The Education System in the Cayman Islands is heading for major change according to Minister of Education, Hon Alden McLaughlin speaking at the second Education Conference at the Mary Miller Hall on 1 December 2006.

The Minister told the hundreds of educators at the conference themed Innovating for brighter futures-together that change will be hard, but necessary.

“The system that we now have, while it has considerable strengths, particularly for those who are academically inclined, has increasingly failed those who are unable to cope within the standard classroom environment,” he said.

He said the conference would serve as a platform to ‘fix the setbacks’ in the education system.

“I believe that the work we are undertaking to transform our education system is to produce students and young adults, allowing them to emerge more and more as empowered, self-positioned, motivated, capable individuals, able to hold their own in the global market place,” he said.

“This was part of our vision last year and must remain a key driver for us going forward. The Minister said that as more young people graduate from school, there will be an adverse effect on the number of lives being wasted.

“This is an imperative we cannot ignore,” he firmly stated.

He made reference to the criminality report produced by Barbadian Criminologist Yolande Forde, which gave the heart-breaking accounts of young men in prison.

“Some of these reports made me want to cry,” he lamented, urging his listeners to read the document.

The Education Minister pointed out that he is very much aware of the general feeling among educators that they are not appreciated, however, he commended them for their hard work and dedication and urged them to continue to impress on the lives of ones they teach.

“Give the young people the greatest opportunity to realise their full potential regardless of their abilities, attitudes or interests and we will make them model citizens of the world and be able to contribute to Cayman’s peace, progress and prosperity,” he said.

He also commended the task force looking at the terms and conditions for teachers for the tremendous work that they are doing.

He made mention of a recent survey which received a response from 60 percent of teachers. Data was also collected from other jurisdictions. A report is currently being compiled, which will be handed to the Chief Secretary, so that it can be used as additional material in the current review of civil servants’ salaries.

The Minister took the opportunity to announce Government’s decision to increase salaries in the Civil Service by eight percent.

According to the Minister, a number of changes have already begun taking place in the Education System. Those include the introduction of the New Governance Model, National Curriculum Review, the three new High Schools currently being looked at, the establishment of the Early Childhood Education Unit and seminal efforts at the George Hicks Campus and “schools within a school” concept which is already impacting on students’ behaviour, attitudes, staff moral and teaching techniques.

The Education Minister said he hopes to see an education system, which will be a model for the rest of the world.

Leader of Government Business, Hon Kurt Tibbetts, said teachers are often taken for granted in his address and emphasised the need for the coming changes.

“In light of worldwide changes, I cannot over-emphasise the importance and timeliness of this reformation process,” he said adding that education is the most valuable investment that one can make.
He concluded by leaving a few words of inspiration with his audience:

“In the rapidly changing world of the future, it takes initiation to successfully accomplish what you have not been taught to do and it takes innovation to excel at it. Equipping our young people to become intellectually strong, spirited, well-rounded individuals with the skills required to carve out their past in this 21st century is something in my opinion we must excel in.”

Three presentations were also made by education experts during the conference. Professor Stephen Heppell of the UK made a presentation under the topic “21st century learning on the Cayman Campus. Just how good do we want our future to be?”

Prakash Nair, who has worked extensively in the area of school design spoke on “Shaping the Future - a global change strategy for educational excellence in the Cayman Islands”.

The final presentation was made by Robert Gregory, Executive Director of the HEART Trust National Training Agency of Jamaica, who explored the issue of “Technical Vocational Education as work-based preparation for a competitive Cayman Islands workforce in a global environment.”

All three professionals focused on how the Cayman Education system can change its teaching techniques and environment to improve learning.

Mr Nair made particular reference to the physical structure of schools, stating that they should be built in such a way that is conducive to learning and that each child should have personal access to technological equipment.

Mr Gregory, who looked at the Education system from a “Caribbean perspective”, recommended that the schools should involve more vocational and technical programmes. He said even those who are more academically inclined should be given the option of choosing these programmes.

Another highlight of Friday’s event was a tribute to Chief Education Officer Nyda Flatley, who will be leaving the Education service in January 2007.