Basseterre: St. Kitts, Tuesday, August 24rd, 2021: Stakeholders in the Ministry of Education (MOE), participated in a virtual consultation session held Friday, August 20th, 2021,aimed at enlightening participants on the policies that will govern the MOE’s achievement of Policy goal two, Programmearea four (4) of the 2017-2021 Education Sector Plan (ESP).
Dr. Tricia Esdaille, Senior. Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of Education, gave an overview of the Career Pathway and Continuing Professional Development Framework for the Teaching Profession of St. Kitts and Nevis (CP/CPD).
“Beginning in 2018, the Ministry of Education would have focused a large part of its work on fulfilling Policy Goal number two within the Sector Strategy. Policy Goal number two speaksspecifically to strengthening the quality and relevance ofeducation at all levels to improve learning outcomes. That Policy Goal has three programme areas, one of which is Professionalizing the Teaching Force…but also embedded and interrelated are two other programme areas…Curriculum and Assessment and Quality Relevant Teaching and Learning,” said Dr. Esdaille. “We’ve been working on these three programmeareas avidly because we recognize that, these three programmeareas and their specific outcomes have the potential to transformthe education system here in St. Kitts and Nevis”.
Members from the Organization of American StateDevelopment Corporation Fund (OAS/DCF) consulting team, Dr. Marcia Stewart and Ms. Jean Hastings guided theconsultation session.
Dr. Stewart that stated the development of the framework was designed with the outcomes of the following documents as a guide, the local ESP, 2007 McKinsey affirmations, Caricom Human Resource Development 2030 Strategy and the UNESCO Sustainable Development Goal four (4) (SDG4), that promotes education inclusivity and equitability.
“The literature shows that there is a strong correlation between the quality of teachers and schools. The SDG4 speaks specifically to the education system…to ‘ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.’ And, of course, the sub-goal of that, speaks to the fact that you need to ensure qualified teachers within the system. All of these were at the forefront of our minds as we worked on these programmes,” noted Dr. Stewart.
Ministry of Education’s Deputy Chief Education Officer, Mrs. Lisa Pistana, expressed that the consultation session is justanother way in which the MOE is battling the various challenges faced by the teaching farternity.
“This forum represents one more significant step in charting the way forward to achieving our ultimate goal of professionalizing the teaching force in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis,” she said.
