Caribbean Centre of Excellence for Teacher Training

The Caribbean Centre of Excellence for Teacher Training (Caribbean CETT) is an organization which seeks to enhance the quality of teacher training in the Caribbean. It came into existence as part of a USAID-funded Presidential Initiative established at the 2001 Summit of the Americas, held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Caribbean CETT is a significant part of a hemispheric thrust by the USAID to improve student literacy in the first three grades of primary schools in the Western Hemisphere (Latin America & the Caribbean.) In the three regions of the Western hemisphere, the USAID created Centres of Excellence in Kingston, Jamaica, for the Caribbean, the CETT Andino, for South America in Lima, Peru, and the CETT for Central America & Dominican Republic located in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

In the Caribbean, the initiative is seen as a long-term effort through the use of education to improve the region’s economic prospects. Throughout the region persistent poverty and stagnant economies have combined to hinder full participation in the global marketplace. An educated population offers the answer to promoting social and economic development, jobs, and personal well-being. The ability to read and write well is the foundation for all future learning. An alarming number of children in the Caribbean lack the proper literacy skills needed for success in life. As they progress through the educational system, many of these children find it more difficult to grasp material, get frustrated and drop out of school. Their premature exit from the educational system limits future economic prospects and throughout the Caribbean has contributed to the cycle of poverty.

It sponsored a study tour to Belize for teacher educators from Trinidad and Tobago in 2009. The Caribbean CETT has also made donations of library materials to the University of Guyana.