The Erdiston Teacher’s Training College (ETTC) held the closing ceremony for participants of its pioneer School Assistants Training course last Friday, in the Liberal Arts auditorium at the Barbados Community College.
The participants, who were all assigned to various primary schools across the island as ‘school monitors’ during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, provided assistance with temperature checks, the sanitising of students’ hands, and offered additional help requested by the teaching staff.
In his address, principal of the ETTC, Dr. Colin Cumberbatch, who commended the over 200 participants for their effort in achieving the certification, said his institution was charged with the responsibility of making the certification in Basic Child Care a necessary requirement for students.
According to Dr. Cumberbatch, the additional efforts of the participants during the COVID-19 pandemic led to principals making a case for the retention of those persons in schools.
“Our Minister of Education, Technological and Vocational Training, the Honorable Kay McConney, made a recommendation to government for you to be retained under a different title. So, you moved from being COVID monitors to being school assistants, but the minister did not stop there. She insisted that you be provided with some measure of exposure to what happens in schools and classrooms, so you could give the assistance needed from a position of knowing.”
The Erdiston principal added: “What is left now is for you to use all that you were exposed to in the various schools to which you are assigned. This is not the end of your time with us. For as long as you are functioning as school assistants, we will be charged with the responsibility of providing additional professional development for you as well.”
The participants, who were placed in two groups – A and B – saw Ms. Claudia Thomas and Ms. Shaana Charles becoming valedictorians, upon completion of the course.
Ms. Thomas, who was valedictorian for group A, said even though the course was challenging in many ways, the tutors were patient throughout the journey and taught with an ease, which made the sessions very satisfying.
“The experience has been a very rewarding one. Our tutors have helped us to become more proficient in our role, bringing us up to speed with the educational system as it is today. They have given us great tools to help us be proactive in the classroom. We feel very accomplished today. We look forward to the future possibilities of expanding our horizons in the educational field. We’ve seen the endless prospects and have new perspectives on exploring all options for career advancement,” she said.
Ms. Thomas also expressed gratitude to her fellow graduates for the fun, joy, laughter, and camaraderie throughout the duration of the course and issued a challenge to them.
“I challenge us to go forward using the wisdom and knowledge we have received, serving with excellence, love, and compassion; giving of ourselves to help raise well rounded, educated children all over this nation. Let us use the opportunity given to us in continuing our studies, rekindling those dreams we would have dropped along the way because we could not see the light at the end of the tunnel. They are great teachers, counselors, principals, psychologists and excellent leaders in our midst. Let’s make our dreams a reality, let’s make this a springboard for greater success to come,” she urged.
In her valedictory address, Ms. Charles opened with a quote from the famous inventor George Washington Carver, “Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom”.
“As we take these keys entrusted to us, we will pass them down not only to our own children, but those we have been blessed with, within our care, in schools across the island, as we work alongside teachers to empower, encourage, and mould our nation’s future into a reckoning force that understand their unique diversity, and to embark upon the technological landscape of the boardroom environment, with self-assurance,” she stated.
Ms. Charles also spoke highly of the tutors, describing them as knowledgeable in their fields and patient while delivering their learning sessions in engaging ways.
“With gained confidence, knowledge, and exuberance, I’m sure we are all eager to pursue more avenues that enhance our certification. Our aspirations within the educational field are now a reality, with limitless possibilities and many open doors,” she said.
All participants in the School Assistants Training Course graduated with a Basic Child Care Certificate.