Minister of Education and Youth, Fayval Williams, says she’s disappointed at not having received submissions from the nation’s parents during the sittings of the Joint Select Committee considering the Jamaica Teaching Council bill.
The Minister told Nationwide This Morning that the National Parent-Teacher Association has not expressed an intention to appear before the Committee on the far reaching legislation.
The Committee is slated to rap up deliberations today.
Suzell Wray reports.
The far reaching piece of legislation will create the Jamaica Teaching Council as a statutory body charged with the regulation of the teaching profession in Jamaica.
The government says this will allow for greater levels of accountability, which is intended to improve standards across the education sector.
The Joint Select Committee has so far received submissions from the powerful Jamaica Teacher’s Association, JTA, and other education stakeholders.
But the National Parent-Teachers Association has been silent on the proposed bill.
Minister Williams told our news centre this morning, the Ministry would’ve welcomed feedback from parents on the Bill.
However, no representation was made.
Over the course of three weeks, our new centre has made repeated efforts to get a comment from President of the Association, Mitsie Harris Dillon.
In a response sent to us on May 24, Mrs. Harris Dillon indicated that she was still consulting with her membership.
But it appears the Association has run out of time to make their contributions on the important piece of legislation.
The Education Minister says the deadline to make submissions to the Joint Select Committee reviewing the bill has passed.
The Jamaica Teaching Council is being seen as a significant step forward in improving the country’s education system.
Minister Williams says the involvement of parents is critical to that process.
Meanwhile, as the Education Ministry seeks to identify some 27-thousand students who’re absent from the education system, Mrs. Williams says some students do not report to school when sent by their parents.
In January, the Ministry launched the Yard to Yard Find the Child initiative in a bid to re-engage about 90-thousand students in the face-to-face learning following the full resumption of school.
According to Mrs Williams, some parents aren’t aware that their children are not going to school when sent.
She says the Ministry will be engaging with parents and students on this issue.
In the meantime, she says the financial state in some homes prevent students from attending school.
Fayval Williams, Minister of Education and Youth.
Suzell Wray and Abigail Bartley contributed to this report.
