Ministry of Education holds month-long national consultation

Minister of Education Nyan Gadsby-Dolly announced the ministry will engage the public and take suggestions on education issues until December 4.

She announced the national consultation with the theme "Transforming Education" on Monday at a press conference at the Education Towers in Port of Spain.

The topics will include the conduct of the SEA and transition to secondary school, parental involvement in education, blended learning, curriculum reform, the Teaching Service Commission and the Concordat.

The ministry will hold six town hall meetings on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7.30-9pm, beginning on November 10 on TTT and live streamed on the ministry’s social media platforms.

The public can also complete questionnaires, now available on the ministry’s website. Dedicated phone lines, a WhatsApp number and an e-mail address will also be available.

“As the country manoeuvred the new digital landscape for teaching and learning, the reality of the inadequacies of our existing systems became apparent,” Dr Gadsby-Dolly said.

“In the 21st century, in an increasingly competitive global village, the relevance of these structures and institutions is continually being called into question and as such we seek to answer these questions through consultations.”

She said TT is filled with people who are knowledgeable and capable of submitting ideas which can benefit the country.

She said the ministry is also mindful of vulnerable groups, which she defined as those requiring special education, children who live in homes and those who live in “hot spot” areas.

“Now more than ever, every system and sector within our country must be able to support every type of person, the vulnerable included.”

She said some of the issues being addressed are not strictly related to covid19 but longstanding issues which need to be resolved.

“Some of these issues are coming out more strongly now, so it is a time to take a look at that and to see how to move forward…Certainly the events of 2020 would have impacted people's opinions on some of the longstanding issues. So this is an opportune time (to discuss them).”

She said the input of students and key stakeholders will also play a pivotal role in the data collected.

A questionnaire just for students is available on the website, she said.

“We are looking forward to students being able to participate. That was a feature of the 2016 consultation and certainly that is something we want to see continue.”

The ministry said the national consultative process is important in the policy-making process in as it ensures transparency.

“We want to ensure that those who will be impacted by the policies will have the opportunity to inform their creation,” said Gadsby-Dolly.

The team managing the consultation is made up of officers across several divisions in the ministr and led by the director of educational planning. Acting Chief Education Officer Lisa Henry-David said the ministry has input from officers of the Curriculum, Planning and Development Division and the School Supervision and Management Division, as well as from educational research and evaluation, and teacher training and development.

The public can e-mail their suggestions to educationconsultations2020@moe.gov.tt, or WhatsApp 776-0440. Questionnaires will also be available on the ministry’s website https://www.moe.gov.tt/nce2020.