Newly appointed British High Commissioner to Jamaica Alicia Herbert says she is open to exploring new ways to work more closely with the Ministry of Education and Youth, including initiatives that could benefit children with special needs.

Speaking during the most recent Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange, held at the media house’s Beechwood Avenue headquarters, Herbert said her interest follows the United Kingdom’s recent launch of ‘Special Educational Needs and Disabilities’ (SEND), a policy which targets increased funding and the updating of how support is administered.

“Just today, in the UK, our equivalent of the Ministry of Education, our Department for Education, launched a new policy on special needs education, what we call SEND. So our education secretary in the UK today is looking at the ways to increase funding to it and the way in which it’s administered because it’s quite a very significant topic. We know that if you want to ensure an equality of opportunity, you want to ensure that you realise the potential of children, whatever their starting points are, by paying attention to special education needs,” she said.

Herbert told editors and reporters she was aware of Minister of Education and Youth Senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon’s particular interest on the topic, and that she would be open to collaborate with the Government on building strategies that further advance the issue.

“As we develop that [SEND] in the UK, and we are finding new ways and different ways of doing that, it potentially could be an area where we have an exchange with Jamaica in terms of how we approach it,” said the British envoy.

Herbert added that she views education as one of the most promising areas for partnership between the UK and Jamaica, highlighting that their existed broader opportunities in higher education, scholarships, and skill training that she was interested in pursuing.

“The British Government also has a lot to offer on education overall…I know that there’s a fair amount of interest in technical and vocational education. We’ve been gathering information about what works in terms of early year’s education as well. But what I would want to have a conversation about with the Government and others is how else can one strengthen that partnership in education across early years all the way through to higher education,” said Herbert.

She also pointed to ongoing partnerships surrounding education in times of emergency and making it a priority. Her comment came within the context of natural disasters such as Hurricane Melissa in October 2025, and the post COVID-19 pandemic learning recovery.

“In terms of what we call emergencies of education in crisis, there’s a repository of knowledge and information that the Jamaican Government and stakeholders can draw on, for example. How do you come back after something like Hurricane Melissa? How do you come back after children have been displaced? How do you come back after a period of learning loss, which we’ve also had in the UK post-pandemic era. So that’s an area that’s come across as well,” said Herbert.

The British High Commission to Jamaica has, over the years, collaborated with the nation’s policymakers, focusing on supporting literacy, promoting STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, maths) education, and fostering inclusive, safe learning environments. Working with partners such as the British Council, they have moved to advance educational equity, youth development, and cultural exchanges to strengthen UK-Jamaica relations.