter, a distinguished
son of Guyana and the first Guyanese Principal of the institution.
In
January 1974 this institution finally settled in its own
main campus buildings at Turkeyen. Previous locations included
Main Street, Cowan Street, Wellington Street and Camp Street
with thirty (30) students biennially with gradual increases
until its current intake of over three hundred students
annually.
The
last revision of the curricula was completed in 2001 for
both pre-service and in-service programmes and a teacher
certificate programme via distance was formulated and launched
in September 2001. The pre-service and in-service programmes
are now semesterized and consist of two semesters per year.
All this was made possible through CIDA funding and the
implementation of the Guyana Basic Education Teacher Training
Project (GBET).
Through
this project as well the College is involved in the upgrading
of more than five hundred (500) teachers in Regions 1, 2,
7, 8 and 9 in English Language, Mathematics, Social Studies
and Science. When the teacher trainees successfully complete
these four (4) courses they will become eligible for admission
to the trained teachers’ certificate programme either
through the pre-service route of via distance. It is worthy
to note that over the years more than five thousand persons
have graduated from this institution.
All
training programmes are now offered over a three-year period.
Teachers are trained to make a positive difference in the
lives of children and youths – the human resources
of the nation.
The
College remains resolute in its efforts to ensure quality-trained
teachers at all levels of the school system. |
