The University of Guyana on Wednesday officially launched the Centre of Excellence for Teaching and Learning at its Turkeyen Campus.
The Centre will enable students and lecturers to work together in an environment where they can learn from each other.
It will provide a menu of services and programs which will be focused on teaching and learning scholarship.
The Centre was launched with a symposium held at the School of Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation Lecture Hall under the theme ‘New Era, New Strategies to Enhance Teaching and Learning as we Journey along Renaissance Road”.
One of the keynote speakers, Professor Percy Hintzen, Director of the African and African Diaspora Affairs at the Florida International University, emphasized that teachers have to understand that students may possibly know more than them and when this is understood; only then an excellent teaching and learning environment can occur.
Professor Hintzen said that students have a lot to offer and teachers should respect the knowledge of students, while students also have to play their role and do the same.
“You have to have respect for the teacher, the teacher has to have respect for the student. The teacher has to understand that the student is a human being with knowledge that the teacher doesn’t have and that student is an equal partner in this dialogue of teaching and learning.”
The centre was officially declared opened by Minister of Education, Nicolette Henry who noted that tertiary education has shown its ability to institute change and progress in society.
She said the centre can reduce brain drain with increased exposure to technological strategies that will enrich the learning environment.
“Owing to the scope and pace of change of society is becoming knowledge-based so that higher education learning and research now act an essential component of socio-economic and environmentally sustainable development of individuals, communities and our nation as a whole,” Minister Henry said.
Vice Chancellor, Professor Ivelaw Griffith of the University of Guyana said the centre was approved the Finance and General Purposes Committee in August of 2016 to be established as part of the motivation in doing more and doing better.
An advisory board with 13 members was set up in respect to the centre to show transparency, integrity, inclusion, excellence and efficiency.
The members of the Advisory Board from the University of Guyana are Ms. Paulette Paul, Mr. Lenandlar Singh, Dr. Jacqueline Murray, Ms. Maureen Bynoe, Ms. Kara Lord, Mr. Kelvin Bovell, Mr. Sekhar Mallampati, Mr. Fidel Captain, Ms. Donette Washington, Dr. Theodosius Velloza; Ms. Yulette Park; from the Cyril Potter College of Education, Ms. Viola Rowe; Ms. Patrice LaFleur from United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and a Ministry of Education Representative.
