Education Philosophy Developed

The Ministry of Education and Youth has put forward an education philosophy that focuses on the holistic development of the student to create the kind of society that Jamaica desires.

The move is in keeping with 2021 ‘Reform of Education in Jamaica’ report, which recommended that the Ministry should widely promote an education philosophy, which sees learning as a collaborative interaction between teachers, students, and the curriculum.

Portfolio Minister, Hon. Fayval Williams, told a press conference at Jamaica House on Thursday (December 1), that the Ministry “has spent some time deliberating, drafting and redrafting, and at this point we do have a proposed education philosophy”.

It reads as thus: “Education in Jamaica is designed to support the holistic development of each person – focused on their intellectual, social, moral, physical, emotional, and spiritual development. Through diverse and equitable educational opportunities and inclusive developmental pathways, a love for learning and humanity is engendered, resulting in citizens of moral and cultural excellence and the requisite competence for them to thrive in a changing world, while contributing purposefully to the harmonious life of families and the development of communities, their country and the world at large.”

Mrs. Williams noted that the sector has never had an education philosophy “articulated as well as this one”, although there have been taglines such as the popular ‘Every Child Can Learn, Every Child Must Learn’.

“This is a deeper philosophical embrace of education and what education can do for society. Of course, we know that we have to build the awareness around this as we go forward,” the Minister said.

The Reform of Education in Jamaica report was developed by the Jamaica Education Transformation Commission chaired by Professor Orlando Patterson.

It is a blueprint for establishing a comprehensive strategy to improve student performance and educational productivity across the sector and has 54 prioritised recommendations addressing several areas.