Teachers’ centre for professional and self-development

Technical Advisor in the Division of Education, Dr Verleen Bobb-Lewis, the brain behind the newly opened, and first, Tobago Teachers’ Professional Centre - at Mardon House in John Dial - said the focus will be on three core areas.

"We really want this Centre to be a place where teachers will be enhanced and enriched in terms of the quality of delivery of education to schools on the island. We are looking at curriculum instructions and delivery and at the Centre, you would be able to come here whenever you want to get assistance, to get help, to get support, to get ideas, to get strategies for teaching and learning mainly.

“So that at the end of it, our students will benefit, our students will perform at a higher level,” she said.

Dr Bobb-Lewis said other areas of focus would be personal enhancement and enrichment as well as technological enhancement.

School Supervisor III Sherry-Ann Rollocks-Hackett, also speaking at the event. said that the initiative aligns with what researchers were saying as regards development of educators.

“When they look at the various factors that influence and impact on the performance of students in schools - societal factors, home related factors, attitudinal factors of the students - there is a consensus on the belief that of all those influential factors, teacher-related factors are the most influential.

“The Centre zeros in on the additional fact that of all the teacher-related factors, teacher competency is the most important and this Centre gives us the opportunity to further develop the competencies of all the teachers here in Tobago, so that they can have the kinds of skills in keeping with the technological advancement in education.

“We are ready to utilise our Centre, we are ready to go in and to ensure that whatever is done there at the end of the day would redound to the benefit of every single child in a school here on the island of Tobago,” she said.

Orlando Kerr, Tobago Officer at the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA), said the opening of the Centre was cause for celebration.

He said during the last term, TTUTA was invited to some cordial discussions about the Centre.

“We felt that any initiative to improve the quality of delivery in the classroom of our teachers must be embraced by TTUTA. We want to commend the Chief Secretary and the Secretary for Education for this initiative and his role and … Dr Bobb-Lewis in the vision of having such a centre organised in Tobago.

“I think that it is initiatives like these that would help to propel Tobago forward and to give us that push for the future. I see this as a very good opportunity for the teachers in Tobago to take advantage … to enhance their delivery and to also enhance themselves as individuals and develop themselves professionally.

“This is an opportunity for all of us to move our island forward because we understand that in order to change many of the social ills in any society, it must be done through education. We believe that this is a very important stepping stone, a very important milestone in the position of Tobago in the national context,” he said.