ADVANCE TEACHING COURSES

Deal between Erdiston College & Columbia University

A new deal has been struck between Erdiston Teachers’ Training College and Columbia University’s Edmund W. Gordon Institute for Advanced Study, to help bring new advanced teaching courses to the island in support of the government’s educational reform plans.
During the signing, Erdiston Teachers’ Training College (ETTC) Principal Dr Colin Cumberbatch, said the new deal is significant given the need to keep teachers on top of their skillsets within their classrooms.

“Teacher professional development has been an area of focus which has not received the level of attention in past years that it requires. The truth is, the type of reforms [needed in the] educational system. will necessitate that our teachers and school leaders engage in re-training, re-tooling, and upskilling of their competencies so they can continue to be effective or become more effective in the classroom and in the management of our schools.
He added: “We at the Erdiston Teachers’ Training College will continue to play our part in the provision of professional development opportunities by facilitating continuous professional development for teachers and leaders through workshops, courses, and programmes.”

Prime Minister Mia Mottley agreed, and stated: “We are creating an opportunity that effectively is an airbridge, so that [teachers] can have an opportunity to be exposed to the best that there is in this hemisphere and perhaps the world, without having to leave this 166 square miles. The government makes choices in how to spend its money, and we have chosen to invest in our teachers, because without investing in our teachers, we will not have the people who will create the pathway to the future.”

The series new courses will start in September 2024