PRESIDENT of The Mico University College Dr Asburn Pinnock has charged that inclusion must be at the heart of Jamaica’s education vision.

Addressing the opening of The Mico University College Child Assessment and Research in Education (CARE) Centre ninth Biennial Education Conference last Friday — which was held under the theme, ‘Reimagining Learning for a Changing World: Inspire. Innovate. Impact’ — Pinnock said inclusive education should be a national necessity and not merely a desirable principle.

Pinnock urged educators to embrace innovation without losing sight of the human purpose of education, since technology should strengthen relationships and empathy rather than diminish them.

He also called for culturally relevant solutions that “make wise use of limited resources”.

Pinnock’s comments followed those of director of the Mico CARE Centre Dr Sharon Anderson-Morgan who included questions to participants during her welcome. “Are we preparing learners for the world they will live in? Are we reaching and teaching all learners?”

She pointed out that the centre’s education conferences are not designed to be talk shops but are meant to produce products and action.

Anderson noted the presence of presenters and participants from the English-speaking Caribbean and argued that this is a sign that the centre serves the region as well as Jamaica. She also noted that 2026 is a milestone for both The Mico University College and the Mico CARE Centre.

“This conference is being held as The Mico University College marks its 190th anniversary, as well as 50 years of training special education teachers in Jamaica and the Caribbean region, and also as the Mico CARE Centre celebrates 45 years of existence,” said Anderson.

In her contribution Dr Winnie Berry, deputy chief education officer, said Jamaica is transforming education for national development, with inclusion that is intentional and impact that is measurable.

“Equity is not giving every child the same thing,” said Berry. “Equity is giving every child what he or she needs in order to succeed,” added Berry.

She referenced the Mico CARE Centre as a centre of excellence and said the goal is for its approach to become the standard everywhere.

“We want to see a Jamaica where every school is equipped to handle the diverse needs of its students… a child with autism or dyslexia or ADHD [attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder] is not sent away but is welcomed in,” said Berry, who added that the work has only just begun and expressed confidence that the insights shared at the conference would challenge conventional thinking.

Professor of special education at the University of Kansas and director of the Center for Innovation, Design, and Digital Learning Dr, James D Basham, who was the keynote speaker, told delegates that education faces exponential change.

He argued that “65 per cent of the students coming out of today’s elementary schools are going to have jobs that do not even exist today”.

Basham called for human-first artificial intelligence (AI) collaboration, with humans at the forefront of decisions affecting students, and for AI literacy among teachers and learners alike.

He cautioned that technology without sound pedagogy fails learners, and that too much support can make learning too easy.

“It is not the mission to educate our students to compete with algorithms, but to create learning environments where every learner discovers, develops their capacity to innovate, inspire, and shape the world around them,” said Basham who later led the breakout session ‘AI and the Inclusive Classroom: Responsible Integration for Diverse Learners.’

Sessions were organised around three strands: Inspiring Potential: Building Pathways to Well-Being and Social Strength; Innovate the Future: New Technologies in Education; and Maximizing Impact: Strategies for Accessible and Equitable Learning.

Over the two days of the conference, at least 30 presenters delivered sessions in breakout rooms, both virtually and face-to-face, that benefited educators and participants. Participants were encouraged to leave with at least one strategy from the sessions they could apply in their own classrooms.