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Ministry of Education 
More Jamaicans Accessing Tertiary Education
BY: TRACEY THOMPSON
Sunday, September 05, 2004
Thirty five year-old Rohan Powell will be attending the University of the West Indies (UWI) this September.A working journalist, he will be entering the Faculty of Arts where he will be pursuing a diploma course in Mass Communications.
With a full-time job and a family, Rohan is somewhat daunted at the prospect of taking on the rigours of study that a university education demands, but relishes the opportunity to upgrade his skills in his chosen field, to improve his ability to command a higher salary and perhaps receive a promotion, once he has completed his studies.
Like Rohan, 26 year-old Jennifer Jones is pursuing higher education, which she hopes, will equip her with the technical, managerial and professional skills to be competitive in her chosen field of information technology.
Jennifer is two years into a four-year degree programme in Information Technology and Management at the University of Technology and she intends to enter a master's programme after completing the degree course. Ultimately, she wants to become an Information Technology Manager or Systems Manager.
"It is hard, especially because I have to work full-time, and the course is very expensive. I have to go to school from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on weekdays and sometimes on weekends too. It is hard with exams and work but I think it will benefit me in the long run," she tells JIS News.
Rohan and Jennifer are among thousands of Jamaicans, who will be entering local tertiary institutions this year, to pursue higher learning that will equip them with the skills necessary to be competitive in an evolving labour market.
According to information from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture, about 20 per cent of the population is seeking advanced education each year at the island's institutions of higher learning.
This figure has surpassed the CARICOM target of 15 per cent enrollment in member states by 2005, and there is a commitment to increase access by at least 1 per cent every year. "We achieved the CARICOM target in the 1990s and from then, we have exceeded the target," Adelle Brown, Acting Chief Education Officer tells JIS News.
Mrs. Brown informs that there are some 40 registered local institutions and training units as well as eight foreign institutions with programmes in Jamaica. "This is a vast increase, moving from a few years ago when there were just about 15. Access has definitely increased and I don't think quality is being compromised and relevance is certainly there," she points out.
She credits the increase in offerings to the demand of the global environment, where people are required to be highly trained in a number of professional and technical areas, even to gain entry level positions. A first degree is not enough anymore.
"A few years ago, this would have been a thrill but now it is a entry requirement and more and more we need to have degrees in terms of mobility. Our workers now can go throughout the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, the United States and that is why we are moving towards increasing our qualifications," she explains.
Philbert Dhyl, Assistant Chief Education Officer with responsibility for tertiary education, says that the trend is definitely showing an increase in enrolment at the tertiary level. Citing statistics, he informs JIS News that in 2001/02 there were 32,168 students studying at public and private institutions, which increased to 39,566 in 2002/03 and "if we were to include the students who were studying overseas, it would move to 41,761".
He credits the increase in enrolment to the fact that persons are always seeking to upgrade their skills to increase their earning power, so as to occupy higher paying jobs. In addition, he points out, employers are recognizing that the acquisition of first degrees and post graduate degrees increase the supply of problem solving members in the labour force and people who are able to think at a higher level, which is a plus for productivity.
Tertiary education provides training at an advanced level, equipping persons with the technical, professional and managerial skills that a country needs for development. It does more than that though; it provides higher education for a full and rounded life, thus providing access to better paying jobs and opportunity for individuals to broaden their horizons and experience the culture of a broader group.
The demands of the information intensive, knowledge-based, global economy have vastly increased the need for greater access to quality education and technical training and over the years, the government of Jamaica has had considerable success in delivering education services from the pre school to the post graduate level.
The island's first tertiary institution was Mico Teachers' College, which was constructed in the 19th Century, with the aim of preparing teachers for the classrooms. It was not until 1946 that the University College of the West Indies, now UWI, was founded. Over the years, the number of teacher colleges grew and the island'scommunity colleges started in the late 1970s, with the aim of providing a two-year programme to prepare students for university placement.
Since 1990, the post-secondary system has begun a process of transformation in response to the demand for increased access to pre-university education, as well as technical degree training and continuing adult education.
This has resulted in the establishment of a second national university, the University of Technology (formerly the College of Arts, Science and Technology), which offers technical programmes in various disciplines; Northern Caribbean University, a private denominational university; Edna Manley College for the Visual and Performing Arts; College of Agriculture Science and Education; GC Foster College; Caribbean Maritime Institute and the Management Institute for National Development, which is the country's main public sector management training organization.
The community colleges have grown to six, which offer a multi-disciplinary curriculum focusing on pre-university, professional, commercial, and vocational training as well as community-oriented courses; there are eight teacher training colleges; a dental auxiliary school, and there is also the HEART Trust/National Training Agency (HEART/NTA), which is the primary provider of short-term, entry-level vocational skills training for school leavers in the 17 to 24 age group.
