|
Green Paper
The Way Upward
Education: The Way Upward
A Green Paper for the Year 2000
This Green Paper 2000 represents a commitment of the
Government of Jamaica to engage our people in the strongest possible partnership
for development through education and training.
The partnership is based on the recognition that it is the return on
investment in the building of human and social capital that represents our best
hope for economic growth and social peace, the major requirements for an
improved and sustainable quality of life in Jamaica.
As stated in this Ministry's ICT Policy and reflected in the MOEC Corporate
Plan as well as the Draft National Strategic IT Plan, Jamaica must provide
lifelong learning opportunities and anytime anywhere training for the
development of the intellectual capital required to secure Jamaica's
competitive edge in the global knowledge economy.
The Ministry's ICT Policy seeks to articulate the principles and
guide the actions required to fully utilize the available information and
communication technologies to improve the management of the sector.
The ultimate purpose is for more effective creation and delivery of cultural
and educational products for increased self-esteem and improved teaching and
learning in Jamaica.
As we seek to realize the benefits of the new technologies, the Ministry
recognizes the risk of increasing the knowledge gap, and so the policy pays
special attention to the issues of access and equity as we expand the
opportunities for lifelong learning for all our citizens, anytime and anywhere
The policies and programmes are based on the belief that
- each of our children can learn and all of our children must
- sound early educational foundations and the nurturing of values which foster personal growth and social responsibility represent a major imperative for adult society
- learning is a lifelong necessity and information technology provides the means to create and deliver valuable cultural material, and to provide lifelong learning opportunities to all Jamaicans, anytime and anywhere
- our country has a historical record of success in co-operative initiatives, community and national partnerships, and effective schooling which can support new directions for improved structures and sustainable improvements in the education and training sector
- the present global environment at the onset of the new millennium creates opportunities and makes demands for a society which actively develops a creative thinker-worker with the attitudes, skills and knowledge to be a controller of his environment not a victim of it.
Our view is that in the pursuit of progress through
partnerships, there are certain frameworks within which we should operate:
- A charter of educational rights and responsibilities which conveys what the nation undertakes to provide for its citizens.
- A partnership agreement between all stakeholders at the national and community level.
- A contract arrangement at the institutional level between the principal constituent groups operating within the institution
- A set of laws and regulations which protect the rights of all parties and which also provide for efficient management of the education and training system
- A mechanism for ensuring that policies in force are understood and accepted by the widest possible cross-section of the people, and particularly those who are most affected by them
- A national information infrastructure which will provide equitable access to communication facilities to empower Jamaicans through information, government services, and lifelong learning opportunities
We believe that these frameworks are necessary if we are
to unite the country around this most critically important thrust towards
individual empowerment, social cohesion and economic growth.
The Charter
We believe that the Charter should contain
the following Articles:
- Every child who is born within Jamaica or acquires Jamaican nationality and citizenship has a right of access to opportunity for his/her education to the level and extent possible within the resources of the family, the community and the state.
- The state has the responsibility of providing access to primary education for all its citizens who are between the ages of 6 and 12 years.
- Parents are under an obligation to make such provision as may be necessary to support the education of their children at least to the point where they have completed 11 years of formal education or up to the age of 17 years, whichever comes later.
- No child should be deprived of formal education up to the end of secondary education purely on the basis of economic deprivation.
- The quality of the content of the education offered to our young citizens, its delivery and the environment in which it is provided will be of the highest possible standard which the country can afford.
- Basic education will incorporate and be enriched by the creative use of appropriate technologies, including Information and Communication Technology
- The education of our citizens will prepare them for functioning in a globalized environment and a highly interdependent world. In doing this it will also reinforce pride in ourselves as a people and promote knowledge of and respect for our proudest traditions, our institutions and an awareness of the sanctity of human life.
The Partnership Agreement
We believe that although the Government of the day has the
legal authority, the right to determine policy and the overall administrative
responsibility for the education and training programme at any given time, it
must exercise its authority in a spirit and real context of partnership with
- Teachers
- The Parliamentary Opposition
- The Church
- The Parent Constituency
- The Private Sector broadly defined
- Civil Society represented by established National Organisations
Within this partnership agreement, the National Council on
Education which is made up of representatives from these entities will continue
to be the vehicle through which the widest possible input is sought and obtained
to inform policy advice and monitor policy implementation.
The Government through the Cabinet and its Sub-committees
will ensure that in both policy and practice, there is collaboration for
effectiveness and efficiency across its different Ministries and agencies.
Boards of Management of public educational institutions as
the agents of the Ministry of Education represent a critical interface between
the State and the school community. As such, they will apply the rigorous
adherence to prescribed regulations, the careful observance of national
policies, and the sensitive responsiveness to the needs of their institutions
and clients which are expected of good managers in a vibrant democracy.
