‘Celebrating Teachers’ project launched |18 April 2012

Too often the general public as well as stakeholders in education spend time criticising teachers and education as an industry. Listening to people talk, one would think that nothing good is coming out of our public education and our teachers in public schools.

Such negative press can be very demotivating for teachers who, amid all the challenges, conscientiously dedicate their lives to make a difference in the lives of others. Schools and educators seem to be responsible for everything that goes wrong with our young people.

Such critics often neglect to mention that teachers work with a community and from that community comes the students with all their potential, dreams, flaws and broken hearts. With this project the ministry wishes to consider what teachers really do with the students, parents and community.
 
During the ceremony in the presence of many invited guests, Education minister Macsuzy Mondon delivered the launch address (see full text below) with a powerful message to all past and existing teachers in recognition for their hard work and devotion. The ceremony also featured various presentations such as ‘Make a difference’ by the director of the National Council for Children Ruby Pardiwalla, a testimony by retired teacher Georgine Robert who retraced her special moments, taking the guests on a journey back to when she was a teacher.

National Human Resources Development Council (NHRDC) chief executive Margaret Pillay, who is a teacher by profession, gave an overview of the first major project under the ‘Celebrating Teachers’ theme which will be the publication of a compilation of local teachers’ narratives, highlighting the positive changes they have made during the course of their teaching career.

The objectives of the publication are essentially to honour teachers’ achievements and provide them with a voice. It will also serve as an important way to inform readers of life as a teacher and the real issues they grapple with. Aside from sharing personal narratives or experiences, the publication will also be an opportunity to show the breadth and depth of local teachers’ impact on teaching, students, parents and the community, recording important contributions and bringing a change to the current perception of teachers.

The Ministry of Education is aiming to launch the first edition of the publication during Teachers’ Week 2012 in October. The new theme – ‘Act Now, Make a Difference’ – for this year’s Teachers’ Week was also launched during the ceremony.

All teachers, even those who have retired or have moved to other fields but feel they have contributions to make, are welcome to make their submissions and join the ministry in making ‘Celebrating Teachers’ a success.