Nearly 200 teachers from different parts of the country turned up for the first session of the two-day recruitment seminar organised by the New York City Board of Education at the Le Meridien Pegasus hotel yesterday.

The board's Boroughs' manager, Stephen Hinds told Stabroek News that successful applicants for the five-year contract must possess a trained teacher's certificate from the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) and a Bachelor's degree.

According to Hinds, who supervises the filling of vacancies for boroughs in the city, those who are accepted will undergo one week of professional development training prior to the commencement of the school term. He indicated further, that the course will be ongoing for the duration of the contract at the respective institutions to which the teachers are allocated.

Hinds said that the teachers will be assigned to schools in Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island, adding that students from various Caribbean countries study in these districts.

Hinds related that in addition to Guyana, teachers were also being recruited from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Grenada, Panama and the Dominican Republic, where over 400 teachers sent in applications.

Hinds added that the board's confidence in the performance capacity of Caribbean teachers stemmed from the existing high level of education and the commitment portrayed by the people.