Executive summary
( i) attracting and retaining suitably qualified candidates,( ii) the deployment and utilization of teachers,( iii) professional development, and( iv) quality assurance and accountability mechanisms.
Other factors that undermine high-quality teaching and learning include:( i) an outdated national curriculum and assessment framework,( ii) insufficient policies on quality and safety standards for education and training institutions,( iii) underdeveloped student support services, and( iv) weak links between higher and continuing education and labour market needs.
Governance, finance, and management
6
The 2005 Education Act and supporting legislation provide a strong regulatory framework for the sector. It is also recognized that management practices in a small state are necessarily more flexible than in larger contexts, due to the multi-functional roles administrators must play. Nonetheless, efficiency and effectiveness in the sector have been hindered by several governance constraints. There is limited strategic capacity in the Ministry, as evidenced by:( i) a fragmented approach to policy development, coordination, and implementation;( ii) insufficient medium to longterm resource planning( human, financial, and material); and( iii) an underdeveloped and underutilized Education Management and Information System( EMIS) to drive evidence-based decision making. Additionally, leadership and accountability need strengthening throughout the system. An unclear organizational structure and lack of up-to date job descriptions has contributed to role confusion among officers. Performance assessment systems for Ministry and school personnel as well as institutions are underdeveloped and in need of standardization. There has been insufficient exposure to leadership and management training, and at the school level the role and functioning of management teams, student councils, and parent-teacher associations vary significantly. In terms of financing, there is a need to better capture the level of external and household contributions to education as well as improve monitoring of expenditure on budget objectives and policy priorities.
Policy goals and strategies
In response to key policy issues, the plan puts forward three overarching policy goals supported by six programme areas, within which dedicated strategies have been devised.
Policy goals
I. Improve equitable access to and participation in education at all levels
II. Strengthen the quality and relevance of education at all levels to improve learning outcomes
III. Enhance governance, planning, and management to improve efficiency and effectiveness throughout the sector
Programme areas 1. Access and participation
2 Curriculum and assessment 3. Quality and relevant teaching and learning 4. Professionalizing the teaching force
5. Knowledge management for decision making 6. Leadership and accountability
Cross-cutting themes central to achieving all three policy goals include the need for:( i) policy development,( ii) Information and Communication Technology( ICT) integration as a value-added pedagogical and management tool,( iii) increased focus on equity in education, and( iv) TVET as a driving and valued force in education sector development.
Strategies to improve equitable access to and participation in education at all levels include:
❚ increasing the number of ECD spaces in a combination of public and private assisted centres, and strengthening early stimulation and education training for home-based providers;
❚ increasing retention in secondary school by implementing enhanced student support services, expanding secondary level programming, and enacting regulations to prohibit a Form 4‘ school leaving group’;
❚ providing all students with access to TVET competencies( e. g. problem solving, teamwork) throughout compulsory education, and implementing the 2016 – 2020 Caribbean Development Bank and MoE TVET Enhancement Project to develop a high-quality, relevant, and gender-responsive TVET system in St. Kitts and Nevis( SKN) that is in high demand;
❚ assessing the influence of streaming and automatic promotion on equity in access to quality teaching and learning;
❚ strengthening the regulatory framework for special education and equipping schools with the infrastructure and resources to better serve special needs students;