Montego Bay, October 21, 2019 – Jamaica – Regional Director for the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information’s Region 3, Sophia Forbes Hall, says the duties of education officers are being transformed.
“The education officer, over the years, has
primarily carried the role of an administrator. We are moving beyond that in
order to make teaching and learning our priority,” she emphasized.
To this end, the Regional Director said “you
will find that our senior education officers will no longer be assigned to
levels of the system, but will be assigned to parishes”.
Mrs. Forbes Hall said all stakeholders “will be
formally advised, as we move forward”. She
was speaking at the recent Quality Education Circle (QEC) 27 stakeholders’
conference, at Troy High School in Trelawny.
Mrs. Forbes Hall said the decision to revamp
the duties of education officers is intended to afford them more time to
analyse data relating to students’ performances in high-stakes exit examinations,
such as those at the secondary level. This
initiative is intended to ensure that students receive quality education at all
levels of the system.
Mrs. Forbes Hall further advised that the Ministry’s
QEC team will be assisting education officers in analysing the data and
creating a template for each region. The template will providing guidance
regarding the extent of support required for each educational institution in a
QEC.
Meanwhile, the Regional Director encouraged
stakeholders to continue supporting the QEC concept, “as we move forward in
ensuring that the education system is ‘super- ready’ to receive our 21st
century children”.
“We require the support of all partners on
board. We require the support of parents, schools and support through
partnerships [with] our business community,” she emphasised.
Mrs. Forbes Hall also underscored that one of
the Ministry’s main priorities is fostering public-private sector partnerships,
noting that these are critical in maximizing the resources deemed pivotal to
advancing education. The QEC, which was
commenced in 2009, is a programme which sees a diverse group of administrators
within a particular area, collaborating to create a ‘learning community’ for
professionals in education.
Through this medium, educators and other
stakeholders meet at specific times throughout the school year to share best
practices, discuss challenges, propose solutions, assess the progress made, as
well as celebrate achievements.
The Ministry’s Regions are further divided into
QECs, each of which is assigned an education officer who is referred to as a
convener. The QEC’s members are
expected to meet with all stakeholders in their region at least once per annum.
At these meetings, general information about the performances of schools is
presented which affords stakeholders the opportunity to share best practices.
For her part, Education Officer and South
Trelawny QEC 27 Convener, Veniesha Morgridge, lauded the QEC area for their achievements
over recent years. She reported that
South Trelawny has the 10 registered basic schools, the most in Region 3, to
date.
Mrs. Morgridge also advised that the three high
schools in the QEC – Albert Town High, Troy High, and Westwood High – performed
well the in 2018/19 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC)
examinations.
“All three high schools are blazing the trail
in QEC 27; they have not become complacent… they are growing,” she stated.
The conference featured presentations from key
stakeholders within the Ministry on best practices, school performances as well
as the way forward. The event was held
under the theme: ‘Celebrating Success: From Vision to Action’.
Contact: Serena Grant
Release: JIS
Photo Captions:
Header: Stakeholders attending the recent Quality Education Circle (QEC) 27 Conference, at Troy High School in Trelawny.
1st Insert: Regional Director for the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information’s Region 3, Sophia Forbes Hall, addresses stakeholders during the recent Quality Education Circle (QEC) 27 Conference, at Troy High School in Trelawny.
2nd Insert:Education Officer and Quality Education Circle (QEC) 27 South Trelawny Convener, Veniesha Morgridge, speaking during the QEC’s recent Stakeholders’ Conference, at Troy High School in Trelawny
Serena Grant Photos