The Way Upward

A nation committed to education and a Government committed to the education of the nation

The 1999 Green Paper provoked a year’s debate and discussion across the country. As we become engaged in the next stages of growth and development we must put our ideas into practice. It is vital to share our common approach and the baseline as we embark on the next stages. This document sets out ‘The Way Upward’ by:

1. Offering a Context for the future - to focus our attention
2. Defining the Strategic Framework of Mission, Objectives and Critical Minimum Targets
3. Being explicit on the underpinning Philosophy
4. Emphasising our Current Policies and
5. Acknowledging Key Considerations

In turn we then establish an Implementation Framework comprising:

1. A Charter
2. Partnerships
3. Contract Arrangements
4. Laws and Regulations
5. National Information Infrastructure

In 2001 our starting position is summarized as:

• Finance
• Early Childhood
• Primary Education
• Secondary Education
• Technical & Vocational Education and Training
• Tertiary Education
• Special Education
• Adult Education and Lifelong Learning
• Management of Education
• Agencies and Related Bodies

Summary

A Context for the Future

This Paper represents a commitment of the Government of Jamaica to engage our people in the strongest possible partnership in the development of our human resources as the primary tool for personal, social and economic development. Education and training is our overriding priority. It is the key ingredient in the nation’s overall development of a creative, productive, democratic and caring society and should prepare citizens for changing roles in a social, economic and global environment that is also constantly changing.

This partnership is based on the recognition that it is in the building of human and social capital that resides our best hope for the development of each individual and the society and for the attainment of economic growth and social peace, which are the major requirements for an improved and sustainable quality of life in Jamaica.

We recognize that the world environment in which we operate now and henceforward is one that will challenge our creativity as we seek to discover new knowledge, new products and new markets, new possibilities and new ways of living and working together. It is clear that the challenges of globalization and the consequent competition in trade, the free movement of skills, the ease of information transfer, the reliance on information and ideas for increased productivity and economic growth, all require a population much better educated and trained than now exists.

Education and training must not only be better but different. It must seek to create a literate, skilled, democratic and patriotic society. It must also create a productive workforce and functional and caring communities.

Strategic Framework

The Ministry of Education and Youth & Culture will play the leading role.

Its mission is:

“To provide a system which secures quality education and training for all persons in Jamaica and achieves effective integration of educational and cultural resources in order to optimize individual and national development”

Its seven strategic objectives are:

• 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 optimize 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 maximize 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 optimize the effectiveness 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

Given the important role that education and training must play in the growth and development of the country a number of critical minimum targets have been set and it is imperative that these be achieved in line with the strategic objectives outlined previously.

1. Full enrolment of the Early Childhood age cohort - ages 4 and 5 by the year 2003;
2. Islandwide public education programme by August 2001 in support of Early Childhood Care and Early Stimulation for children between birth and age 4;
3. Ninety percent average daily attendance by 2005 at the Primary level;
4. Teacher/student ratio in the Primary Schools to be standardized at 1:35 by the year 2003. By 2005, Grades 1 and 2 should not have more than 30 students to a teacher;
5. Eighty percent of all Grade 6 completers to demonstrate full literacy by 2003;
6. Five years of secondary education for all students entering Grade 7 in the year 2003 and thereafter;
7. Five percent annual improvement in the number of students passing English and Mathematics in the Secondary Examination Certificate (CXC) in relation to the total Grade 11 sitting ;
8. Fifteen (15%) percent enrolment rate in tertiary education by 2005 agreed by CARICOM Heads
9. All schools to be at a satisfactory level of physical infrastructure by the year 2010;
10. To increase the provision of basic infrastructure (i.e., desks and chairs etc.,) to meet the needs of enrolled students and teachers by 2003.
11. Minimum of one computer per primary school, linked to Internet or otherwise provided with Encyclopaedia and other learning software by December 31, 2002;
12. Each school will have specific targets and will be assessed against these targets annually;
13. Census data for all institutions to be collated and available by December 31 each year for the school year;
14. The introduction of a High School Equivalency scheme by the year 2003;

Philosophy

The policies and programmes are based on the philosophy that:

• Each individual, child or adult can learn and all must;
• Education is best achieved in an environment that is caring, safe and one of mutual respect;
• Sound early educational foundations and the nurturing of values and
• Learning is a lifelong process that should build on our tradition of co- operative partnership in education;
• The ever-changing global environment 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;

