Cabinet Approves Proposal For Seven Years of Secondary Education

A proposal for the establishment of seven years of secondary education in Jamaica has been approved by Cabinet.

Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Fayval Williams, who made the disclosure while addressing Wednesday’s (October 6) virtual post-Cabinet press briefing, said this will allow all students to have access to learning opportunities in grades 12 and 13 (sixth form).

“The mainstreaming of a seven-year programme of educational training and experience is expected to meet the needs of students more efficiently and effectively and respond to local and international demands vis-à-vis 21st century skills, competences and certification,” she said.

Mrs. Williams argued that as Jamaica seeks to become more globally competitive, it is imperative that appropriate investments are made in expanding educational access, quality and relevance to allow students to graduate with certification in their respective fields.

She said Cabinet also gave approval for the public dissemination of the National Risk Assessment (NRA) of Jamaica.

The NRA looks at Jamaica’s anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) framework.

Cabinet noted that the approval and dissemination of the NRA also serves as a key step in Jamaica’s Action Plan agreed with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).