The UWI and UTech are degree-granting institutions, while the community colleges and teacher colleges offer diplomas. Some teacher colleges offer degrees in collaboration with universities abroad. For example, Church Teachers' College in Mandeville has partnered with Temple University in the United States to offer a degree programme; Sam Sharpe Teachers' College in Montego Bay and Bethlehem Teachers' College in St. Elizabeth, have partnered with Mount St. Vincent University in Canada and Whitewater University in the United States, respectively, to offer degree programmes.
Some of the colleges also have become multi-disciplinary institutions, offering training in a number of areas. For example, Moneague Teachers' College in St. Ann has broadened its base from teacher training to offer courses in business and hospitality, while Bethlehem Teachers' College is offering business education and computing.
There has also been greater contribution to tertiary education from the public purse. In 2000/01, the government's allocation to tertiary education was $3.3 billion. The money provided assistance at every level from the community colleges to UWI.
For 2003/04, the allocation was $3.2 billion and for the 2004/05 Financial Year, this has been increased to $5.6 billion.
In addition to the annual subvention from government, the Ministry of Education also offers scholarships to Jamaicans who study locally. In the last academic year, the government provided over $15 million in scholarships. There is also the student loan programme and the number of students accessing this facility has increased substantially over the years.
An average of 6,500 students apply to the Student Loan Bureau every year for loans to pay tuition fees. The 2002/03 academic year was a record one, with the Bureau disbursing $550 million in tuition loans to benefit over 7,000 students. In addition, over $80 million in grants was paid out.
Scholarships are also provided for persons wishing to study in specialized areas, such as the sciences, technology, medicine and early childhood education.
With the reform of secondary education in 1993, there has been a thrust to upgrade secondary school teachers to the degree level and recently, an agreement was reached with the UWI for the training of 3,000 teachers over a 10-year period. This special Bachelor of Education degree will be offered on a part-time basis and the target is to train 300 teachers per year.
But even as government seeks to respond to the demand for more spaces and diverse training opportunities, there are still some students who are choosing to study abroad.
Miss Brown says that with the increased movement of professionals across the region and across the continents, Jamaicans feel that if they access a foreign-based qualification, it improves their chances of being in a good occupation if they migrate.
She notes, however, that with the movement in the local currency, it has become more economical to study in Jamaica, noting that only about 2,000 persons go abroad every year for tertiary studies.
There has also been an explosion of private institutions offering diploma, degree and masters courses. These include INFOSERV Institute of Technology, Institute of Management and Sciences, Institute of Management and Production, Nova Southeastern University.
More Jamaicans Accessing Tertiary Education
BY: TRACEY THOMPSON
Sunday, September 05, 2004
Thirty five year-old Rohan Powell will be attending the University of the West Indies (UWI) this September.A working journalist, he will be entering the Faculty of Arts where he will be pursuing a diploma course in Mass Communications.
With a full-time job and a family, Rohan is somewhat daunted at the prospect of taking on the rigours of study that a university education demands, but relishes the opportunity to upgrade his skills in his chosen field, to improve his ability to command a higher salary and perhaps receive a promotion, once he has completed his studies.
Like Rohan, 26 year-old Jennifer Jones is pursuing higher education, which she hopes, will equip her with the technical, managerial and professional skills to be competitive in her chosen field of information technology.
Jennifer is two years into a four-year degree programme in Information Technology and Management at the University of Technology and she intends to enter a master's programme after completing the degree course. Ultimately, she wants to become an Information Technology Manager or Systems Manager.
"It is hard, especially because I have to work full-time, and the course is very expensive. I have to go to school from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on weekdays and sometimes on weekends too. It is hard with exams and work but I think it will benefit me in the long run," she tells JIS News.
Rohan and Jennifer are among thousands of Jamaicans, who will be entering local tertiary institutions this year, to pursue higher learning that will equip them with the skills necessary to be competitive in an evolving labour market.
According to information from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture, about 20 per cent of the population is seeking advanced education each year at the island's institutions of higher learning.
This figure has surpassed the CARICOM target of 15 per cent enrollment in member states by 2005, and there is a commitment to increase access by at least 1 per cent every year. "We achieved the CARICOM target in the 1990s and from then, we have exceeded the target," Adelle Brown, Acting Chief Education Officer tells JIS News.
Mrs. Brown informs that there are some 40 registered local institutions and training units as well as eight foreign institutions with programmes in Jamaica. "This is a vast increase, moving from a few years ago when there were just about 15. Access has definitely increased and I don't think quality is being compromised and relevance is certainly there," she points out.
She credits the increase in offerings to the demand of the global environment, where people are required to be highly trained in a number of professional and technical areas, even to gain entry level positions. A first degree is not enough anymore.
"A few years ago, this would have been a thrill but now it is a entry requirement and more and more we need to have degrees in terms of mobility. Our workers now can go throughout the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, the United States and that is why we are moving towards increasing our qualifications," she explains.
