PM Receives Study on Early Childhood Education

The Education Taskforce has completed its study on early childhood education and has recommended that based on the work already accomplished in that area and the integration of all levels of the education system, the Executive Director of the Early Childhood Commission should be added to the membership of the Education Transformation Team to ensure a seamless coordination of the reform process. In addition, it has been recommended that the Early Childhood Unit in the Ministry of Education be merged with the Early Childhood Commission to allow for greater efficiency.
The recommendations were presented to Prime Minister P.J. Patterson during a meeting at Jamaica House on Thursday (Mar. 10).
The Education Taskforce has also recommended the continued participation of private entities in early childhood education, stating that there should be greater support for these institutions as well as the enforcement of regulations by the government, in an effort to standardize the delivery of education at that level.
In the meantime, Prime Minister Patterson has instructed the Education Taskforce finance sub-committee established to determine a broad-based financing mechanism for the implementation of recommendations for transforming the country’s education sector, to identify the specific sources of funding that can be implemented in the 2005/2006 Budget year.
The mandate for its concentration of efforts to meet this immediate requirement was given after a full discussion of the proposals outlined in the interim report presented to the Prime Minister.
The interim report includes a mix of public and private sector sources of funding that would impact on all levels of the education system. The sources of funding to be identified by the sub-committee will enable the implementation of the most critical recommendations of the Education Taskforce during the next academic year.
In restating his position on the need for national consensus on the way forward for education including financing, Mr. Patterson said the sub-committee should engage in dialogue with stakeholders including the Opposition, before the final report is completed for the consideration of Cabinet.