Education minister calls for accountability

Education Minister Fayval Williams yesterday urged stakeholders in the education sector to focus on increasing the achievement level of students without resorting to “finger-pointing” or “blame”.

Addressing the Jamaica Teachers’ Association’s 5th Annual Conference church service at Faith Tabernacle Shiloh Apostolic Church in Kingston yesterday, Williams said that the country can take pride in achieving universal primary education and has been expanding access to secondary education.

But, she said, in building out on those gains, more needs to be done to ensure greater success for the students.

“We cannot be satisfied with 52 per cent of our boys failing mathematics; and even though our girls are doing slightly better, we cannot be satisfied there, either,” she said.

“So today I reiterate my stance on accountability, and say to all of us, starting with me, the minister, central education ministry, our regions, our school leaders and staff, teachers, students, parents, guardians, communities, churches, the JTA, and the wider Jamaica, all of us are accountable for the results of the education sector because accountability is not about blame or punishment,” Williams said.

Accountability, she added, is about accepting responsibility for the results and finding solutions to problems and applying lessons learned in order to improve in the future.

“Being accountable is constructive because it focuses on the future,” Williams said further, emphasising that there is no divide between the ministry and the JTA on the objective of raising the achievement level of significantly more students.

The minister yesterday steered clear of a contentious proposal by the Government to offer incentives to teachers taking the COVID-19 vaccines ahead of the new school year, which is expected to get going next month.

JTA President-elect Winston Smith told The Gleaner that some of the island teachers are apprehensive about taking the COVID-19 vaccine, especially in light of reports that some persons in the health sector are shying away from the jab.

The doctors, who were speaking at a forum last week, gave different reasons for avoiding the jab. One indicated that he had contracted the virus and had now developed natural immunity, while another pointed to having levels of antibodies also been infected.

“They were concerned about the fact that the medical practitioners are reluctant to take it, and that for them is a red mark, a blot on the system,” he said.

“When I watch CNN and BBC and other media houses, the doctors are coming out and saying we have taken it. But in Jamaica, it doesn’t seem that way, and if my doctor is not taking the vaccine … ,” he added.

While emphasising that he is not casting any aspersions on the doctors and nurses, Smith underscored that for the country to get a total buy-in for the vaccination drive, business, political and various sector leaders have to demonstrate publicly that they have taken the vaccine.

“There are 63 members of parliament. How many of them have taken the vaccine?” Smith asked.

In the meantime, he said more teachers are making use of the vaccine blitzes currently taking place.

“When we spoke to the teachers [previously], the complaint was that they would have gone to the centre and there were no vaccines. Now that the vaccines are coming back into the country, we realise that the pick-up is great,” he said.

tanesha.mundle@gleanerjm.com