Philbert Dhyl, Assistant Chief Education Officer with responsibility for tertiary education, says that the trend is definitely showing an increase in enrolment at the tertiary level. Citing statistics, he informs JIS News that in 2001/02 there were 32,168 students studying at public and private institutions, which increased to 39,566 in 2002/03 and "if we were to include the students who were studying overseas, it would move to 41,761".
He credits the increase in enrolment to the fact that persons are always seeking to upgrade their skills to increase their earning power, so as to occupy higher paying jobs. In addition, he points out, employers are recognizing that the acquisition of first degrees and post graduate degrees increase the supply of problem solving members in the labour force and people who are able to think at a higher level, which is a plus for productivity.
Tertiary education provides training at an advanced level, equipping persons with the technical, professional and managerial skills that a country needs for development. It does more than that though; it provides higher education for a full and rounded life, thus providing access to better paying jobs and opportunity for individuals to broaden their horizons and experience the culture of a broader group.
The demands of the information intensive, knowledge-based, global economy have vastly increased the need for greater access to quality education and technical training and over the years, the government of Jamaica has had considerable success in delivering education services from the pre school to the post graduate level.
The island's first tertiary institution was Mico Teachers' College, which was constructed in the 19th Century, with the aim of preparing teachers for the classrooms. It was not until 1946 that the University College of the West Indies, now UWI, was founded. Over the years, the number of teacher colleges grew and the island'scommunity colleges started in the late 1970s, with the aim of providing a two-year programme to prepare students for university placement.
Since 1990, the post-secondary system has begun a process of transformation in response to the demand for increased access to pre-university education, as well as technical degree training and continuing adult education.
This has resulted in the establishment of a second national university, the University of Technology (formerly the College of Arts, Science and Technology), which offers technical programmes in various disciplines; Northern Caribbean University, a private denominational university; Edna Manley College for the Visual and Performing Arts; College of Agriculture Science and Education; GC Foster College; Caribbean Maritime Institute and the Management Institute for National Development, which is the country's main public sector management training organization.
The community colleges have grown to six, which offer a multi-disciplinary curriculum focusing on pre-university, professional, commercial, and vocational training as well as community-oriented courses; there are eight teacher training colleges; a dental auxiliary school, and there is also the HEART Trust/National Training Agency (HEART/NTA), which is the primary provider of short-term, entry-level vocational skills training for school leavers in the 17 to 24 age group.
The UWI and UTech are degree-granting institutions, while the community colleges and teacher colleges offer diplomas. Some teacher colleges offer degrees in collaboration with universities abroad. For example, Church Teachers' College in Mandeville has partnered with Temple University in the United States to offer a degree programme; Sam Sharpe Teachers' College in Montego Bay and Bethlehem Teachers' College in St. Elizabeth, have partnered with Mount St. Vincent University in Canada and Whitewater University in the United States, respectively, to offer degree programmes.
Some of the colleges also have become multi-disciplinary institutions, offering training in a number of areas. For example, Moneague Teachers' College in St. Ann has broadened its base from teacher training to offer courses in business and hospitality, while Bethlehem Teachers' College is offering business education and computing.
There has also been greater contribution to tertiary education from the public purse. In 2000/01, the government's allocation to tertiary education was $3.3 billion. The money provided assistance at every level from the community colleges to UWI.
For 2003/04, the allocation was $3.2 billion and for the 2004/05 Financial Year, this has been increased to $5.6 billion.
In addition to the annual subvention from government, the Ministry of Education also offers scholarships to Jamaicans who study locally. In the last academic year, the government provided over $15 million in scholarships. There is also the student loan programme and the number of students accessing this facility has increased substantially over the years.
An average of 6,500 students apply to the Student Loan Bureau every year for loans to pay tuition fees. The 2002/03 academic year was a record one, with the Bureau disbursing $550 million in tuition loans to benefit over 7,000 students. In addition, over $80 million in grants was paid out.
Scholarships are also provided for persons wishing to study in specialized areas, such as the sciences, technology, medicine and early childhood education.
With the reform of secondary education in 1993, there has been a thrust to upgrade secondary school teachers to the degree level and recently, an agreement was reached with the UWI for the training of 3,000 teachers over a 10-year period. This special Bachelor of Education degree will be offered on a part-time basis and the target is to train 300 teachers per year.
But even as government seeks to respond to the demand for more spaces and diverse training opportunities, there are still some students who are choosing to study abroad.
Miss Brown says that with the increased movement of professionals across the region and across the continents, Jamaicans feel that if they access a foreign-based qualification, it improves their chances of being in a good occupation if they migrate.
She notes, however, that with the movement in the local currency, it has become more economical to study in Jamaica, noting that only about 2,000 persons go abroad every year for tertiary studies.
There has also been an explosion of private institutions offering diploma, degree and masters courses. These include INFOSERV Institute of Technology, Institute of Management and Sciences, Institute of Management and Production, Nova Southeastern University.
Yuh wi end up as collateral damage.
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