Education Sector Plan: Education for All: Embracing Change, Securing Finale | Page 17

1. Introduction
1.1. Background
The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis (GoSKN), through
the Ministry of Education (MoE), has developed this
five-year Education Sector Plan (ESP) for 2017–2021
to provide strategic direction for the accomplishment
of key policy priorities to improve education provision
and administration in the Federation. The ESP builds
upon the imperatives communicated in the MoE White
Paper on Education Development and Policy 2009–
2019, which has guided the delivery and management
of education since its publication. It also takes into
account lessons learned from the implementation
of the White Paper, including the need for a strong
performance assessment framework and the required
cost and finance components to sustain efficient and
effective plan execution.
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Consultation on ESP with secondary school students.
The ESP responds to many developmental priorities formulated at national, regional, and global levels.
At the national level, the plan is guided by the 2005 Education Act and related regulations. It supports sustainable
development efforts articulated in documents including, but not limited to, the 2006–2016 National Adaptation
Strategy, the 2011–2015 National Poverty Reduction Strategy and the subsequent 2012–2016 National Social
Protection Strategy, as well as the 2013 Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Policy. Critically, the
plan also responds to crucial issues identified in the locally derived 2016 MoE Education Sector Diagnosis and the
externally driven 2016 UNESCO Education Sector Policy Review, which was commissioned to analyse major policy
gaps in four key areas in education: (i) governance, planning and management, including monitoring and evaluation;
(ii) curriculum and assessment; (iii) academic staff policies; and (iv) teaching and learning environments.
At the regional level, the plan is aligned, where relevant, with the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS)
2012–2021 sub-regional Education Sector Strategy (OESS) and seeks to contribute to economic integration and human
development efforts substantiated through the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Single Market Economy (CSME)
and the concept of the ‘Ideal Caribbean Person’. At the international level, the plan upholds the United Nations
(UN) Convention of the Rights of the Child (OHCHR, 1989) and responds to the new global mandate for education
development, captured in UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, which states that, by 2030, countries are to
‘ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all’ (see Figure 1). 3
Figure 1: Education Sector Plan commitments
Global
Regional
National
3.
• UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals
• Convention of the Rights of the Child
• CARICOM: Single Market Economy (CSME) and ‘Ideal Caribbean Person’
• 2012-2021 OECS Education Sector Strategy (OESS)
• 2005 Education Act, 2009 White Paper on Education Development and Policy, 2013 TVET
Policy, 2012-2016 National ECD Policy
• 2006-2016 National Adaptation Strategy, 2011-2015 National Poverty Reduction and
2012-2016 National Social Protection Strategy, Draft 2013 National Youth Policy
See www.uis.unesco.org/Education/Documents/wef-framework-for-action.pdf.