2 . Education sector diagnosis
does not : ( i ) cater for all secondary school leavers , or ( ii ) offer a good indicator of a students ’ ability to perform at work and / or integrate into society after leaving school . Additionally , there is an over-reliance on summative paper and pencil assessments at the school level , and the quality of tests varies widely .
The GoSKN 2014 Education Sector Policy Review Country Background Report and the 2016 UNESCO Education Sector Policy Review highlighted several additional quality concerns in compulsory education that impact the outputs of education . These include : ( i ) an underdeveloped curriculum framework and absence of clear assessment policy to guide teaching and learning ; ( ii ) constraints in the educational environment , such as insufficient student support services for students in need , absence of a Quality Teaching and Learning and ICT integration framework , over-reliance on rote methodology , and lack of differentiated teaching , as well as potential equity issues in access to quality learning outcomes for those in lower academic streams ; and ( iii ) challenges with teacher supply , development , and management that negatively impacted recruitment and retention of qualified personnel ( see Box 3 ).
Box 3 : Challenges with teacher supply , demand , and management
❚ ❚ ❚ ❚ ❚
❚
❚ ❚
Attracting suitably qualified people Teacher recruitment practices Deployment and utilization of teachers Teacher retention and attrition Initial training procedures and programmes Continuing professional development opportunities Teacher evaluation Quality assurance and accountability
Source : UNESCO , 2016 . 29
Special education
With respect to special education , all students at CTCS and CBIS schools have individualized education plans ( IEPs ) to meet their specific learning needs and are exposed to a Special Education Curriculum designed to develop functional literacy , numeracy , and life and vocational skills for independent living . Unlike mainstream schools , students must complete at least 50 hours of community service and / or on-the-job training to graduate . To the improved quality and relevance of special education services , the following issues must be addressed : ( i ) inadequate diagnostic testing and fragmented documentation of students ’ history , ( ii ) need for additional therapeutic equipment , ( iii ) insufficient training for staff in mainstream and special needs schools , ( iv ) insufficient student support services for students with special education needs in mainstream schools , and ( v ) lack of support for gifted and talented special needs students .
Higher education and external efficiency
Data on achievement in and graduates from higher education are not currently managed by the MoE . This information gap needs to be filled . Approaches to improve quality assurance in the sector include efforts to : ( i ) strengthen the regulatory roles of the TVET Council / Secretariat and SKN Accreditation Board / Secretariat , and ( ii ) develop a National Qualification Framework and supporting Quality Assurance and Validation Policies , Procedures , and Guidelines
Manual . The CFBC has begun the accreditation process , which will help the college strengthen quality provision . The University of the West Indies ( UWI ) Open Campus is reviewed regularly by the UWI Quality Assurance Unit , and annual academic reports since 2011 and a recent self-study report are indicative of effective quality assurance processes and improved teaching and learning . However , with respect to post-secondary and tertiary TVET provision , quality and relevance has been compromised , in part , by weak links between labour market demands ( present and anticipated ) and the TVET offer , as well as the under-involvement of the private sector in TVET management ( UNESCO , 2014 ).
It is difficult to effectively analyse the external efficiency of the system without tracer studies , and the available labour market and socio-cultural data are limited . However , based on the most recent labour market assessment ( 2009 ), the education and training system is not adequately developing learners ’ skill sets for participation in economic sectors slated for growth ( e . g . ICT ) or , more generally , for participation in the 21st century knowledge economy . The labour market is bifurcated , with 46 % of employees occupying positions that require at least five CSEC passes and 53 % of employees occupying positions without such requirements . The demand for workers with higher education qualifications is substantiated by the shortage of persons with higher education degrees ( 50 % at the post-graduate level and 24 % at the Bachelors level ). Moreover , employers in the public and private sector have expressed general frustration with the quality of service provided by employees with the requisite CSEC passes and from various local TVET programmes ( UNESCO , 2014 ). With respect to education ’ s role in sustainable socio-cultural development , this is an area for further study , as little research has been done to date in this regard . 26
26 . With respect to developing culturally empowered citizens , one doctoral dissertation posits that national curriculum reforms to date have fallen short of this educational objective ( Pemberton , 2010 ).