NCE to train school boards in St Elizabeth and Manchester
THE National Council on Education (NCE) will this month begin training persons appointed to school boards in Region 5, which comprises the parishes of St. Elizabeth and Manchester.
Four training workshops, financed through the Education System Transformation Programme (ESTP), are scheduled to be held on January 15, 16, 22 and 23, as the NCE continues its thrust to improve the effectiveness of boards across the island.
Executive Director of the NCE Merris Murray said an important legislative mandate of the council is to nominate persons for appointment to school boards and provide training for them.
She noted that the boards play a critical role in the transformation process as they have responsibility for the general administration of the institutions.
“Given their important role, it is necessary that they are empowered to promote the highest standard of learning,” she said.
Murray said a comprehensive set of criteria governing the appointment process has been designed to facilitate the careful selection of board members.
“The aim is to select persons who are equipped with the necessary expertise, skills and know-how to support the transformation of the education system,” she said.
During the fiscal year 2012/2013, some 1,439 school board members representing 548 institutions were trained. A total of 628 members from 157 schools in Region 4 (St James, Hanover and Westmoreland), have been trained during the current fiscal year.
Murray said the council has concluded the appointment of boards in Region 3, which consists of St Ann and Trelawny. The board’s tenure ended on December 31.
“Over 87 of those boards are now in place since their new tenure started January 1,” she said.
Meanwhile, the executive director said nominations are currently being accepted for boards in Region 6, (Clarendon and St Catherine), as the tenure of the existing boards is scheduled to end on March 31.
An agency of the Ministry of Education, the NCE, established in 1993, is the major advisory body on emerging issues within the educational landscape. It also has responsibility for co-ordinating the appointment of school boards.
