TCI: Deadline looms, private learning centers must register with MoEYCLS

#Providenciales, March 5, 2019 – Turks and Caicos – Just weeks left now for all private learning institutions in the country to be registered with the Department of Education, the deadline is March 31, 2019 explained Director of Education, Edgar Howell in a recent press conference.

This registration with and approval by the Department of Education is a pre-requisite for getting a business license and despite this new thrust toward enforcement, the registration has actually been mandatory and on the books since 2014.

“Once the full submission is received, we intend to have inspection teams that will go out to visit with schools and we can have their responses ready so that they can continue on with their business licenses to operate in the 2019-2020 school year.”

Mr. Howell, who joined Minister of Education, Youth, Culture and Library Services (MoEYCLS), Karen Malcolm and Permanent Secretary of Education, Wesley Clerveaux for an update on a wide range of topics, informed that registration of private learning sites across the country is going very well.

The ordinance, admits Mr. Howell chiefly focuses on institutions that cater to younger learners – but the expectation is for every kind of private learning facility to comply.  Colleges, universities even centers like dance schools must make themselves known to the Department.

“There is an application form that was made available to all private schools that they should complete in its entirety and they can submit additional documents along with the application form.” 

These schools will now also be required to provided monthly statistical data, end of year reports and financial information. 

“It is a requirement so that the Ministry of Education can ensure that our children, all of our children are having access to quality education and one of the mottos for the Ministry is ‘success for every learner’, Mr. Howell added that the concern is not limited to children, “we want to ensure quality across the board for every learner and to make sure that degrees, diplomas, certificates that are offered by institutions operating in the Turks and Caicos Islands, can earn the learners matriculation into institutions overseas.  We don’t want a case where they are accessing education in Turks and Caicos, they are certified and they can’t take that certification anywhere else.”

Currently 31 private learning centers are registered with the MoEYCLS; with the addition of sites like dance schools and day care centers newly coming board, the Register is expected to increase. 

The new Register of Schools will be made public and published in the Gazette by August 2019.

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