A profession has been defined as a community of workers whose practice requires a specific body of knowledge and competences acquired through specialized, professional training. Such a group operates within specific codes of behaviour guided by professional literature and legislation (Wise and Leibbrand, 1993; Jackson, 2010). Wise and Leibbrand have expressed the view that, like other professions, teachers learn a specific body of knowledge and develop skills over time through a coherent programme of study.

Suriname with Dutch as its official language became a member of the official English-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in 1995. Suriname and its CARICOM partners are therefore challenged to extend their knowledge of each other to forge the increasingly closer linkages that are neccessary.