Petrina Francis, Staff Reporter
MINISTER OF State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture, Senator Noel Monteith, says despite many challenges, the transformation of the education sector is well under way.
He also revealed that the Education Transformation Team (ETT) is under the temporary leadership of Dr. Desraele Hutton, following the resignation of former Executive Director Andree Nembhard last December. The ETT was set up last February to implement the recommendations made by the Task Force on Education.
In his address to the State of the Nation Debate last Friday, Senator Monteith said the transformation process was being implemented through five Change Implementation Teams.
Senator Monteith said these were already established and have started their planning and implementation activities. He noted that they were each assigned relevant portions of the task force recommendations.
The task force report had criticised the physical structure of the Ministry of Education, arguing that the central office was uninviting, unattractive and reflects poorly on the entire system. It also said the ministry is hierarchical and bureaucratic.
The senator said consultants have been engaged to undertake the modernisation of the Ministry.
The Task Force on Education had recommended that it would take $52 billion per year to transform the education sector.
Last year Prime Minister P.J Patterson announced that $5 billion would be transferred from the National Housing Trust (NHT) to assist with the transformation of the sector.
Modernisation activities
* Establishment of regional authorities.
* Establishment of the National Education Quality Assurance Authority.
* Restructuring of the ministry into a policy ministry.
* Refurbishing of the central ministry.
* Information and communication technology to be integrated into all aspects of the work of the ministry.
* Physical infrastructure to be upgraded.
