Prime Minister P.J. Patterson recently brokered an agreement that led to the Opposition and the Government arriving at a consensus in Parliament on education. Here the Prime Minister speaks about the significance of the agreement and shares some of his concerns about the state of education, while outlining some positive developments and committing the Government to doing more to improve the country's education system. This is an edited version of the Prime Minister's contribution to the recent debate on education in Parliament delivered on October 14, 2003. This is the conclusion of the debate, the first of which was called yesterday.
THE LEADER of the Oppo-sition had previously raised the question of education bonds. So that nobody misunderstands me, I regard an investment in education and in human development as the most important investment of all. In terms of something like Highway 2000, when you put out a bond and you are collecting directly as a result of the project by way of the tolls that are being paid, what it means is that you are not financing that bond from the public purse. You are financing that bond directly from the proceeds of the project.
I would like to see if we can maintain this debate in a tone that enables us to conclude our discussion and when we leave here, all of us are winners, particularly the children of Jamaica.
Let me say straight up, we need to spend more of our budgetary allocation on education than we do at present. In so far as this resolution is expressing the will of the House for there to be an increment each year, that is something that we fully support, have always been committed to, and to which we will adhere.
BASIC SCHOOLS
There have been some improvements at every level. The basic school level is where I think the most important revolution in the education system has been taking place. We accept that the Government has to ensure a system that provides quality and equity for every child between 3 and 5. We do not believe, however, that it needs to be done all by the state and that church groups and community groups are precluded from the exercise. We have a responsibility to ensure that the teaching within those institutions is of the requisite standards.
We have constructed or renovated 104 basic schools and 10 infant departments through the Early Childhood Unit and the Jamaica Social Investment Fund. We have also invested a considerable amount in upgrading teachers within the system. It cannot be denied that many basic schools were just a poor excuse for day care centres and children were being left there under the watchful eyes of people who gave them considerable care and affection but when it came to tutelage, that was out of the question entirely.
We now have a programme for the enhancement of basic schools funded by the Government of Jamaica and the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB). The total cost is US$15.8 million of which the CDB will provide a loan equivalent to 13.4 per cent and we will provide the rest by way of counterpart funds. That programme deals not only with a quantitative aspect but a qualitative element that focuses on improving the competencies and skills of the early childhood practitioners.
SECONDARY LEVEL IMPROVEMENTS
In respect of the secondary level we have the ROSE programme that is seeking to ensure five-year secondary education at an internationally acceptable standard for all pupils entering high school. In March of this year there was a Cabinet Submission for an Inner City Schools Improvement programme. We saw it as vital to the development of human capital within our inner cities. We saw it as an essential tool in the fight against crime and violence and as key to the socialisation which we think is necessary in all inner-city communities. That was approved by the Cabinet and has a menu of interventions, which will include a broad-based group or stakeholders. It obviously has to include the political directorate MPs and Council-lors and it has to include churches, community leaders and very importantly, businesses operating in the communities.
Business owners have to understand that they have a profound interest in advancing education because if we are to increase our productivity we have to have a trained workforce.
I am somewhat disappointed that the special programme for inner city schools improvement did not get started when I anticipated. When the Minister of Education comes to make her presentation she will outline what is contemplated. I know that I can rely on the co-operation of the Members of Parliament in these communities to lead by example, so that everybody in the communities, irrespective of their political allegiance, can feel that they have a stake in this. One of the main points that emerged in the presentation by the Leader of the Opposition and supported by the various speakers is that while we have been doing something in terms of quantity when it comes to quality we have fallen short, and in my view as Prime Minister we are falling badly short.
LATE STARTERS
There are some who take the view that you cannot judge the education system by examination results. While I would say that examination results are not the only index, they certainly constitute one of the important indices that must be taken into account. Admittedly, there are some people who are late starters and some people will not do well in every subject, but there are certain things that are basic. It is to state the obvious that numeracy and literacy must be cardinal to any satisfactory education.
To improve the quality of teaching we have to improve universally the quality of our teachers. So that I am not misunderstood, we have some very, very good teachers, in the systems capable and making sacrifices. We have some teachers, however, who regard their work as a part-time assignment. Atten-dance, punctuality, demeanour don't seem to be paramount in their consideration, and in some cases the aptitude for teaching needs to be questioned. This is why in the last negotiation we stood very firmly, and I make no apology for leading the position, that in seeking to upgrade substantially the emoluments of teachers, there would have to be performance requirements.
TEACHER TRAINING
We are doing a lot with teaching training opportunities: Bachelor in Education, Secondary Distance programme with UWI, special training in mathematics and science at the teachers' colleges, upgrading of teachers' college lecturers where you now have people with Master's and Doctorates, the training of principals in school management.
