SANDRINE RATTAN
As it continues to apply cutting-edge approaches to teaching and learning, the University of the Southern Caribbean I(USC) has merged its Schools of Education and Human Sciences and School of Humanities into a stronger entity now known as the School of Education and Humanities. Chair of the Graduate Department, School of Education, which was formed in July 2015, is Roland Sealy.
“My role is to oversee the administering of the graduate programmes which include MA Educational Psychology; MA, Educational Administration and Leadership; MA, Curriculum and Instruction and Dip in Education,” he said.
Programmes are focused on academically-minded teachers and educational administrators but the current Diploma in Education will be expanded to include Technical/Vocational Teachers from September.
Sealy, who is passionate about his role in the department, said his greatest advantage is being able to help students identify gaps in research projects. His greatest challenge is getting them to understand how further education allows them to make a difference in the education system.
“My ultimate desire is to bring students to a point where they’d become less jaded about the system, thereby eliminating subjectivity and biases,” he said.
Sealy has a huge vision for continuous evolution of the department. He believes T&T educational structure is too competitive and alienates the slower students who are often disadvantaged.
A PhD student in Education, Sealy’s research involves development of a new educational model that directs teachers and stakeholders to approach the classroom as a community that is more all-inclusive and less competitive.