Education permanent secretary presses tertiary leaders to drive sector reform

WESTERN BUREAU:

Dr Kasan Troupe, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Education, has called on tertiary educators and administrators to take a hands-on part in reshaping the education system, insisting that standing back as spectators will not suffice.

Addressing Thursday’s opening of the first Higher Education Leadership Conference in Hanover, Troupe noted that universities and colleges across the globe are living through an unusually deep wave of upheaval, and pressed Jamaican practitioners to decide how they will meet the shifts unfolding at home.

“The question before us, therefore, is not whether education must transform, but whether we will lead that transformation or simply respond to it,” she said.

She also pointed out that affluent nations are themselves wrestling with upheaval in their school systems, yet Jamaica is pressing ahead with reform across education, tertiary institutions included.

More than 150 tertiary administrators — among them principals, deans of discipline, registrars, and human-resource and finance officers — drawn from campuses islandwide took part in Thursday’s programme. The gathering is due to close today.

Organised under the banner ‘Transformational Leadership for Institutional Excellence and Sector Renewal’, the conference seeks to build leadership strength, especially transformational and strategic skills; raise accountability, results and institutional effectiveness; tighten the fit between tertiary bodies and national development aims plus emerging labour-market demands; and foster stronger institutional cultures and sound change management.

“Today, I wish to share the ministry’s vision for a higher education sector that is financially sustainable, academically and technically relevant, technologically competitive, while remaining deeply committed to the national development goals,” Troupe said as she sketched elements of the national Budget relating to education.

She stressed that schooling continues to rank among the Government’s foremost spending priorities, underscoring lasting confidence that the sector powers economic expansion, social advancement and national resilience.

According to Troupe, officials are reviewing how publicly financed tertiary colleges and universities are funded because the public purse is limited, making clear, measurable outcomes essential.

“The current funding model served Jamaica well during the early stages of the educational sector development. However today’s realities demand a more modern approach,” she said.

Sector consultations now under way, she explained, are meant to shape a fresh financing structure that puts heavier weight on student achievement, quality and institutional results, responsiveness to the job market, research and innovation, financial soundness, plus accountability and openness.

“So, this model that we are looking at as we are transforming is not about reducing investment. Instead, it is about ensuring that public investment produces the greatest possible return for students, taxpayers and the Jamaican economy,” she said. “We envision a partnership where all of government provides the support, while institutions enjoy flexibility, greater innovation and greater accountability.”