Guyana still working to become CVQ ready – Manickchand

January 16, 2014, By KNews, Filed Under News, Source

Priya Manickchand

Minister of Education

Guyana through the Ministry of Education is fervently working towards becoming ready to offer the Caribbean Vocational Qualifications (CVQ).  And according to Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, “we have to specifically check off what is needed to bring us to that level so that we can offer the CVQs, at least, at Level One in the SCCP (Secondary Competency Certificate Programme).”

Director for the Council of Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET), Mr. Sydney Walters, had during the past year, informed this publication that one of the major requirements for recognition, and therefore the award of the CVQs, is that all the occupational programmes that are being offered be competency based.

Therefore the Education Ministry is looking to offer CVQs at the level of the Technical Institutions and Secondary schools with the latter offering competency programmes through the SCCP.

Through the SCCP, students are able to choose inclusive of Mathematics and English, programmes that could allow them to be competent and thereby certified in particular skills area such as plumbing, masonry and welding.

Such training programmes are also offered at the country’s technical vocational institutions that exist in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six and 10 where the CVQs will also be offered when the way is made clear for them to come on board.

According to the Education Minister, “CVQ is a Caribbean region-wide certification and so must have certain standards; so what we are in the process of doing is holding up a list of what is needed to bring us up to standard in every SCCP institution – schools as well as Tech Voc Institution.”

However, she noted that “some of the things I have discerned is that we might not be CVQ ready in some areas such as plumbing, masonry, electrical installation, heavy duty equipment but we might be CVQ ready in one or two areas…So we are checking to see where we are as opposed to where we should be and then strategically trying to, with a list on the wall, meet those needs that would make us CVQ ready.”

In recognition of the fact that technical subject areas are imperative in the education system, the TVET Council in collaboration with UNESCO spearheaded a training programme with a view of having persons adequately trained to properly deliver and assess such programmes.  By October of last year a total of 268 persons were trained in the methodology that is employed in the delivery of a competency based modularised curriculum, while150 persons were trained as assessors.

This, according to the TVET Director, was in keeping with the TVET Act of July 2004 which clearly defines not only the functions, but how competency based modularised training is to be dealt with. Moreover, the Act states that “to develop a national system of competency based modularised training and to initiate its implementation,” is a major role of the Council for TVET.

According to UNESCO’s Secretary General, Ms Ingee Nathoo, globalisation, technological advances, demographic pressures, social inequalities and the quest for sustainable development are in fact creating rising demands for TVET policies and programmes. Once in place, these will respond to labour market demands, support youth transition between education and the world of work thereby promoting poverty reduction, social inclusion and gender equality, Nathoo disclosed.  As such she noted that “this calls for holistic transformation of TVET based on policy, evidence and experience, with a focus on lifelong learning through horizontal and vertical articulation with an education, and between education and the world of work.”

In this regard she spoke of the need for the TVET Council to seek to lobby with partners in the private sector, Non-Governmental Organisations, and donor agencies even as she noted that UNESCO’s strategy for TVET integrates policy experiences, monitoring and evaluation, research, international dialogue and partnership.