SOME 500,000 Jamaicans currently without formal secondary school certification will soon be able to complete their high school education as the General Education Diploma or High School Equivalency Programme (HISEP) goes nationwide in 2005.
Education Minister, Maxine Henry-Wilson, in a comprehensive presentation at the Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, vowed that the revamping of the local education system will continue unbated this year and will target everyone, including drop-outs and those who missed out on critical high school fundamentals.
"We are concerned about those who have already exited the system with very little to show for it," said Mrs. Wilson.
She told the House that her Ministry is currently pushing for nationwide access of the HISEP by September next year and will soon be embarking on a massive public education campaign.
The HISEP is similar to the General Educational Develop-ment (GED) test in the United States and was piloted at the University of Technology (UTech) and other areas in Kingston, Mandeville, Ocho Rios and Montego Bay with 300 adult participants last year. Mrs. Wilson explained that the programme will be administered by the Jamaica Movement for Adult Literacy (JAMAL).
The programme currently covers five core areas in Language and Communication, Science and Technology, Understanding and Presenting Literature and Culture, Society and Citizenship. The core areas must be taken as a package.
Robert Gregory, executive director of the HEART Trust NTA, in an earlier interview with The Gleaner also explained that the programme is divided into five stages to allow persons to start from as low as a grade six level of education upwards until they have attained the high school equivalent. All persons entering the programme will be tested on their level of performance and then placed at the appropriate level of the programme to work at their own pace.
Already some 158 learners have completed their six-week programme of computer instruction. During this month, HISEP learners will be given course materials in Mathematics, Society and Citizenship.
PARTNERSHIPS
"Full implementation of HISEP is expected to begin by September 2005. Prior to this, discussions will be held with employers, employer groupings, providers of education and training at the secondary level and other interested parties, with a view to entering into partnerships for the delivery of HISEP," said Mrs. Wilson.
More than 860,000 persons worldwide take the U.S. version of the GED annually. According to their official website, those who obtain scores high enough to earn a GED credential out-perform at least 40 per cent of today's high school seniors. More than 95 per cent of U.S. employers consider GED graduates the same as traditional high school graduates in regard to hiring, salary and opportunity for advancement.
