Vision 2030 Workshops Being Rolled Out Across Ministry of Education Regions

Some 50 senior education officers from the Ministry of Education’s Regions Three, Four, and Five participated in a Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) sensitisation workshop on Friday, October 7, where they discussed the role of the education officers in the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the Vision 2030 Jamaica National Development Plan.

The workshop, which was held at the St. Hilda’s High School Auditorium, in Brown’s Town, St. Ann, is the second such forum, with the first held at the Merl Grove High School, in Kingston recently. The Kingston workshop facilitated education officers from the Ministry’s regions one, two, and six.

In an Interview with JIS News, Communications Specialist with Vision 2030 Jamaica, Carmen Miller, explained that the education sector is key to the success of the national development plan, as the vision, strategies, activities, and actions involved will be infused into the curriculum. This is in order to get students to understand the concept of Vision 2030 from a young age.

“So what we have been doing at the PIOJ, as we have been doing with other key stakeholders, is to get the key officers at the Ministry sensitized to what Vision 2030 is all about, and also to get them to see what their role is in the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the plan,” she stated.

Ms. Miller explained that the response to both seminars has been very good with positive and appreciative feedback.

She said the Vision 2030 plan is going to be incorporated into the school curriculum through the Citizenship in Education Programme, which will be rolled out by the Ministry. The programme underscores the importance of all education stakeholders being sensitised about Vision 2030.

“We are quite excited that the ministries, departments, agencies of Government, public and private sectors and civil society organisations, are taking on Vision 2030, they are buying into it, and they are making sure that whatever they are doing it is based on Vision 2030 Jamaica,” she stated.

The Communications Specialist said that despite some skepticism by some,  generally persons are expressing excitement that there is now a vision plan in place for the country, and are showing willingness to play their part in achieving the goals set out in the plan.

Programme Director, Vision 2030 Jamaica, Richard Lumsden, told JIS News that the emphasis on the Ministry of Educations and its stakeholders with regard to the implementation of Vision 2030, is in view of the fact that this sector is in touch with a large portion of the country’s population, who represent the future of the country.

“So we have been working with them on how to get the schools as closely aligned and involved in the Vision 2030 Jamaica and as aware of it as possible,” he stated.

Mr. Lumsden noted that the popular version of the Vision 2030 document, which is more user friendly, colourful, and easier to understand, will be used in the education sector.