OCHO RIOS, St Ann – Education Minister Maxine Henry-Wilson said yesterday that there are schools in Jamaica that have not had any CXC passes since their establishment, some up to as many as 10 years.

She questioned the role of the education officer in the process, but at the same time admitted that more needs to be done to help these schools.

“Some schools have not had a pass in CXC since they were established; now I ask you the question – where is the education officer? Has the education officer tried to grasp the reasons why and enlist support to bring about that change?” the minister asked.

“You have schools that have been listed for that period (10 years) of time that the students have not distinguished themselves in any way,” Henry-Wilson later told the Observer. She did not name any of the schools.

Addressing the annual general meeting of the Jamaica Association of Education Officers at the Sunset Jamaica Grande Hotel in Ocho Rios, Henry-Wilson urged the education officers to establish a process that would allow for the assessment of its members and also encouraged them to examine ways to ensure their performance remain consistent with established and professionally certified benchmarks.

Henry-Wilson also emphasised the importance of the education officers in the implementation of recommendations of the task force on education, saying they are needed to ensure regular and systematic inspection and oversight of the education system as the necessary changes are implemented.

The minister said part of the process to assist the schools was already in place through the Reform of Secondary Education (ROSE) and the Primary Education Support Project (PESP), but said additional support was needed.

“.Not just material support, but perhaps also administrative support, that’s part of the transformation,” the minister said.

“The aim has to be to have an objective, competent and timely process of inspection, supervision and monitoring,” she said.

The minister also said that an inner-city programme targeting about 25 schools was in place to address several issues of concern such as absenteeism, irregular attendance, unsatisfactory facilities and community-related problems.

Those schools, she said, would be given extra support.

The second phase of the five-year ROSE project was launched in May 2003, jointly funded by the government of Jamaica and the World Bank at a cost of US$63 million. The first phase of the programme was from 1993 to 2000.

Meanwhile, the PESP programme, which began in June 2001, is aimed at supporting the gains that were achieved under the Primary Education Improvement Projects, I and II.

-gilchristc@jamaicaobserver.com