UWI assess UCCI teacher training

(CNS): The Joint Board of Teacher Education (JBTE) based at the Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI) was invited to UCCI recently to examine and assess the work of students in training. For over 45 years, JBTE has been dedicated to providing quality assurance in teacher education across the Caribbean in territories such as Jamaica, Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, and Belize. In Cayman, JBTE examiners have been assessing UCCI students since the inception of teacher education programmes in 2007. This, according to faculty members, will ensure that teachers who graduate from the University College are held to the same professional standards as other teachers in the region.

Officials from the UCCI’s Department of Teacher Education & Public Administration said it not only strives to ensure that its student-teachers receive quality education that meets international standards, but that they leave well-equipped and prepared to teach in the classroom. Regular evaluation also gives further currency to the programmes locally, regionally and internationally.

“The partnership between UCCI and JBTE helped us create a very good product. Through collaborative efforts, we are able to produce a global programme that enables our graduates to work not only in Cayman, but in the Caribbean, United States and the United Kingdom,” said Dr. Allan Young, Department Chair, adding that one student was recently hired to teach in Dubai — a testament to the quality of the UCCI programme.

The UCCI Department of Teacher Education boasts a world-class faculty all of whom possess a doctoral degree and have taught at various levels of the educational system throughout their careers.

Collectively, they engage in research and provide relevant education for the times. As a result, the department receives strong support from its stakeholders and has established strong links with institutions like the University of Miami, through which the new Master of Science in Education programme will be offered jointly this fall. Other programmes include the Post Graduate Diploma in Education, Bachelor in Education and Teacher’s Aid Certificate.

Nowadays, there is a growing need for more Caymanian men and women to take up the profession “Teachers make a significant contribution to nation-building,” said Dr Young. “Helping young people understand where they were before and how they’ve reached where they are now, will help effect change in future generations. Although they are not recognised as much as they should be, being a teacher is very fulfilling because you can definitely make a difference in a person’s life.”

With most of a child’s waking hours spent there, schools become second homes and teachers become second parents who make lasting impressions on their students’ lives and play a critical role in shaping the individuals that they can grow up to be.