October 6, 2022 There has been extensive public discourse concerning the future of Jamaica’s relationship with the British Monarch. It appears to be the case that most Jamaicans want to sever relations with the monarch. To be brutally honest, it is largely an inconsequential issue for me, for the simple reason that the idea of […]
September 24, 2022 The Caribbean Centre for Educational Planning (CCEP), located at The University of the West Indies is conducting a series of research studies on the issue of Jamaica’s recent experience with teacher migration. Some early findings from an online survey, which was based on an instrument developed by the CCEP show: Of a
PRELIMINARY REPORT ON FINDINGS ON TEACHER MIGRATION: THE RECENT JAMAICAN EXPERIENCE Read More »
September 13, 2022 The haemorrhage of teachers, nurses, doctors and any other group of professionals reminds us of how connected Jamaica is to the United States of America (USA). That country has been losing its teachers and nurses, largely because of low salaries, very poor working conditions, and an atmosphere of disrespect. In addition, the
An Invitation to Leadership in Education in Jamaica Read More »
Deatricia Ming and Celia Christian August 30, 2022 Every sector requires a healthy attrition rate to carry out its regular and vital processes; this in turn allows optimal performance. The concern arises when attrition rates are accelerated to the point where short notices are given for resignations, as this prevents proper planning and hampers the
Teacher migration in Jamaica: Exploring the causes, effects, and solutions Read More »
August 24, 2022 One of the qualities which distinguishes great leaders from mediocre ones, is the capacity to develop and communicate a clear and compelling vision and to build support among would-be followers and even opponents of that vision. A vision is, simply, the power of seeing beyond the immediate and obvious and beholding a
Denialism, a dangerous variant of weak leadership Read More »
August 15, 2022 In Part 1, published on July 25, 2022, I summarized some of the issues which were discussed at a forum which was held on July 21, 2022. This initiative was a collaborative effort between the Office of the Vice Chancellor of The University of the West Indies and the Caribbean Centre for
If Jamaica is to make progress, education transformation must succeed: Part 2 Read More »
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
The Patterson Commission Report: A Primary School Teacher’s Perspective Read More »
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)
If Jamaica is to make progress, education transformation must succeed: Part 1 Read More »
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
Shared leadership and building trust Read More »
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
