Ministry to Revamp Recruitment of Educational Specialists and Coaches

As part of a significant thrust to strengthen teaching and learning outcomes, particularly in core subject areas, the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information will adopt a new approach to the recruitment and integration of educational specialists and instructional coaches.

This was announced by Permanent Secretary, Dr. Kasan Troupe, during a Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) results press conference on August 15 at the Ministry’s National Heroes Circle offices in Kingston.

She said the Ministry is working in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service to transition from the temporary, contract-based engagement of coaches and specialists to embedding these roles within its permanent staffing structure.

“No longer will we have a few coaches and specialists being on contract. What the Minister [Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon] has instructed is that we must look to see whether that can become a natural part of the architecture of supporting the Ministry,” Dr. Troupe explained.

The Permanent Secretary added that the shift is intended to eliminate the uncertainty associated with contract-based employment for educational support staff and to establish a more stable, institutionalised framework for professional development within schools.

“We are building out the foundational unit in maths and English so we can have stronger representatives in the Ministry who will develop the curriculum, who will review, will monitor, and will support the teachers,” she stated.

Dr. Troupe also announced that the Government is investing $21 million to support the participation of mathematics teachers in the inaugural CXC Regional Education Conference.

The conference is scheduled for October 28 to 30 at the Ocean Coral Spring Hotel in Trelawny under the theme ‘Navigating the Digital Age: Rethinking Teaching, Learning and Assessment’.

Dr. Troupe said the conference will focus on pedagogical skills, technological innovation in education and mathematics education, among other areas.

“We will be putting our teachers in that interface. Our Minister has given us the approval through Cabinet. We are investing $21 million in bringing out our maths teachers to have that interface in October with CXC and the specialists that they will bring here,” the Permanent Secretary said, adding “it’s a suite of improvements that we’re working on, specifically driven at mathematics.”