A memorandum of understanding has been signed between the Jamaica National Building Society Foundation (JN Foundation) and the Ministry of Education to launch the iLead education leadership programme. The comprehensive school-improvement initiative will target 15 schools in the parishes of Portland, St Mary and St Thomas, which make up the ministry’s Region Two. The schools are considered the most in need of support by the National Education Inspectorate.

The iLead programme will work with five schools in the first year — Port Maria Primary, Brimmer Vale High and Islington High in St Mary; Buff Bay Primary in Portland and Robert Lightbourne High in St Thomas. It will also support the ministry’s education officers assigned to the region.

Education Minister Ronald Thwaites maintained at the signing that while Jamaica has passed certain milestones, particularly in terms of developing access to education, it still struggles to provide quality.

“The mandate of our generation is in terms of equity and quality and that’s where iLead has its place,” he emphasised.

He noted that several studies underscore that for schools to change for the better, they need visionary leaders and the full support of the community, particularly parents.

“This is what the iLead project was created to do. And our aim is to transform the education system instead of being satisfied with the mediocrity of stasis,” he said.

Opposition Leader Andrew Holness, who chairs the iLead advisory committee, said the country was at a point where its progress cannot be based on exploitation of its natural resources only. He said human development is critical to the future of Jamaica.

“We cannot allow any school to fail. We cannot allow any student to underperform. Once we do that, we begin to lose that valuable human resource,” he said.

He said Government cannot be left alone to address all problems; but everyone, including corporate citizens, must participate.

“JN has taken the risk of implementing and innovating new ways in education. But it’s not a risk that will not bear fruit. It’s a risk that will be very positive because many of the new and innovative techniques and the strategies to be employed are tried, tested and proven around the world,” he said.

The iLead programme will work intensively with the leadership in the project schools, comprising the school boards, principals and vice principals, as well as the education officers, to develop a culture of high expectation for academic success in each school.

The implementation will involve intensive coaching and support for the principals, middle managers and education officers to improve the quality of teaching and learning, while offering organisational leadership support for school boards.

Math and literacy will be the core academic areas on which the programme will focus, and capacity building in this area will form the bulk of the ministry’s support for the programme. The ministry will deploy full-time coaches to the five schools to support teachers. Community and student engagement will also be crucial components.

Leader of the Opposition and chairman of the iLead advisory committee, Andrew Holness (right), engages Earl Jarrett, Chairman of the JN Foundation, and Minister of Education Ronald Thwaites (centre) ahead of the launch of the iLead education leadership programme at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel.