Cabinet to Receive Submission on The Technological Revolution of Education

Prime Minister P. J. Patterson has asserted the need for a technological revolution of the education sector and accordingly has instructed the Minister of Commerce, Science and Technology to present a submission to Cabinet by March 8th, outlining the framework for a more strategic, proactive and integral role in creating the knowledge base for the new era of technology in the education sector.
The Prime Minister’s instructions came after the Hon. Maxine Henry Wilson, Minister of Education Youth and Culture presented her Ministry’s priorities for budgetary support for the 2005/06 financial year at Cabinet Retreat that is in its final day at Jamaica House.
According to Minister Henry Wilson, a modern education system must utilize appropriate technologies both in the administration of the system and classroom delivery. While acknowledging that the technology was not a panacea for the ills in the system she said that the modernization of the Ministry of Education and the more efficient use of resources would not be fully realized without the use of technologies. She said that more resources could be deployed to the delivery of education services if administrative costs were reduced.
Minister Paulwell’s Submission will be one of three that the Cabinet will consider on education. The Prime Minister also instructed the Ministries of Finance and Planning and Education, Youth and Culture to present to Cabinet a Joint Submission for the financing of education for the new budget year. This Submission will follow the presentation of the Crawford Report which was commissioned by the Prime Minister to consider the financing of the transformation of the education system.
Minister Henry-Wilson outlined the priority areas for the financial year 2005/06 which concurs with the recommendations of the report on the transformation of education. The Minister disclosed that specialist trained literacy teachers would be absorbed outside of teacher pupil ratio to address chronic illiteracy. The Task Force on education transformation recommended a menu of literacy remediation, including at the grade level.
The implementation of the High School Equivalency Programme and the provision of grant support for seventy recognized Basic Schools were also pinpointed as priority areas for the Ministry. The focus on Basic Schools is keeping with the Government policy and strategic interventions at the Early Childhood level of the schools system.