This Teachers’ Day is appreciated more than ever by the Ministry and Department of Education, especially by the students and parents, as you have proven to be resilient despite the impact of Covid 19. You remained dedicated to the course, building cadre of students who continue to succeed in-spite of. Teachers, it is your level of dedication, your love, care and passion that kept our students focused, despite the loss of physical contact limited by Covid and for this we salute you! Your influence in the lives of our students will never be erased, because to teach is indeed to touch lives forever, as big hearts like yours continue to shape the the lives of our students.
Apart from the moral support that you continue to invest in the lives of our students, you have so ably adopted to the new methods of teaching, assessments looked different from a distance and you provided that avenue, new platforms and new tools were a challenge, but with your desire to ensure that our students were cater for, you beat the odds and that’s the attitude of a teacher! Teachers, you continue to model the attitude of true professionalism through your collaborative efforts. You have ‘lived’ the lessons that you instilled in your students, the power of teamwork, love and respect for each other, lifelong learning and above all resilience; for that we are truly grateful. We pause today, to celebrate you, for you are indeed the vehicle as we create Change Agents!
As your Minister, it calms my heart and brings me great joy and at this time it is worthy to say that your work will not go in vain. You have demonstrated to our country that we are conquers despite the challenges and that in itself makes me so proud to be part of this team.
The Ministry and Department of Education will continue in our efforts to provide the necessary development workshops to better equip you to master the challenges and bridge the gaps of our students, as a result of the Covid pandemic. This is now the new normal and through your generosity of spirit, we will continue to propel the education system to one that will allow our students to grow and thrive despite their disability, home environment or circumstances.
As your Minister, I will continue to ensure that we propel with our efforts to advance the Educational System, as these changes will only impact the long-term success of our students. The introduction of early stimulation and screening of our Early Childhood Students, our ‘Let’s Reap Program’ that addresses the gaps in Literacy and Numeracy, with the inclusive of a Mathematics initiatives titled Building Bridges. A Coaching Program that partners secondary teachers with primary teachers to build numeracy, with a goal of improving Numeracy Skills at the primary level, our capacity building through our IT Workshops, the introduction of Literacy and Numeracy Assessments, the updated Primary Curriculum that is inclusive of STEM Education, providing opportunities for Critical Thinking and a project based approach, the incorporation of TVET that will bridge the gap in the labour force of this country and most recently, FREE ACCESS to Tertiary Education in the Turks and Caicos Islands amongst many others will only help in the advancement of our Educational System.
The spirit and resilience that teachers have shown, gives us confidence that we have emerged from this crisis stronger, more united and more resilient than before.
Happy Teachers Day!
