Basseterre: St. Kitts, Monday, 19th July, 2021: Minister of Education, Hon. Jonel Powell expressed gratitude to participants for their interest in the teaching profession during the opening ceremony for the 2021-2022 academic year teacher recruitment workshop. The opening was held on the Microsoft Teams (MS Teams) virtual platform.
Minister Powell explained at the event earlier today (Monday July 19th) that there has been an increase in the standard of teaching within the federation.
“We are experiencing an explosion of highly qualified candidates applying to become teachers. Through a rigorous process of teacher recruitment. Persons selected to teach have surpassed the minimum qualifications. This is something that can certainly be attributed to the level of education in this country”, he said.
The minster explained further that teacher retention rates had increased substantially in recent years
Participants were encouraged to no longer look at teaching through the “mirror of chalk and talk”, but rather to see teaching through the progressive lens of technological advancement.
“Participating in this ceremony in this fashion is a clear indication that the way teaching and learning are delivered in today’s world has changed. The COVID-19 Pandemic has propelled us to teach and learn in a virtual environment. Therefore, becoming teachers at this time of human existence, would require you to marry your skills in technology and pedagogy to be effective in the delivery of classroom instruction. No longer can we think of teaching as only taking place in a brick-and-mortar setting. As you embark on this journey, you will be required to be equipped to teach not only in the traditional face to face modality but in a virtual environment,” he said.
Minister Powell, entreated participants to familiarize themselves with the Ministry of Education’s 2017-2021 Education Sector Plan.
“As you make a quest to become teachers in the education system in St. Kitts and Nevis you are doing so at a time when our education system is being transformed. You are doing so as we continue to roll out our Education Sector Strategy Plan. This blueprint is our road map for charting the course of education in our federation. I implore you to become more familiar with this sector strategy plan…”
“I am confident that with the guiding principles gleaned from the training, those who will be selected to be a part of the profession, will continue to build on the rich legacy and to work ardently to map a brighter future for our students,” concluded Minister Powell.
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