Education Sector Plan: Education for All: Embracing Change, Securing Finale | Page 15

A message from the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education
The Education Sector is one of the main sectors contributing to the
social and economic growth of our country. It is for this reason that the
Government invests significant revenue in the Ministry of Education,
thereby demonstrating that education remains a priority for the Team Unity
Government. Greater spending on education, however, must yield greater
returns. Furthermore, spending has to match our outputs and outcomes.
This means that a transformation of our Education System is necessary.
We have made considerable strides in education, compared with other states
in the region, but we still have a long way to go! A sense of purpose and
direction is needed to produce the expected results. To this end, we must
ask ourselves four questions: What are we doing? Where do we want to go?
How we will get there? And how shall we know if we are moving in the right
direction? With technical support from UNESCO and IIEP, we embarked
on the process of systematically answering these four key questions. This
process led to the formulation of our Education Sector Strategic Plan.
This Education Sector Strategic Plan is our vehicle for transforming the
Education Sector so as to increase our outputs and outcomes. These will be
achieved by: (i) improving equitable access to and participation in education
at all levels; (ii) strengthening the quality and relevance of education at all
levels, thereby improving learning outcomes; and (iii) enhancing governance,
planning, and management so as to improve efficiency and effectiveness
throughout the sector. The policy goals, intermediate outcomes, strategies,
and key targets contained in this Strategic Plan describe what will be the
Ministry of Education’s course of action over the next five years. They also
signal the Ministry’s commitment to deliver quality education and contribute
to the social and economic growth of our country.
I wish to thank the Core Planning Team for working diligently to develop
this Education Sector strategy and the wide cross-section of stakeholders
for their participation and input during the consultations and the writing
process. I encourage all stakeholders to do their part in implementing
the activities in the Plan. The successful implementation of the activities
will result in the provision of holistic lifelong education for all. This will
contribute to sustainable development, build civic responsibility, and foster
in individuals the ability to succeed locally and globally.
I hereby offer to you, the people of the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, the
Ministry of Education Sector Strategic Plan 2017 to 2021.
The Honourable Shawn K. Richards
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education
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