.png)
Minister of Education Fayval Williams says her ministry is acting on the recommendations in the Jamaica Education Transformation Commission (JETC) report, which was published in January.
Mrs Williams made the disclosure on Wednesday during a media briefing held by the Education Transformation Oversight Committee (ETOC).
She said focus is being placed on students who are underperforming. In addition, the ministry has revisited the school improvement framework, revised the school supervision and monitoring checklist, revised the school supervisory framework and "the next step is to take a strategic review of central ministry and regional offices".
Mrs Williams was adamant that "under every thematic area, some work has already been done".
One key recommendation of the report being addressed, she said, is the implementation of the Jamaica Teaching Council Bill, which is currently under review by a parliamentary committee.
The JETC report listed 119 recommendations to improve Jamaica's education sector that caved under the pressure of the COVID-19 pandemic. It calls for, among other things, an investment of $2.5 billion now to stave off what could become an illiterate society if action is delayed.
Plans in the report will be executed with the help of the 17-member Education Transformation Oversight Committee, which comprises of scholars, youth leaders, principals, church leaders, the opposition, private sector, among others.
Fifty-four issues will be prioritised in the education sector.
Dr. Adrian Stokes, Chairman of the recently formed oversight committee, said while an implementation plan has not yet been finalised, chief in the timeline of action items is the employment of a technical officer.
Also high on the list is early childhood development, which, according to the report, is largely privatised and woefully underfunded.
Students sitting exit exams will also be a key focus, and with the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) results scheduled to be released on Friday, July 8, Mr. Stokes said it will also help to finalise the committee's priority areas.
But as soon as the implementation plan is decided, he said "a comprehensive, multi-year budget will be sent to Cabinet for approval [to] ensure Jamaica's educational transformation thrust is properly funded".
comments powered by Disqus
All feeds