Current Policies

1. 1. 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.
1. Fees are not chargeable at the primary level;
2. Fees have to be approved by the Ministry Of Education, Youth & Culture. at the other levels;
3. Notwithstanding, the government commits to protect the annual allocation to education which should be 15-20 percent of the National Budget;
4. Application of a Means Test to determine student assistance at both secondary and tertiary levels.
2. The Ministry Of Education, Youth & Culture. provides free textbooks at the Primary level and operates a National Textbook Rental Scheme at the secondary level which all students can access.
3. 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 reading at an appropriate level
4. Principals and teachers are required to prepare, provide and use the school data for institutional performance management and to facilitate national policy development, planning and operations;
   
   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;
5. As of September 2002, new Principals and Principals in new posts will be engaged on contracts which will be performance related;
1. Other Principals may choose to become Contract Officers
6. As of September 2003, new Vice Principals and Vice Principals in new posts will be engaged on contracts which will be performance-related;
7. As of September 2003, an incentive fund will be used to support schools which demonstrate excellence in terms of organization and enterprise as well as educational performance;
8. Access to information about student performance is the right of parents and the school has the responsibility to provide such information;
9. The Ministry Of Education, Youth & Culture. will as from the year 2003 publish relevant information about school performance based on the national standards set for each category of school.

Key Considerations

1. School attendance at the primary level is to be made compulsory. A social safety net should be provided to support families below the poverty line with regular attendance of the children being a major incentive in the provision of such support.
2. 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;
3. High school education is provided to all students of high school age and is not designed only for the academically most gifted;
4. The presence and use of culture agents in schools constitute both a strong support for learning and reinforcement of self-esteem, with greater emphasis on our heritage in all its forms;
5. Children with special needs 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;
6. Although targets are expressed in terms of percentages, the underlying national philosophy is that each child must be assisted to maximize 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"

7. Each child has a contribution to make the learning of other children, and every child has a special intelligence and special areas of motivation which teacher, parent and other adults have an obligation to discover and build upon;
8. 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;
9. The school, the community, the Ministry Of Education, Youth & Culture. and other state agencies will collaborate in dealing with behaviour disorders and seriously disruptive conduct;
10. The issue of gender imbalance in the education system is a source of concern as boys appear to be disadvantaged. To regain some balance a special effort will be made in curriculum development and delivery to engage both boys and girls in the learning process;
11. Special emphasis is to be placed on Physical Education, Sports and the Performing Arts within the regular school programme, in light of the role they play in the total development of the individual, the enhancement of discipline and their potential for career development in the region.
12. 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;

Implementation Framework

A Charter

1. The State has the responsibility to ensure that all its citizens have access to an absolute minimum of six years of formal education;
2. The State takes responsibility for Early Childhood Education of children between the ages of four and six years by providing curriculum direction, teacher training, standards setting and monitoring and recurrent financial support to facilitate appropriate learning;
3. The State, with the support of the family and community has a responsibility to ensure that every child who is born within Jamaica or acquires Jamaican nationality and citizenship has a right to education to the level and extent possible within the resources of the family, the community and the state;
4. 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;
5. No child should be deprived of formal education up to the end of secondary education purely on the basis of economic deprivation;
6. 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;
7. Education will incorporate and be enriched by the creative use of appropriate technologies, including Information and Communication technology;
8. The education of our citizens will prepare them for functioning in a global environment and a highly interdependent world. In doing this it will also reinforce pride in ourselves as a people and promote the knowledge of and respect for our proudest traditions, our institutions and an awareness of the sanctity of human life.
9. In addition to being literate in the basic areas of English, Mathematics, the Humanities, Science & a Foreign Language, special attention will be paid to the moral, spiritual and ethical dimensions and the inculcation of positive values and attitudes. Each citizen should have the following qualities:
1. Respect for self and others
2. Respect for authority
3. Respect for the Environment
4. Honesty, Integrity and national pride
5. Loyalty to school and nation
6. A sense of discipline
7. A sense of responsibility
8. Proper work ethics
10. Every citizen will have access to libraries and other information services that will provide the resources and instruction technology skills to facilitate life long learning and to ensure that each person can function effectively in an information rich global environment
11. The sector must always be proactive in seeking new and relevant approaches and programmes in order to meet the existing and emerging needs of the society.