At the community level, the agreed community organisation
which co-ordinates community development will be specifically engaged in
supporting and monitoring the programmes of the sector.
The Minister of Education and the Chief Operating Officers
of the Central Ministry will establish and use appropriate structures and
schedules for direct communication with stakeholders at community and regional
level.
Institutional Contracts
The Ministry of Education & Culture will establish a
charter of service to its several clients and client constituencies.
It will scrupulously observe the requirements of the
Freedom of Information Act.
It will provide timely information to institutions,
- Administrators and Staff
- Parents
- Students
- Members of Parliament
- Contractors
- The General Public
- The Media
in order to ensure that the system operates at optimum
efficiency.
Specifically, it will require information on new
appointments to the teaching profession no later than six weeks before the
effective date of the appointment and will undertake that the appointment is
confirmed within four weeks.
Decisions on appointments of Principals will be conveyed
to the Board of Management within ten weeks of the recommendations being
received.
Professionals due to retire will be notified at least one
year before the effective date of retirement to allow for the necessary
processing with a view to having pension payments made on time.
Performance evaluation instruments will be standardised
across the system by August 2001, and will be used as a part of the process of
improving teacher performance and school effectiveness.
At the institutional level,
There will be a tripartite contract between the school,
the parent and the student.
This contract may co-exist with or subsume the provision
of school rules but cannot be substituted for by the rules alone.
It will incorporate the commitment which the school makes
to parent and student, the commitment of parent to the institution and to
his/her child. In the case of the primary and infant/basic school child, the
parent will also make the commitment on the child's behalf.
At the secondary level, the student will be required to
make his own commitment to both parent and school.
In order to give the required undertaking on behalf of his
Board and his staff, the principal of the institution will, in turn, receive
commitments from his staff.
Institutional development plans with specific targets and
identified constraints will form the basis of the school/community partnership
and the operation of a system of accountability at the institutional level.
Laws and Regulations
The revised Education Regulations will reflect the
following:
- Provision for non-teaching professionals in the system to strengthen our capacity for student care and development
- Obligation of Education Officers to ensure that School Boards are regularly and appropriately informed about assessments of school performance, Principal performance, teacher performance.
- Provision for ongoing professional development for teachers and the obligations of teachers to be involved
- The minimum number of school days annually to be 195
- Provision for teachers' leave and holidays to take into account the learning cycle for students and the special needs of students and teachers
- Protection of teachers from unfair dismissal. and students from unfair exclusion
Information on Major National Policies
We believe that systems generally work best when they are
governed by policies which are understood, which are agreed to and receive the
support of those who are affected by them.
It will be our intention to rely heavily on public
information and public communication in our efforts to make the education and
training a truly national effort and to make the best use of all the talents and
energies available to the nation.
The system will be performance-driven and
results-oriented.
In this paper, we set out the present Mission Statement of
the Ministry of Education & Culture and the seven strategic objectives which
currently drive the national corporate plan for the Ministry.
Additionally, critical targets are identified.
Finally, we set out a number of major policy proposals
which we believe will facilitate the meeting of our objectives and the
attainment of our targets.
The Mission Statement of the Ministry of Education
& Culture, Jamaica:
"To provide a system which secures
quality education for all persons in Jamaica and achieves effective integration
of educational and cultural resources in order to optimise individual and
national development"
The Strategic Objectives:
- To devise and support initiatives striving towards literacy for all in order to extend personal opportunities and contribute to national development.
- To secure teaching and learning opportunities that will optimise access, equity and relevance throughout the education system.
- To support student achievement and improve institutional performance in order to ensure that national targets are met.
- To maximise opportunities throughout the Ministry's purview that promote cultural development, awareness and self-esteem for individuals, communities and the nation as a whole.
- To devise and implement systems of accountability and performance management in order to improve performance and win public confidence and trust.
- To optimise the effectivenss and efficiency of staff in all aspects of the service in order to ensure continuous improvement in performance.
- To enhance student learning by the greater use of information and communication technology as preparation for life in the national and global communities.
Critical Minimum Targets
- 3% annual improvement in primary school attendance between 1999 and 2002.
- 55% of all students who were enrolled in Primary grade 1 in September 1997 to demonstrate full mastery in literacy at the grade 6 level in August 2002.
