Minister for Education, Human Resource Planning, Vocational Training and National Excellence, Octavia Alfred, has said that the development of the education sector plan, which focuses on a climate-resilient and gender-responsive education sector, is of great importance to the country’s changing reality.
She was speaking at the launch of the Ministry of Education Sector plan on Wednesday.
“I am happy therefore for the development of this education sector plan designed to improve the quality and efficiency of the education sector. The sector plan has a particular focus on gender disparity and building climate resilience, two areas I believe are of utmost relevance to our changing reality,” Alfred stated.
She stated that there is a need to ensure that both genders are represented in the country’s development thrust and she takes pride in the knowledge that the government is exemplifying that in the inclusion of so many women in the cabinet and in other senior government positions.
“The idea is to also reflect this within the wider society and in the education system by tailoring instruction to ensure that all our children have an equal chance at success. I am aware that in comparison to our girls, our boys continue to underperform both in the internal and external examination,” she explained.
Alfred said it is the ministry’s responsibility to address the disparity and target the specific learning needs of all children at every level.
“It is our goal as [a] ministry to ensure that girls and boys have equal access to learning opportunities and that there is fair treatment across the board. I believe we are beginning to address this issue through comprehensive reviews of the curriculum that considers a child as the most important stakeholder within the education sector,” she stated
The minister said a new civic curriculum will soon be completed for reintroduction in schools.
“In fact, as your ministry, we have heard your call for a return to civic education to engender citizens to have awareness of the important roles they can play in shaping this society. We are responding to this call and we will soon complete a new civic curriculum for reintroduction in our schools. You asked for it, you get it,” she explained.
She stated that the curriculum department is also responding to a need for instruction that now considers the ever-increasing threat on climate change. She said due to Hurricane Maria they had to review systems to increase the readiness of students, teachers, school leaders and other staff members at the schools to respond to disaster events.
She said progress has been made in this regard and the ministry of education is extending its focus past the physical school infrastructure to the training of students, teachers and school leaders in order to respond to the threat.
“With the assistance of our valuable partners, UNICEF and Israel AID, we have facilitated training for every school to develop emergency plans suited to their respective communities,” Alfred stated. “If we agree that quality education is grounded in basic skills, knowledge, values and attitudes we can not shy away from these immediate and very real threats. We must empower our children to take charge of these challenges.”
According to the minister, the Ministry of Education has also adopted a proactive approach in building and rebuilding school structures that are stronger and better designed to withstand weather events. She said these efforts all form part of the renewed, more structured approach to the education system that is all-inclusive and considers every learner at every level.
“We are aware that to achieve these goals, we must grow a cadre of competent teachers who are committed to ongoing professional development and may I add ongoing monitoring too. We will maintain our policy to provide our teachers with opportunities for continuous self-development that prepares them to shape the students in their care as the most successful leaders of tomorrow,” Alfred she stated.
Alfred said the Education Sector Plan, when completed, will help streamline the plans of the ministry and their efforts will be focused on where it matters to realise optimum benefit for the system as a whole.
VIEWSEXPRESSED is the most SENIOR JACK A supporting UWP.UWP will never win an election with these guys support.
Lin clown has his face so far up the dlp’s posterior, he has forgotten his own complexion. Such a fool. So ayone who says anything bad about the ruling administration to his is a uwp supporter? what an ignorant ….. i cannot see something and criticize objectively? i must be a uwp for me to do so? Lin CLown you are the biggest joke, and clear representative of the mentality of dlp supporters. only now in 2020 government think improving vocational training is important. they are so late and backwards. Almost country bookyish. no offence to people from country side as many of you are forward thinking and advanced. I am referring to the mentality. Those people at the head table are useless.
Dominica is going no where.
are you people serious?
so does it mean because someone is a teacher that person automatically become the education minister
why would you take such an important and challenging ministry and put it into the hands of someone who has no idea how education runs in the world.
Is this country doomed to failure?
may I use the words of the U s president and say it is s…Hole country
this country is just not ready yet.
Ms Octavia, I wish you well. But, to do something serious in education we MUST add African Studies to our school carriculum in Dominica. The Time Is Now.
I agree, especially considering that demographic trends suggest that Africa will be the largest continent in population by the end of this century and growing rapidly in economic importance in the meantime.
This reaction @ Pipo.
Never mind Peter, is what happened to Ed Registe to get a junior minister post when new people get to run their own ministry? Well justina has powers. I’d be mad and rock the boat a bit.
You know nothing meaningful is going to be done as long as this newby uses the word sector along with education, instead of just simply ‘Education’.
What a stupid comment that! Next you will tell her not to say education system?
“Minister for Education, Human Resource Planning, Vocational Training and National Excellence, Octavia Alfred, has said that the development of the education sector plan, which focuses on a climate-resilient and gender-responsive education sector, is of great importance to the country’s changing reality.”
Madam Minister Octavia Alfred, please be advised that for over 19 failed years we have been lectured and fedup with fake political niceties fake talk from this failed incompetent Skerrit government and his corrupted Labour government. Please do not fall into this political trap best designed and led by your failed Skerrit. We, as a civil servants knows that Skerrit has failed and flawed us, abused our democracy and social development. We cry for decency in government and not silly fanfare to attempt to promote immature Skerrit and his questionable failed labour government. Our Dominica and people are in poverty struggling and Skerrit & Melena(?) happy goers. These clowns must go…
Along with civics, all aspects of the creative arts must be taken from the educational back burner and put on the front burner.
It is the arts that will enable the future generations of Dominicans to have a better understanding of their uniqueness and their potential contribution to society.
To further stress the importance of art, Herbert Read in his book “Education Through Art” has this to say:
When art is squeezed out of the curriculum (and by extension, out of the mind of the child) by giving preference to “logical” subjects, the price we pay for this distortion is a civilization of hideous objects, sick minds and unhappy households. Creative activities that could heal society are dismissed as idle, irrelevant and inane.
I’m in full agreement with you, Mr. Burnett. Every student that completes secondary course of education should leave with a skill and be thoroughly exposed to some form of the creative arts ( dancing, music, sculpture, painting, architecture, theater, photography) etc. This continued over-emphasis on academics will only serve a small percentage of our school aged population. There is a need for some things transformative in the education system. The time is yesterday.
There are other very important cross-cutting activities that needs to be given high consideration in this new education sector plan. What comes to mind is the introduction of entrepreneurship , innovation , critical and creative thinking (for solving 21st century challenges) throughout all strata of learning in Dominica – from primary school, high school, state college , and university. This will dovetail nicely with the activities from the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Commerce, Cooperatives division, and my personal favorite – the Dominica Youth Business Trust and the newly established Digital Economy spearheaded by the young and competent Senator the Hon. Laville.
Looking forward to favorable and trans-formative outcomes in our society within the next five to eight years.
What became of Petter St. Jean? Was he discarded?