Partnerships

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 this authority in a spirit and within the context of a partnership with the various constituents as listed below:

• The Teachers’ Group
• To teach students based on the developed curriculum;
• To foster development of the mental and social well being of the student;
• To develop and pursue a vision for the school with the guidance of the school board;
• To provide information to parents at least twice annually on each student’s progress;
• To consistently assess each student within their care and provide a written record of this assessment;
• To be caring and responsible towards students;
• To provide for the safety and security of students;
• To provide counselling services;
• To be role models who articulate and demonstrate positive values;
• To participate in Home/School and Parent Teacher Association activities;
• The State
• To provide the physical infra-structure for schools;
• To ensure the efficient and cost-effective administration to achieve objectives;
• To provide qualified and trained teachers for schools;
• To put in place laws that enforce and maintain the integrity of the education system;
• To consistently monitor and ensure the effectiveness of the education system and effective management of schools;
• To develop, implement, monitor and evaluate the education curriculum in keeping with set standards for the first 13 years of the school system;
• To provide educational material to support the curriculum;
• To introduce an element of incentive for all employees in the education system based on actual performance;
• To work with each partner to continuously review/upgrade the quality of the education system;
• The Parliamentary Opposition
• To contribute to policy formulation and general development of the system;
• Community
• To regard the school as a valuable educational resource for the whole community;
• To support and protect the school in their community;
• To participate in activities to further improve the quality of the school services
• The Church & Religious Groups
• To provide spiritual guidance to the schools;
• To participate in activities to further improve the quality of the school services;
• To support and protect the school in their community;
• To contribute to policy formulation and general development of the system;
• To assist in the provision of school places
• Alumni
• To participate in activities to further improve the quality of the school;
• To provide mentoring and other related services;
• The Parent Constituency
• To provide both emotional and financial support and security for the child;
• To ensure that the child attends school every day as required;
• To be responsible for the behaviour and discipline of the child;
• To monitor and support the educational progress of the child;
• To be role models who articulate positive values;
• Each parent should be a member of the PTA;
• Independent Schools
• To provide education and training of quality, and in keeping with the approved regulations and standards set by the Ministry of Education & Culture;
• To prepare students for all national examinations and assessment programmes set by the Ministry of Education and Culture and other recognized examinations which the school undertakes to offer;
• To include the national curriculum at all levels of the system, as part of their curriculum offerings;
• To engage in discussions of national interest on the education sector and make recommendations where necessary;
• To ensure active participation in education through the Independent Schools’ Committee;
• The Private Sector/NGO’s
• To work with the Ministry Of Education, Youth & Culture. through different partnership programmes to improve the quality of education;
• To provide work experience for students;
• To support the development of the curriculum by providing feedback on labour market needs;
• To contribute to the efficient management of the schools by serving on School Boards.
• Civil Society represented by established National Organisations
• To monitor developments and to respond to national needs
• The Media
• To keep public informed of development in the education sector
• To provide a forum for the discussion of education issues;
• Teachers Colleges
• To provide avenues of continuous education for teachers and support persons in the education system;
• To research and develop new teaching material and techniques to ensure the provision of relevant education;
• To be good role models;
• To prepare teachers who are academically qualified to teach the required subjects;
• To provide for the overall development of the child
• Students
• To abide by the school’s code/rules;
• To complete all learning assignments;
• To sit on the Board of the school as the student representative at the secondary level;
• To participate in the broader activities of the school and community
• To show respect for the school and wider environment
• Parent Teachers Association (PTA)/Home School Association
• To support and engender the well being of the school;
• To monitor the internal and external activities of the school;
• To provide parental representation on School Board;

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 and Culture 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 organization which co-ordinates community development will be specifically engaged in supporting and monitoring the programmes of the sector.

The Minister of Education and Culture along with Senior Personnel of the Ministry will establish and use appropriate structures and schedules for direct communication with stakeholders at the community and regional level.

Contracts

The Ministry Of Education, Youth & 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:

• Institution
• Administrators and Staff
• Parents
• Students
• Members of Parliament
• Teachers’ Organisations
• Contractors
• The General Public
• The Media

in order to ensure that the system operates at optimum efficiency.

