Jamaica’s Education Ministry Planning Changes to National Curriculum

Above: Deputy Chief Education Officer Sharon Neil (left) after delivering a message on behalf of Education Minister Ronald Thwaites (JIS Photo)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Jamaica’s Ministry of Education is planning modifications to the country’s national curriculum, according to Minister Ronald Thwaites.

The changes, which would impact primary and secondary school students, would be accompanied by plans to phase out the all-age and junior high categories from those schools that have them.

They would be retained as primary schools with infant departments, ensuring that the country’s youth have five full years of secondary education, according to Thwaites.

Jamaica’s government has not yet released details of the plan, but Thwaites said a “pivotal component” of the changes would include ensuring that Jamaican children have a clear understanding of their rights under legislation like the Child Care and Protection Act.

That could help in the fight against child labour, he said, although significant strides have been made in that regard, he said.

“The enterprise of education, which I represent, by virtue of enabling access and attachment to an educational institution for every child in Jamaica, is a natural weapon in the fight against child labour,” he said in statement.