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 […]
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.
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
Reimagining Jamaica’s Labour / Skills Shortage!! Read More »
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
Leadership in the pursuit of one law for all Read More »
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
National Youth Service as Sustainable Development Strategy: Contemplating Key Elements Read More »
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,
Analyzing the Patterson Report on the Jamaican Education System Read More »
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
Understanding the Crisis in Jamaica’s Education System and Shaping the Call to Action Read More »
Minister of Finance Nigel Clarke has taken (what I regard as) an untimely and unwise decision to place the images of former Prime Ministers Michael Manley and Edward Seaga on a new $2,000 banknote. At present, the image of Michael Manley appears on the $1,000 note and Seaga appears on none. The entire process involves
Unity, Reconciliation, and Truth: Leadership imperatives for a divided nation Read More »
The Holness administration has had yet another resignation of a cabinet minister, this time a very senior minister who is also chair of the governing party, Robert Montague. Montague’s resignation has come in the wake of an Integrity Commission report on the Firearm Licensing Authority (FLA). The apparent facts which necessitated Montague’s resignation are instructive.
Urgently needed legislative changes: Limit powers of Ministers to overturn decisions Read More »
Canute S. Thompson The Government of Jamaica, through the Minister of Education, has tabled the gestationally-long “Jamaica Teaching Council Bill” whose purpose, among other things is to: Recognize and promote teaching as a profession; to contribute to improving the quality of teaching and learning in Jamaica by regulating the entry and standing of members of
ASSESSING THE 2022 JAMAICA TEACHING COUNCIL BILL – SOME CONCERNS AND SUGGESTIONS Read More »
