English language draft policy being finalised by MOE

Minister of Education and Youth Fayval Williams says a draft policy on English language will be rolled out shortly by the ministry for discussion with Jamaicans.

During a meeting of the joint select committee reviewing the Jamaica Teaching Council Act, 2022 Thursday afternoon, Williams said that the ministry will be hosting town hall meetings to get feedback from Jamaicans on the proposed policy.

Williams' comments came against the background of an observation by the University of Technology (UTech) that the Ministry of Education did not have a policy on English language.

Clause 27 of the Jamaica Teaching Council Act, 2022 states that a person is eligible to be registered as a teacher under the proposed statute if the Jamaica Teaching Council is satisfied that the individual has the English language skills, both written and oral, prescribed as suitable for registration as a teacher.

However, UTech in its submission to the parliamentary committee in June, said that while it endorses the provision in the bill, the absence of an official language policy in the Ministry of Education raises questions about the basis on which the legislation “insists on the centrality of English in the Jamaican education sector”.

- Edmond Campbell

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