Education Minister to Have Close Look at Selection of Textbooks

KINGSTON — Minister of Education, Hon. Andrew Holness, says he will be examining the situation where developers of content for textbooks continue to influence the selection of booklists for primary and secondary schools each year.

“This is something that I have to look at very carefully, because there could be a conflict of interest there, and that is not working in favour of the development of education,” Mr. Holness said.

The Minister was speaking at a joint press briefing with Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Dr. Christopher Tufton, in New Kingston, on August 22, at which the findings of the Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC) 2011 textbook survey were announced.

Meanwhile, Mr. Holness noted that the Government has chosen not to rationalise the booklists for schools, as it did not want to centrally manage the minute details of how the curriculum is delivered.

“My dilemma is that I don’t want to develop a monolithic education system. We could lose quite a bit from that. It is in the variety that you get education expanding and becoming an inclusive endeavour. If we try to do that, we could very well have people thinking one way, and that’s not what we want in our education system,” he argued.

Instead, Mr. Holness said that what the Ministry has done, with fair success, is to give information and guidance to schools in developing their lists, as well as use moral suasion.

By ALPHEA SAUNDERS, JIS Reporter