- 35% of the same group to demonstrate near mastery or full mastery by the year 2004
- 5% average annual increase in high school enrolment between the year 2000 and the year 2003
- 2% annual reduction in the number of schools needing major repairs between the year 2000 and the year 2010
- 2% annual improvement in the number of students passing English and Mathematics in the Secondary Examination Certificate (CXC) in relation to the total grade 11 cohort
- 1% annual increase in the age cohort advancing to tertiary education between the year 2000 and the year 2005
- 5% annual improvement in school performance as measured by panel inspection reports
- Staff:student ratio in the Primary Schools to be standardised at 1:35 by the year 2004
- Census data for all institutions to be collated and available by December 31 each year for the school year beginning in September of that year
- Minimum of 1 computer per school, linked to Internet or otherwise provided with Encyclopaedia and other learning software by December 31 2001
- Full enrolment of the Early Childhood age cohort -ages 4 and 5 - by the year 2004
- Island wide public education programme by August 20001 in support of Early Childhood Care and Early Stimulation for children between birth and age 4
Considerations underlying present Policies
Continuous assessment of students at the primary level is
designed to facilitate student learning, and is not designed to divide students
along pass/fail lines.
High school education is provided to all students of high
school age and is not designed only for the academically most gifted.
The presence and use of culture agents in schools
constitute both a strong support for learning and a reinforcement of
self-esteem.
Special needs children are provided for either in special
schools or in regular schools. Mainstreaming where possible is preferred and
offers advantages to both the general school population and the special needs
child.
Although targets are expressed in terms of percentages,
the underlying national philosophy is that each child must be assisted to
maximise his talents and abilities, and acquire the highest level of skills and
knowledge of which he is capable.
"Each child can learn and every child must"
Each child has a contribution to make to the learning of
other children, and every child has a special intelligence and a special area of
motivation which teacher, parent and other adults have an obligation to discover
and build upon.
The school will plan its entire programme to meet the
needs of the students, and should not exclude challenging students as the
solution to educational problems.
The school, the community, the Ministry of Education and
Culture and other state agencies will collaborate in dealing with behaviour
disorders and seriously disruptive conduct.
The country's commitment to the education and training
of its people will always be seen as a sound investment in the building of
social capital even if the products of the system migrate to metropolitan or
other countries. In the present world environment, it is neither possible nor
desirable to escape this kind of investment.
Major Policy Positions In Force or Proposed
1. Automatic promotion of students in the primary schools is not allowed beyond the grade 4 level. Remediation in reading must take place to ensure that students in grades 5 and 6 are reading at an appropriate level. 2. Principals and teachers are required to prepare, provide and use the required data as something which both contributes to performance management and to facilitating national policy development, planning and operations. 3. Schools are financed on a per capita basis at the primary level and on the basis of their approved establishments at the secondary and tertiary levels. 3.1 Fees are not chargeable at the primary level 3.2 Fees have to be approved by the Ministry of Education & Culture at the other levels 4. The Ministry of Education & Culture provides free textbooks at the Primary level and operates a National Textbook Rental Scheme at the secondary level which all students can access by the payment of a textbook access fee. 5. Each institution is required to formulate and to operate a development plan in which annual targets are set, matched to resources, demand and potential. Approved fund-raising is encouraged only in relation to the achievement of specific educational targets, for which the Board and the institution take full responsibility. 6. As of September 2001, new Principals and Principals in new posts will be engaged on contracts which will be performance related. 6.1 Other Principals may choose to become contract officers 7. As of September 2002, new Vice Principals and Vice Principals in new posts will be engaged on contracts which will be performance-related. 7.1. As of September 2002, other Vice Principals may choose to become contract officers. 8. As of September 2003, all Principals and Vice-Principals will be required to be contract officers. 9. As of September 2003, an incentive fund will be used to support schools which demonstrate excellence in terms of organisation and enterprise as well as educational performance. 10. Access to information about student performance is the right and responsibility of parents. 11. The Ministry of Education and Culture will as from the year 2003 publish relevant information about school performance.
Summary
We believe that Jamaica can deal with its economic and
social challenges if we unite around progressive strategies for change, optimise
our investment in education, training, cultural development and the nurturing of
wholesome values and positive attitudes.
This can be accomplished by a united effort centred around
our schools as the focal point of intellectual and social growth and
development. But the school, as a physical and social entity, is only the centre.
The home, the community, the various governmental and civic organisations have a
most important part to play.
Each of us needs to feel ourselves accountable to the
others, to the nation as a whole, particularly to our young, and certainly to
the generations yet to come. We owe it to ourselves and to the future to start
the new century and the new millennium with a firm resolve to advance the
welfare of our country and the human race by building Jamaica into a place and a
people which become the envy of the world.
This Green Paper invites you to build Jamaica through
education, with efficiency, with effectiveness but also with heart and with
spirit. We can do it together.
We invite you to consider this plan, to improve upon it,
ultimately to adopt the final product and then to let us make it work.
Let us help each other help our nation. Like our children, each of us can improve our contribution, and every one of us must.
|
