| An apparent sloth in the processing of registration applications by the National Accreditation Council is in fact nothing alarming but rather an expected outcome of such a fledging body. At least this is according to Director attached to The Accreditation Council of Trinidad and Tobago (ACTT), Curtis Floyd.“What is happening here is something that we encountered as well.”This state of affairs could perhaps be linked to staff size and the fact that there is a great deal of work that a National Accreditation Council is required to undertake outside of the processing of applications, said Floyd.ACTT Director,http://www.theworldsoccersshop.com/Argentina-Facundo-Roncaglia-Jersey.html, Curtis FloydFloyd,Brett Favre Falcons Jersey, who recently facilitated a session with local education institutions, said that similar challenges were had when the Trinidad Council commenced its operation in 2005. The session with the education institutions was spearheaded by the local Accreditation Council in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.“We would have experienced that as well but one of the things that you have to understand with this Council here is that there is very limited staff (members)…I understand that there are maybe just two or three persons in the office and particularly when you are dealing with 42 institutions…”“I am sure that there will be more to come as time goes by but it is something that could become very time consuming and very onerous on the staff because apart from the processing of the applications for the registration there are other services that they are engaged in and those too will need their due attention,” added Floyd.He disclosed that ACTT started off with a staff of no more than 20 individuals but has since been required to expand to about 50 in order to ensure its efficiency. “I can tell you that with the institutions that we have and the services that we offer, it is still very challenging to get through with everything because you want to make sure that whatever you are doing as the Council is of quality so you don’t short-change the institutions,” said Floyd.His recent visit here was intended to provide needful accreditation support to Guyana by helping the relevant stakeholders compile a submission that is of standard which specifically deals with the evidence that is required to show that there is adherence.“We too had problems with our institutions going through this because it was all new to them and they didn’t know what to expect…but now they have become expert at it,” added Floyd who noted too that “…we have had very, very little or no problems at all with our institutions now going through the process.”It was not so long ago that concerns relating to the operation of the local Accreditation Council were amplified. Some educational institutions in Guyana are reportedly at a disadvantage, since they have been faced with some level of difficulty in securing an accredited status from the National Accreditation Council.This state of affairs has been linked to reports that the Council has not been operating optimally.Chairman of the Private Sector Commission’s (PSC) Sub-committee on Communications, Kit Nascimento, recently disclosed that “there are a number of education organisations in this country that have been seeking accreditation and the National Accreditation Council has some catching up to do.”Nascimento added that “from experience elsewhere the Council has not been, until recently, functioning,http://www.soccerpro.us.com/AC-Milan-FC/, and I am not altogether certain if it is even functioning fully yet.” He intimated too that there are a lot of applications with the Council and “it is indeed a significant process from registration to accreditation.”Nascimento’s remarks were forthcoming even as this publication sought to enquire of the accreditation status of the Texila American University which recently became a member of the PSC.It was just a few months ago that Minister of Education,Bryan Bickell Jersey, Priya Manickchand, disclosed that moves were being made to amend the Accreditation Act with a view of allowing the Accreditation Council to not only have the authority to accredit individual programmes but also entire institutions.And the plan to amend the local Accreditation Act is not unique to Guyana since according to the Minister it is supported by the Caribbean with moves already being made to accredit institutions.“This makes sense…If we are to accredit programme by programme then the kind of resources necessary would be very, very burdensome for offshore type universities,Cheap Soccer Jerseys 2019,” said the Education Minister.The amendment,Calvin Ridley Jersey, she said, will be made to Section 4(3) (c) of the National Accreditation Council Act Number 12 whereby it grants the Accreditation Council the power to do institutional accreditation.Manickchand noted, “We are amending the Act to give additional power to the Accreditation Council to deal with entire institutions rather than programmes alone.”Already regulations have been drafted under the Accreditation Act, which the Minister had said in May was being reviewed before being sent to the National Assembly.However, before reaching to the National Assembly, the draft regulation was expected to be sent to the Chambers of the Attorney General to be finalised. |
