And, while that was yesterday, today as part of Education week, the Ministry of Education opened its first biennial Teachers Education Conference. The two-day conference has participants examining current education issues and getting up to speed with recent education research findings.
7news spoke with Cecilia Smith who is the Director of Teacher Education and Development Services.
Cecilia Smith, Director of Teacher Education and Development Services
"Today we are hosting an academic conference on teacher education. We are together to examine issues, challenges and successes that we've been having with respect to teacher education and development."
"We've brought a wide cross section of stakeholders together; we have teacher educators, we have managing authorities, we have teachers in service, we have teachers in training, we have school leaders. We have a wide cross section of stakeholders that are today and are tomorrow discussing issues in teacher education."
"I can speak to two particular features that are going to be the highlight of the two-day session; one is a panel discussion that is going on right now. We have selected panelist that have particular functions or responsibilities with respect to the development of teachers."
"We have one of the employers of the largest numbers of teachers in our country on the panel, sister Barbara Flores. We have with Dr. Thompson who has been the principal of the Belize Teachers College who will bring to the table the perspective of lessons learnt. We have Dr. Wilmer Wright from the University of Belize. We have Dr. Marcia Stuart from the joint board of teacher education and for the most part our discussing will focus on what it is we are currently doing with respect to developing 21st century ready teachers."
"You probably know that the Ministry of Education has in the last recent years dedicated quite a number of energies and effort into creating expansion or creating access to more teacher education program and services and at the same time the ministry has taken a concerted effort to look at ways in which we can enhance the quality of the program and services offered."
"So we are here today to dialogue, to reflect what it is we have been doing and to begin to chart a way forward."
The two day conference is being held under the theme "Creating 21st Century Ready Teachers. Where are we?"
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