Patrons shopping for back-to-school supplies in downtown Kingston yesterday.
THE EDUCATION Ministry says it will not meet its September 5 deadline to create 2,400 additional spaces in 13 secondary schools.
According to Dorrett Campbell, the director of communication and policy coordination at the Education Ministry, some of the building contracts have not yet been completed. "We have spoken with the principals and we are speaking with parents to understand the situation but the funding has been identified," Miss Campbell said. The spaces will be available by the end of September.
The additional spaces are to be provided at a cost of just over $135 million with funds made available through a $5 billion allocation from National Housing Trust.
THREE MORE PRINCIPALS NEEDED
In the meantime, Miss Campbell says with less than a month before the start of the new school year, three of the 54 vacancies for principals are yet to be filled. She said that the vacancies exist at the Green Island High School in Hanover, Steer Town Primary and Junior High in St. Ann and Gaynstead High in St. Andrew. Miss Campbell said that provisions have been made for persons to act as principal at the three institutions.
"We are trying to find persons with leadership and management skills, so we are not just going to put somebody in a vacancy because a vacancy exist, we want to find the most suitable candidate for the job," she emphasised.
And Miss Campbell says the ministry is not expecting a large number of teachers to be absent from their jobs at the start of the new school year. There have been such problems due to unstructured overseas recruitment exercises. But Miss Campbell said that since a 2003 resolution by member countries of the Commonwealth Secretariat on Education for more structured recruitment, the situation has improved.
