UTech president wants end to TVET stigma

WESTERN BUREAU:

Dr Kevin Brown, president of The University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech), has joined calls for an end to the stigma that currently exists against technical and vocational education and training (TVET) subjects in Jamaica’s education system, saying these subjects are key to becoming a technological leader on the global stage.

Speaking at the Jamaica Teachers’ Association’s (JTA) 2026 Education Conference at the Princess Grand Hotel in Hanover on Tuesday, Brown said that while academic education has often been prioritised over technical subjects, TVET education is necessary for national development.

“The stigmatisation of TVET has to end, because there is TVET all around us. We live in a time of profound disruption, technological, climate, economic, and social, and in the midst of the crisis lies opportunity, an opportunity to rethink education, to innovate, to ensure that Jamaica’s young people are prepared, not just for the jobs of today, but for the world of tomorrow,” said Brown.

“For too long, in many societies, including Jamaica, we created this false hierarchy in education, where academic education was seen as prestigious,” he said. “Let TVET and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) be the centre of our education system, because it is a strategic national asset for development. TVET connects education to industry, equips learners with practical employable skills, it nurtures innovation and partnership, and it strengthens the resilience of our country.”

WARNING ISSUE

Brown’s admonition mirrors a similar warning issued by physicist Dr Mark Richards in January, in which he stated that a shift in mindset is the biggest barrier being faced by Jamaica’s education system in embracing STEAM education. In February, Dr Darien Henry, principal of the Montego Bay Community College, made a similar call.

In the 2026-2027 Budget Debate, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness announced that ground will be broken this year for two new STEM schools in Bernard Lodge, St Catherine, and Minard, St Ann. These are the first of six planned institutions designed to foster innovation and technical skills.

He advised that the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority will be responsible for building the other four.

These institutions, Holness said, will take students from early-childhood through secondary education, immersing them in STEM from the earliest years.

Brown told the conference that among the STEM and STEAM subjects that must be prioritised, Jamaica must specially focus on improving students’ performance in mathematics. He also noted that qualified educators are needed to teach STEM and STEAM subjects to Jamaica’s current student cohort.

“Nearly 29,000 students sit CSEC (Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate) examinations, but only 44 per cent passed maths recently. As a country, Jamaica has to pivot towards math, and the 44 per cent passes in CSEC needs to go up,” he said.

“We have to keep working at this to get these numbers up, because fewer engineers mean fewer innovators, and fewer innovators means a slow economic growth. We will not attract these new knowledge process outsourcing and innovation process outsourcing jobs if we do not show that we can strengthen our STEM education,” he added.

christopher.thomas@gleanerjm.com