RONALD Thwaites, Jamaica’s new minister of education, has stopped just short of saying he will do away with the island’s policy of free tuition up to the secondary level.

“No-one should be denied educational opportunity on the basis of their inability to afford it. In so far as the free tuition policy applies to that sort of person, it will remain,” he told Career & Education last Monday, adding that it is sacrifice that the people of Jamaica must make for the future.

But precisely what his statement means for the future of the policy, he would not say, insisting instead that those able to afford to pay ought to.

“It may not be in terms of paying what is traditionally known as tuition, but in other ways that parents still have to pay for and indeed must invest more in, as much as they can, in their children’s education,” Thwaites said. “Education is not free. Nothing good is free; it’s a question of who pays for it.”

Meanwhile, Thwaites said he has four main areas of focus — chief among them early childhood education.

“If you think about it, it has been the Cinderella of the education system. It’s the thing we said, ‘Oh yes, that’s nice to have’ and we have been proud of ourselves that over 90 per cent of our early childhood cohort has a place in an infant school or care centre. But the quality of the experience there is what has eluded us,” he told Career & Education.

The minister said the early childhood institutions should be places of stimulation and of cognitive and social development. As such, he said his main priority is to “do it right the first time”.

“We will be using the existing resources, better-oriented with continous training to ensure that all of our little ones in the three- to eight-year-old age bracket are ready for a much more fulfilling primary and then secondary experience,” Thwaites said.

He is hoping that by doing this, there can be better outcomes at the higher levels and much better value for the taxpayers dollar.

“That is a primary hope, endeavour that I am bringing to this ministry,” Thwaites said.

Another area of focus for him involves the inculcation of information and communication technology as a tool for education. He said he is hoping to garner the technological and communication resources that are already available to “infuse the very best pedagogy into the farthest and most remote schools in Jamaica”.

“That’s a big endeavour,” he said.

Another area about which Thwaites is keen on making a priority is the continuing professional development of teachers. He said educational science suggests that the quality and spirit of the teaching professional is a massive determinant in the progress of students.

Funding for tertiary education is another of the areas on his list of priorities. He noted that he is looking at establishing a relationship with banks as sources of capital, outside of the Student’s Loan Bureau, as part of efforts to boost funding options for students.

Further, Thwaites said he is working to build on a number of programmes that were initiated during the tenure of former Minister of Education and Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

“My duty is to build on what he has found, towards what everybody wants to achieve, which is a much better educational system — not just for some, but for all,” the new minister said.