Ministry of Education

Until its Independence in 1962, Jamaica's education system had grown without any sort of overall planning. It was like pre-colonial times, when the government didn't own any schools and Church Schools formed the core. Today's education system is characterized to a large extent by government ownership of schools and a gamut of modern policies and programmes.

In pre-independent Jamaica, there was no technical and vocational education, and the University of the West Indies, which had emerged out of the 1948-established University College of the West Indies at Mona, was new. So too was the College of Arts, Science and Technology (CAST), which was also established in 1958. It offered courses in Engineering, Business Studies, Accountancy, Banking, Telecommunications, Pharmacology, Institutional Management and General Catering, Computer Science and other technical subjects. Now renamed University of Technology (UTech), it also offers some degree programmes.

However, with Independence, came the challenge of introducing new policies and programmes, and commencing the process of reform of the education system. Since then, Jamaica's education system has undergone a transformation, from emphasis on equality in education, which was popularized by a 1966 Ministry Paper: "A New Deal for Education in Independent Jamaica".

The buzz word was literacy for all, and a clear, long-term development programme aimed at providing the best education the country could afford, and to make it open to every child was seen as ingenious, as Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary level schools expanded. A new curriculum provided a wide range of post-primary courses to thousands of children, with an emphasis on technical and vocational education.

With the addition of Grades 10 and 11, as well as a new curriculum designed to prepare students for the world of work, these later changes were complemented by improvements to the existing teacher training colleges and the construction of two new ones. The College of Arts, Science and Technology (now UTech) and the Jamaica School of Agriculture.

The 1970s saw several milestones, one being the establishment of the Norman Manley Law School in 1973. Although not part of the administration of the UWI, it was sited on the Mona campus as an independent, post-graduate school to cater for students who have completed their first Law degree. The United Theological College nearby, also a regional institution, fulfills the same function for post-graduate students.

The G.C. Foster College of Physical Education and Sport had been established by 1976, to develop the abilities of young people. It provided training in physical education and sports for teachers, community workers, and sports and games coordinators. The four Jamaican Schools of Art, Dance, Drama and Music were consolidated into the Cultural Training Centre, offering certificates, diplomas and part-time courses in those areas.

The Programme for the Advancement of Childhood Education (PACE) was launched by the late 1980s to strengthen the effectiveness of Basic schools. The PACE programme included the expansion of basic schools, improved salaries for teachers, intensive upgrading, and new curriculum for Basic School teachers. Such was the growth in education, that by the late 1980s, any child with ability could have risen from the Pre-Primary Basic School to University, at a standard comparable to the best in other countries.

The Human Employment and Resource Training (HEART), which started in 1982, is one of the most significant educational innovations ever introduced into Jamaica. HEART is a collaborative effort of Government and the private sector to train young people to acquire the skills needed for employment and at the same time create a bank of trained manpower to meet Jamaica's future needs for skilled labour. Each HEART institution provides training in a special group of skills - Building, Agricultural, Secretarial, Craft, Garment Making, Cosmetology and Tourism.

The Solidarity programme, which is an arm of HEART, seeks to foster employment for young people through the Self Start Fund. Under the programme, participants receive initial capital to start their own business, but the programme also provides guidance in business practices as well as practical assistance from those already experienced in the field.

At the same time the UWI launched a degree programme in Early Childhood Education in 1987 and the Child Assessment and Research in Education (CARE) Centre was formed to assess and provide therapy for increasing numbers of children. There were also changes at the primary school level, with a new curriculum that was linked to the child's experience and relevant to the Jamaican situation. The subjects included Mathematics, Language Skills, Science and Social Studies.

The School Feeding programme had also been established and expanded with the provision of nutribuns and milk. Primary school children also received their own textbooks for the first time, through the Primary School Book Programme, a joint project of the Ministry of Education and the Gleaner Company.

At the secondary school level, there was a proliferation of different kinds of institutions, reflecting the haphazard way in which, until comparatively recently, Secondary Education had developed in Jamaica. The range included Secondary Departments of All-age Schools, New Secondary Schools, Comprehensive High Schools, Traditional High Schools and Colleges, Technical High Schools, Vocational High Schools and Trade Training Centres.

The Government supported all the secondary schools so that children did not have to pay tuition fee. Whilst their curriculum varied, most of them, particularly the Traditional High Schools worked towards the General Certificate of Education (GCE) "A" and "O" Levels, with the latter having been largely replaced by the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) examinations.

The decade of the 1990's was characterized by the Reform of Secondary Education (ROSE) programme, which was established in 1992, to address problems affecting secondary education. In the first phase of the five-year programme, a common curriculum for grades seven to nine was introduced in four schools in St. Thomas and subsequently replicated in all schools with those grades. Some 50 All-age schools were upgraded to Junior High Schools and 22 Secondary Schools to High Schools. Some 50 high schools participated in the project on a voluntary basis, and a new Junior High School Certificate replaced the Grade Nine Achievement Test, as well as the Jamaica School Certificate.

At the tertiary level, there were Community Colleges serving young people out of school and offering a wide range of subjects including "A" Levels. There were Teacher Training Colleges with improved curriculum in both range and depth. A three-year intramural programme now qualifies graduates of the Colleges for entry into degree programmes at the UWI. There was also the College of Agriculture, which offered Associate of Science Degrees in Management and Extension Services. The College was to be expanded later, to provide full degree programmes.

Under the reform programme for tertiary institutions, the Moneague College was transformed into a multi-disciplinary institution, whilst the College of Agriculture was merged with Passley Gardens Teachers' College in the hope of increasing access to a wider variety of programmes. And in terms of professional, technical and managerial training, the Vocational Training Development Institute (VTDI) was set up to provide training for technical and vocational instructors. Seven institutions offer training for nurses, midwives, and public health personnel, whilst the Dental Auxiliary School trains dental nurses and assistants.

Training in the field of radio and television is being offered at the Creative Production and Training Centre (CPTC), whilst the Administrative Staff College, the Secretarial College and the Language Training Centre all provide special upgrading programmes for government workers in particular. Students preparing for the Chartered Accountants examinations received training through a consortium of Jamaican audit firms. A Trade Union Institute is also part of the Extra-Mural Department at the UWI, Mona campus.

Informal education was also addressed, through The Jamaican Movement for the Advancement of Literacy (JAMAL). Today, it continues to eradicate illiteracy from Jamaica. And since 1982, a skills programme had been introduced. Now, there is special emphasis on the prevention of adult illiteracy, with the Jamaica Library Service having some 703 service points and 505 Bookmobile stops island-wide. There are also special service points in hospitals and correctional institutions.

So, coming from a pre-independence era, the education sector has grown in sophistication to the point where it is now ready to enter into international trade, along with other services. And even as Jamaica and its global trading partners prepare to position their services in trade, at the crucial March 2003, World Trade Organisation meeting, educators in 1962, would have considered it inconceivable, that indigenous Jamaicans could today, participate in such meetings, let alone have teachers to trade, as well as the range of other professional services, which have emerged through the education system.