The retraining of our teachers is now a priority – O’Meally-Nelson

COVID-19 HAS forced many teachers online and has also created more opportunities for them to seek employment globally, but teacher educator Blossom O’Meally-Nelson feels they stand a better chance of securing these jobs if they possess international certification.

Teachers can access this global accreditation through CredEd, an international learning organisation which provide credentials to those wanting to teach overseas. The Caribbean arm of the programme has just been launched in Jamaica. O’Meally-Nelson, a former pro-chancellor at the University of Technology and former lecturer at the Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College, is its local representative.

“When you are accredited, then you can teach online, which is great, because nowadays they are looking for online teachers from all over the world,” she said.

CredEd is currently in the US, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, India and Jordan. The plan is to introduce it in several Caribbean countries.

“The professional training and retraining of our teachers is now a priority. Teachers, and aspiring teachers, need the opportunity to upgrade their professional skills and to have access to certification that meets international standards, and [this] enables them to be worldwide professionals,” O’Meally-Nelson said.

CURRICULUM

“The CredEd curriculum which is delivered online is tightly aligned with the major national and international accreditation agencies in North America and Europe,” she said.

The postgraduate programme is for one year and costs US$750 for six courses. The curriculum will be similar to Jamaica’s teacher-training curriculum and will therefore look at lesson planning, classroom management and classroom discipline.

O’Meally-Nelson said they have applied to the University Council of Jamaica to have the programme accredited locally, so that individuals can also teach in Jamaica if that is their desire.

“CredEd programmes are not only in demand in the United States, but demand is growing internationally in countries like India and Jordan. The Caribbean and Latin America stand to benefit from the level of international standardisation that the programmes bring,” she said.