More than half of this country’s 3 000 teachers have received professional training, says Chief Education Officer Dr Ramona Archer-Bradshaw, as the Ministry of Educational Transformation ramps up efforts to modernise classrooms and prepare students for a rapidly changing world.
“In terms of training, I can tell you that as of 2023, more than half the teaching service has undergone training,” she told the DAILY NATION yesterday. “Because the ministry has embarked on extensive professional development for our teachers.”
She explained that while all teachers must meet the requirements outlined in the Qualifications Order before entering the service, the ministry had taken deliberate steps in recent years to provide ongoing professional development opportunities for both teachers and educational leaders.
“There are some teachers who may have been trained in 1980 or 1990. What we’ve done, especially over the last three years, is ensure that there are professional development opportunities for categories of teachers and educational leaders, so that they are in step and in alignment with the times – with what is happening now in the education arena,” she said.
Archer-Bradshaw noted that Erdiston Teachers’ Training College had been central to this effort.
“What we’ve embarked on with Erdiston Teachers’ Training College is the creation of a continuous professional development programme which will see teachers being trained, being sensitised throughout the course of the year.”
As part of this thrust, Erdiston has partnered with the prestigious Teachers College Columbia University in New York to deliver advanced training in leadership and classroom practice.
Leadership
“So as we speak, Erdiston is about to accept several educational leaders and teachers in its programmes that are held in collaboration with Teachers College Columbia University, which is a very well-recognised university in the US. They will be focusing on teacher efficacy and leadership paradigms.
Those are the two courses.”
The courses run for a year and the 2025 intake represents the second cohort.
The collaboration with Columbia University follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between it and the Government in May 2024. That agreement, secured as part of the ministry’s education transformation agenda, was designed to provide access to world-class training opportunities for Barbadian teachers and principals, with Columbia offering both academic expertise and research support.
Through the MOU, Columbia faculty work alongside Erdiston staff to adapt international best practices to the Barbadian context, with a focus on teacher efficacy, leadership development and modern pedagogical methods.
Archer-Bradshaw added that the professional development push was directly linked to the Government’s wider transformation agenda.
“We want to ensure that our children are problem solvers and critical thinkers. So it calls for a shift from the old, traditional models of teaching where the teacher stands in front of the class and delivers, to one where teaching and learning is participatory,” she said.
“We want to ensure that our students are on the cutting edge when it comes to using technology and that they are global citizens with major values.”
She said the ongoing training – whether through Erdiston’s programmes, international collaborations or local workshops – was intended to make sure teachers were fully prepared to guide the next generation and “ready to usher in the transformation agenda”. (NS)
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