ROSE HALL, St James — State minister in the Ministry of Education and Youth, Marsha Smith, has told principals that they are key to the ongoing transformation of Jamaica’s education sector.

“Your input is absolutely vital and so today’s engagement has a two-fold mission. First, we want to bring you up to date with where we are in the transformation process, and we also want to inform you as to the tangibles of transformation. The second aim is to widen that public discourse, hearing from you, talking with you, and taking into account your perspectives,” Smith told board chairmen and principals at a Transforming Education for National Development (TREND) stakeholders session held at Montego Bay Convention Centre in Rose Hall, St James on Wednesday.

TREND, an initiative led by the Ministry of Education and Youth, is designed to revolutionise the country’s educational system based on the ministry’s overall strategic plan, including recommendations from the Jamaica Education Transformation Commission’s Report.

The recomendations for the commission, which was chaird by Professor Orlando Patterson, are slated to be implemented over an eight-year period between 2023 and 2031.

“Among the changes we expect to see by the year 2031 [are] improvement in grade four literacy to 92 per cent and numeracy to 80 per cent; more of our students transitioning at each grade level, having received appropriate education and learning as per their learning needs; readiness for higher learning and the world of work,” said Smith.

“At least 60 to 80 per cent of students obtaining five or more passes in the external exams, including mathematics, education, and a skill area,” added Smith as she pointed out that another of the aims is to see a higher percentage of principals achieving satisfactory to exceptionally high in their assessment by by the National Education Inspectorate (NEI).

Smith told the group that another target is to see at least 95 per cent of students completing seven years of high school and being issued the National School Leaving Certificate and at least 50 per cent of public schools rated as good and above by the NEI.

“There is a lot of work to be put in, in modernising the education systems, the retooling of school campuses, and the amending of regulations and legislation,” Smith added.