KPMG did a management study and made a number of recommendations. We started to pursue them and quite frankly in some areas we have run into professional resistance. One of things that I hope we are making clear when we pass this resolution is that this Parliament, on both sides, is expecting a higher level of performance from everybody at every level of the education system.
I must make very special mention of education officers. There was a time when you had school inspectors for a parish and when you have inspection day everybody shaped up. My mother was a teacher and I remember every Sunday after church, she had to write out to present to the headmaster on Monday morning, what she was going to be teaching.
ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE
I think we have to face the fact that the teaching of English Language at every level now has to be approached as if you are teaching a foreign language. In the daily exchanges on the radio, on television English is the exception rather than the rule.
The point I am making is that, especially in today's world where English has become the lingua franca, it is one of the competitive advantages that we have in terms of our mode of communication and what kind of economic development we can undertake. However, in the teaching of English, we have to recognise that there are hurdles that have to be overcome.
We still have some worrying gaps in terms of the universal quality of the foundation, which has to be laid at the early childhood stage. We must seek to overcome those. There is no difference between the Government and the Opposition in relation to the importance of early childhood care and the relationship of education to economic and social development. Despite what we have spent on education we have to make sure that we are getting students coming out of the process with the requisite quality and we must get value for money at every level.
NEW THINKING
The fact that we agreed on an Early Childhood Commission in this House is a clear indication that we recognise the need to harmonise and consolidate our efforts and lift the provision of early childhood education to a new level. We need to add to this revolution some new thinking. It has to include an emphasis on the social development of the early childhood age group.
We have to somehow, despite the lure of television, create an excitement around the reading of books. We have to have an early diagnosis of learning problems that exist. We have to have an involvement of family members in the stimulation and nurturing of students.
At the primary level, education based on values and socialisation must continue. We want at grades 1 and 2 to see if we can have classes of no more than 30 by September 2005. But when we move to try and get that, we must get support. Populations have shifted. Some schools are under-utilised and have more teachers than necessary, whereas there are other schools that are overcrowded and have less teacher than required. Especially in these days of increased mobility we have to make sure that the teaching force is deployed to where they are needed.
HOMEWORK CENTRES
The idea of homework centres and homework hours: The Leader of the Opposition has proposed this be at school. In some cases, they can be in residential communities in organised community centres under proper supervision. Many of these communities have retired teachers. I would rather have my children or grandchildren taught by them, than by some of those who are currently in the system.
I am raising it with the Minister of Education; when you have a good principal, able-bodied, competent, turning around the school, leading the school in the right direction, don't force that principal out and create a vacuum before you can find someone suitable to replaced that person.
BUSINESS INVOLVEMENT
I had a meeting with a particular company, which is soon to launch a programme to raise literacy levels by orchestrating a national platform that will increase funding, community awareness and support a wide diversity of life long programmes. What I would like to suggest is that corporate businesses should find an area in which they can make a special contribution to the education process because that is what is going to make the difference in our ability to compete globally.
AREA FOR ACTION
We also have to recognise in all of this, that there are some slow learners. We have to make special arrangements for them.
There are also some fast learners and we can't keep them back, so where necessary we have to have what you might call classes of excellence.
The start is what makes the difference.
The output has to be given by teachers who are motivated, professionally developed and managed by close monitoring and being held to account.
We have a motion that requires the Government over the next 5 years to increase the allocation to the Ministry of Education to 15 per cent. It sets out some of things for which the increment could be used.
Concerning the textbook lending programme to primary and secondary school students, we have to increase the acquisition of books annually so that the target is realised within 5 years.
We have to ensure that we deliver a quality education to all students at the secondary level.
We have to improve the school-feeding programme. There must be a proper nutritional content because if students go to school and are hungry they will fall asleep.
We want to abolish the shift system as quickly as we possibly can.
We have to upgrade our teachers to higher levels.
We have to introduce performance incentive for our teachers.
MONITORING & REVIEW
I hope that after we have finished this debate and passed this resolution, we are going to have some process of monitoring and review. I am going to ask the Minister of Education, not just at sectoral debate time, but at regular intervals, to make reports to this House about where we are with the targets and where we have fallen short. And perhaps that one of the committees of the House keeps this matter under constant review.
SELF-WORTH
Our future as a nation depends not only on the quantity of the education we provide and the money that we vote, but also on the quality and whether we turn out students with the knowledge base and the social attitudes that make them capable of contributing to the growth of our society, and students with the individual self-worth necessary for us all as human beings.
