Gov’t Ensuring International Standards on Higher Education

The Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth, and Information remains firmly committed to ensuring that the island’s tertiary institutions deliver education that meets international standards and prepares students for a dynamic and interconnected world.

“We understand that in doing so, we empower our young people to become innovators, leaders and contributors to national and regional progress,” said Assistant Chief Education Officer in the Ministry, Dr. Tamika Benjamin.

She was addressing the 20th Caribbean Area Network for Quality Assurance in Tertiary Education (CANQATE) conference on November 6 at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston under the theme ‘20 Years of Promoting Quality in Higher Education: Development, Impact and Opportunity for a Sustainable Future’.

CANQATE works to promote capacity-building among countries and institutions of higher education and facilitate regional discourse on policy and research in the fields of quality assurance and quality enhancement, while engaging policymakers, researchers, evaluators, administrators and faculty in professional development.

Dr. Benjamin said the event marks “a significant milestone in CANQATE’s leadership in promoting quality higher education, fostering regional collaboration and setting robust standards for quality assurance. We are here not only to celebrate this legacy but to build on it as we look towards a sustainable future for higher education in the Caribbean”.

She said that quality assurance at the tertiary level is not just about maintaining standards but building a robust foundation for national and regional development.

“When we uphold high standards in our tertiary institutions we are investing in our future leaders, innovators, and change-makers. This commitment to quality directly impacts our economic resilience, social progress, and global competitiveness,” she pointed out.

Dr. Benjamin said that by holding ourselves accountable to rigorous standards “we ensure that our graduates possess not only the knowledge but also the skills and competencies needed to contribute meaningfully to their communities and industries”.

“Quality assurance also enhances our institutions’ reputation, allowing our degrees to be recognised and respected both regionally and internationally. This global recognition opens doors for our students and affirms that Caribbean education can stand proudly on the world stage,” she said.

She noted that over the years, the Government has invested significantly in programmes to raise academic standards and ensure inclusivity and accessibility.

She said that one of the most impactful initiatives has been the National Qualification Framework, which aligns the country’s educational qualifications with those of its global counterparts, enabling graduates to be competitive internationally.

“Additionally, our partnerships with international accrediting bodies, our support for continuous faculty development, and adoption of quality benchmarks, position Jamaican institutions to not just meet but often exceed international quality standards,” Dr. Benjamin said.

President of CANQATE, Curtis Floyd, said the organisation has had an indelible impact on the quality of education in the region.

“Over the past 20 years, CANQATE has been at the forefront of promoting excellence in higher education across the Caribbean. We have forged invaluable partnerships, shared best practices and established standards that have contributed to the continuous improvement of educational institutions in the region,” he pointed out.

CANQATE’s mission is to enable members to share information about the maintenance, evaluation, accreditation and improvement of higher education and to disseminate good practices in the field of quality assurance.

The entity was established in 2004 as a subnetwork of the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE).