Inspector’s Report on Schools to be Tabled December 17

The recently completed report of the National Education Inspectorate’s Chief Inspector is slated to be tabled in the House of Representatives on December 17.

Education Minister, Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites, who made the disclosure during the Ministry’s media breakfast hosted at the Courtleigh Hotel, New Kingston, on Friday, December 13, said the report provides a “fair snapshot” of the performance of the island’s more than 1,000 public schools, a significant number of which were inspected up to March this year, and “roughly half of (which) can be said to be functioning with some level of effectiveness.”

“As is our practice in the Ministry of Education, I have given this (report) to the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. Andrew Holness), who is also the Education Spokesman…and invited his comments and criticisms,” the Minister stated.

Meanwhile, Rev. Thwaites underscored the Ministry’s new approach to relying extensively on data to assist in advancing the various policies being developed for the education sector.

He noted that in previous years, Ministry decisions taken and pursued were, “with very good intention,” often based on “special interest cries…anecdotal evidence or the response to a crisis.”

“I do not believe that this is the way we should go. Therefore, we have developed a far greater reliance on data and we are ready to provide the public with available data on a variety of the Ministry’s undertakings,” Rev. Thwaites assured.