Specifically, it will require School Boards to submit to the respective Regional Office, information on new employment to the teaching profession no later than six weeks before the effective date of the employment and will undertake that the employment is processed 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 standardized across the system by August 2002, 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-exit 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/her own commitment to both parent and school.

In order to give the required undertaking on behalf of his/her Board and his/her staff, the principal of the institution will, in turn, receive commitments from his /her staff.

Institutional development plans with specific targets 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. These include Librarians, Guidance Counsellors, Social Workers, Child Psychologists and Laboratory Technicians;
• Obligation of Education Officers to ensure that School Boards are regularly and appropriately informed about assessments of school performance and principal performance.

• Requirement for ongoing professional development of teachers and the obligations of teachers to participate;
• The minimum number of schools days annually to be 195
• Provision for teachers’ leave and holidays to take into the account the learning cycle of students and the special needs of students and teachers;
• Protection of teachers from unfair dismissal and students from unfair exclusion.

National Information Infrastructure

We believe that systems generally work best when they are governed by policies which are understood and agreed to and which receive the support of those who are affected by them.

It is our intention to rely heavily on public information and public communication in our efforts to make 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.

Current Baseline

Financing Educaton

Public debt continues to consume a larger proportion of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ranging from 25.9 percent in 1996 to 38.4 percent in 1999. As the total public debt grew by some 87.4 percent between 1996 and 2000, it has been consuming larger slices of the public purse. The allocation to debt servicing increased from 45.3 percent in 1996 to 58.2 percent in 2000, severely reducing government’s expenditure in the public sector.

Against the increasing economic challenges, the Government of Jamaica continued to make education a priority, allocating to this, the largest portion of the national budget outside of Ministry of Finance and Planning (MOFP).

Over the past five years, (1996 - 2000), the budgetary allocation to education has fluctuated between 10.6 and 14.5 percent of the Government’s budget with debt servicing and 20.2 to 29.5 percent without debt servicing. For the same period, public expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP has been in the range of 6.1 to 7.6 percent.

Over the years, the Ministry’s allocation to the different levels of the system has been consistent with its objective to increase its support to the lower levels as it is crucial to develop a solid educational foundation. Between 1996/1997 and 2000/2001, the percentage allocation of the Ministry’s budget to the Primary and Early Childhood levels has been increasing while the opposite has been the trend for the tertiary level.

Educational Levels	Percentage (%) Budgetary allocation in 1996/97	Percentage (%) Budgetary Allocation in 2000/2001
Early Childhood	2.8	4.5
Primary	34.3	36.9
Secondary	31.3	32.9
Tertiary	20.2	18.3

Table 1: Percentage Allocation of the Budget by levels

The introduction of the Cost Sharing Scheme at the secondary level has made more funds available to this level of the system. Prior to the introduction of the scheme, less funds were available to these schools for their daily operations which include the provision of instructional materials. Of the subvention provided by the Ministry, approximately 95 percent went to salaries and related expenses and of the remaining 5 percent, only about one and half per cent was slated for instructional materials and the rest for the other operational areas. The scheme has resulted in a significant increase in the amount of money available to the schools for the provision of instructional materials and equipment.

Parental contribution is an essential part of the financing of education. Bearing in mind the difficulty that some parents would experience in contributing to the economic cost of their children’s education, the Education Ministry established a welfare programme to assist needy students with these fees. Through the Guidance Counsellors or other qualified persons at the schools, students are identified through an assessment process and requests submitted on their behalf for assistance with a portion, or the full fees, as is deemed necessary. In this way, the Ministry seeks to ensure that no child is denied an education because of financial hardship. The programme has been enjoying approximately 85 percent compliance rate.

Another initiative, the Income Generating Project started in 1993, is a revolving loan scheme which is geared towards helping schools to develop and implement projects to generate additional income. This is being implemented across all school types. Profits from the different ventures have been used to subsidize examination fees and provide uniforms for needy children, among other things.

At the tertiary level, students are asked to assume approximately twenty-percent (20%) of the economic cost of their education. However, provisions have been made to assist needy students through student loans, bursaries and scholarships.

Early Childhood Education

It is universally acknowledged that the first five years of a child’s life offer the greatest potential for building the foundations of conceptual learning, and of developing valuable life skills, habits and attitudes. Early Childhood Education therefore, provides early stimulation in building interests in and positive dispositions towards learning. Early Childhood Education is delivered through community operated Basic schools, government infant departments in Primary and All-age schools and kindergarten departments of privately owned Preparatory schools. Readiness of children entering the Primary school continues to be our main concern. The following are indicative of the present status:

• The Ministry Of Education, Youth & Culture. has embarked on the process of placing one trained teacher in each recognized Basic school with minimum enrolment of over one hundred;
• The Ministry of Education develops the curriculum and trains the teachers in regular workshops;
• The enrolment rate of the 4-5 year old age group is 91 percent and is one of the highest in the region;
• Over 80 percent of the students enrolled, attend community operated Basic Schools and just under 20% are in Public Infant Departments and private centres, which benefit from government subsidies for teachers salaries, class materials and school meals;
• In 1998 of the approximately 237,400 children in the birth to three age group, only 3.6 percent or 8500 were in supervised care, with private provision accounting for more than 90 percent of the children in 364 day care facilities;
• The World Health Organization in the 1997 report on Child Mental Health and Psychological Development, states, “when children are reared in homes where there is a lack of conversational interchange, where parents do not interact positively with their children and where there is lack of play opportunities, the development of language, intelligence and scholastic skills is likely to be impaired.”

Therefore, emphasis needs to be placed on parent education, since the majority of the children in the 0-3 age groups are with parents.

Primary Education

Primary education is offered to pupils in grades 1-6 of public and private schools for students between the ages of 6 and 11. It is at the primary grades that the foundation for the acquisition of knowledge, skills and values for further development and continuing education is laid. During the colonial period, the Primary School was the people’s school and although some of these institutions did provide a good foundation of basic education, they were largely disadvantaged schools in need of radical reformation. Following Independence in 1962, considerable effort was put into the expansion of coverage and the improvement of Primary education. Access to Primary Education is universal. But despite this achievement in the provision of access, our main challenge today is that of the improvement of quality, in order to provide the type of education that will adequately prepare students for the secondary system which is currently being reformed. It is accepted that each pupil at the primary level should be equipped with three basic characteristics by the end of Grade 6. Priority therefore is being given to:

• Functional literacy and numeracy;
• competence in basic knowledge and skills required for access to Secondary education;
• possession of a caring attitude towards self, others, and all nature.

A major strategy for the improvement of quality centres around the Revised Primary Curriculum, the National Assessment Programme (NAP), the improvement of the physical plant and the training of teachers and upgrading of teachers and school administrators.

Important facts on the status of Primary Education are as follows:

• Ninety-nine percent of students in the 6-11 age group are enrolled in school;
• The average attendance at the primary level is 78 percent;
• Eighty-one point one percent of the teachers in the general primary school system are trained but the rural and remote schools operate with a higher percentage of untrained teachers. The national average of untrained teachers in 1999 was 18.8 percent.
• Fifty-two percent of the schools are in good to satisfactory condition and 86% of the students are satisfactorily seated.
• The current literacy rate at the end of Primary level is 70 percent;
• The national average teacher/pupil ration is 1:32 with 14 percent of schools having a ratio of 1:42 or worse;
• The Ministry Of Education, Youth & Culture. operates a subsidized school feeding programme and provides free textbooks to all students.

Secondary Education

Secondary Education and Training prepares students for further education or for the world of work. Education at this level must therefore be responsive to social, as well as manpower demands. By the beginning of the 1990’s, Secondary Education was provided in seven different types of educational institutions; all-age, new secondary, comprehensive high, secondary high (or traditional high), technical high, agricultural/vocational and independent high schools. Each type of school followed its own programme and the graduates of the system displayed differences in quality and equity. A major objective of the Ministry of Education, Youth & Culture was therefore, to rationalize Secondary Education in order to ensure equity and high quality across the board for all students. One of the main strategies for doing this was the introduction of a common curriculum in grades 7-9 in all schools through the Reform of Secondary Education (ROSE) project. In addition, there was the upgrading of the teaching staff, general facilities and teaching and learning materials and equipment.

At the senior secondary level, initiatives are ongoing to improve access, equity and quality, through the development of new curricula, the provision of additional facilities and by the training of teachers and the introduction of Technical and Vocational subjects set by HEART/NTA. Already these initiatives have begun to show positive results in the CXC examinations. The following is to be noted: