(ZIZ News) – Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education the Honourable Shawn Richards, has embraced the need to reshape the way forward for education.
He made the comments on Wednesday during the opening ceremony of a two-day workshop on the Education Policy Review Validation and Sector Strategy Planning at the Ocean Terrace Inn.
Minister Richards said, “Strategic planning in education provides the Ministry a path to follow, to bring about the goals of the education system by responding to existing obstacles and charting the way forward.”
He said that strategic planning will allow officials to better manage the education system proactively and provide holistic education for all.
He said the workshop falls in line with his ministry’s goal to contribute to national development and strengthen education sector planning.
“Through effective planning, the Ministry of Education will also be better able to meaningfully contribute to national sustainable development goals and global education commitments to which St. Kitts and Nevis adheres,” he said, adding that St. Kitts and Nevis, like other countries in the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), has embraced the sub-regional thrust to strengthen education sector planning and align national plans, where relevant, with the shared developmental imperatives outlined in the OECS Education Sector Strategy 2012-2020 (OESS).
Dr. Neva Pemberton, Education Planner in Nevis and National Coordinator for the UNESCO Policy Review, explained how they arrived at the two-day workshop.
“Since 2009, education provision in the Federation has been guided by the policy priorities and strategies outlined in the White Paper on Education Development and Policy,” said Dr. Pemberton.
“While implementation of the plan has contributed to quality improvements in the system, especially at the Early Childhood l
Level and has led to critical investments in technical and vocational training for example, full implementation of the plan has proved difficult,” she added.
Among the objectives of the workshop is the identification of relevant policy actions to inform the development of the Ministry of Education Sector Plan.
The workshop is a collaborative effort of UNESCO and the education ministry. It ends on Thursday, October 29.