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The Patterson Commission Report: A Primary School Teacher’s Perspective

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August 9, 2022 Scope of the Report Over the years, numerous reports have been commissioned to address the problems plaguing Jamaica’s education system. These reports have highlighted several issues in the sector which require swift actions, however, there has been a continuous failure on the part of successive governments to act on the recommendations contained […]

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If Jamaica is to make progress, education transformation must succeed: Part 1

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July 25, 2022 One of the big lessons coming out of the Patterson Commission Report on Jamaica’s education system is the fact that it did not reveal much that is new – either findings or recommendations. Rather, the report in reiterating several of the findings and recommendations of previous studies (particularly the 2004 Davis Report)

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Shared leadership and building trust

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July 16, 2022 One of the fundamental trust-producing and respect-winning behaviours of leaders is found in their willingness and ability to both give space to members of their teams to excel and to celebrate the performance of their teams. In an article entitled “Leadership behaviours which nurture organizational trust”, published in 2018, I discussed six

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THE PATTERSON REPORT ON JAMAICA’S EDUCATION SYSTEM: THOUGHTS ON THE PROPOSED OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE

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Dr. Canute Thompson June 14, 2022 Among the many recommendations of the 2021 Patterson Commission on the Jamaican education system, is the establishment of an oversight body to monitor the implementation of its recommendations.  This body will be called the Education Transformation Oversight Committee (ETOC). The Government has taken steps to implement that recommendation naming

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A reflection on Jamaica’s entry into the race for Commonwealth Secretary-General: Examining issues of leadership readiness

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I do not support Jamaica’s decision to nominate  a candidate for the post at this time, given that CARICOM Heads at their meeting in Belize, earlier this year, had voted “overwhelmingly” to support Scotland for a second term. 

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Reimagining Jamaica’s Labour / Skills Shortage!!

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May 19, 2022 Jamaica faces a labour and skills shortage which is far more stark and severe than the Prime Minister Andrew Holness has communicated, when he spoke at a groundbreaking ceremony for a new hotel, in April 2022.  Indeed, the characterization of the crisis offered by the Prime Minister should cause grave concern, for

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Leadership in the pursuit of one law for all

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May 9, 2022 One of my persistent criticisms about the landscape of Jamaican society (and might I add, including the Church), relates to double standards.  This practice of double standards is often manifested in the unbalanced and disproportionate application of laws and rules.  Even in circumstances in which a decision-maker chooses to exercise mercy, or

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National Youth Service as Sustainable Development Strategy: Contemplating Key Elements

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Dr. Canute Thompson April 20, 2022 Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced, earlier this month, the planned implementation of a mandatory National Youth Service (NYS) programme.  I welcome this announcement, having been calling for this since 2017.  In this brief article I share some of the suggestions I have been making concerning this issue.  These suggestions

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Analyzing the Patterson Report on the Jamaican Education System

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Dr. Canute Thompson April 6, 2022 The report of the Orlando Patterson-led “Jamaica Education Transformation Commission, was presented to the government in late 2021 and continues to await public debate.  The Gleaner newspaper is to be commended for its leadership in debating aspects of the report and urging a national discourse.  The government has also,

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Understanding the Crisis in Jamaica’s Education System and Shaping the Call to Action

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There is a management dictum which says, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t management it”.  Put differently one cannot solve a problem unless and until the scope of the problem is determined. Jamaica’s education system faces a major, life-time crisis which was bad before the COVID-19 pandemic and has been severely exacerbated by the

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