Gov't to ensure equity in education system

Minister with responsibility for Education, Youth and Information, Karl Samuda, says the Government will move to establish systems that guarantee equity within the education sector.

Samuda was speaking at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information Region Four consultation, held at the West Jamaica Conference Centre in Mount Salem, St. James, last Friday.

According to the minister who is overseeing the education ministry, societal inequities have been influencing students’ educational outcomes, and as such, reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to providing equal opportunities, so that every child can maximise his or her true potential.

“The only way to achieve that and the level of success that we want to achieve is to establish mechanisms that will give every child, regardless of their station in life and the community from which they spring, an opportunity to start on an even basis,” he said.

Samuda said the perceived disparity between the qualities of outcomes, especially at the secondary level, must be remedied, as far too many parents measure the success of their children at the primary level by their placement in a traditional high school.

In that regard, he said greater focus will be placed on every institution in order to build the capacity of every school to respond to the needs of students, based on their intellectual need.

"The reason a preference exists… is because there is not an equal level of opportunities that exist across the board, so that every school can rise to the level and on the basis that a child can be guaranteed the best in the country,” the oversight minister added.

The series of regional consultations are being held to allow school administrators the opportunity to raise issues or concerns that they may have with the minister and other personnel from the ministry.