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OPPOSITION Spokesperson for Education Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert has warned that any political disassembly of the Alternative Secondary Transitional Education Programme (ASTEP) and Career Advancement Programme (CAP) will be stoutly resisted.
Her comments in Parliament followed indications by Education Minister Ronald Thwaites last Tuesday that his ministry was undertaking a "comprehensive review of some of the programmes within the system to ensure that we are getting value for money including the CAP and ASTEP Programmes".
She said only a review would be welcomed, noting that the CAP programme had the potential to improve the prospects of large numbers of youth.
CAP is the brainchild of former minister of education, the now Opposition Leader Andrew Holness, under which a "Senior School", with Grades 12 and 13 acting as extensions of the existing secondary or high school system was added to secondary education tenure in order to ensure that all children ages three to 18 are attached to a learning institution.
"I must remind this House that in relation to the overall population of approximately 2.7 million, Jamaica's youth population is estimated to be close to 1.4 million persons between the ages of zero to 24 years representing approximately 50 per cent of the national cohort," she said.
Dalrymple-Philibert noted, too, that 89 per cent of students enrolled in CAP are boys, while 90 per cent of those enrolled in ASTEP are also boys.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...#ixzz1yzoLKl4o
Her comments in Parliament followed indications by Education Minister Ronald Thwaites last Tuesday that his ministry was undertaking a "comprehensive review of some of the programmes within the system to ensure that we are getting value for money including the CAP and ASTEP Programmes".
She said only a review would be welcomed, noting that the CAP programme had the potential to improve the prospects of large numbers of youth.
CAP is the brainchild of former minister of education, the now Opposition Leader Andrew Holness, under which a "Senior School", with Grades 12 and 13 acting as extensions of the existing secondary or high school system was added to secondary education tenure in order to ensure that all children ages three to 18 are attached to a learning institution.
"I must remind this House that in relation to the overall population of approximately 2.7 million, Jamaica's youth population is estimated to be close to 1.4 million persons between the ages of zero to 24 years representing approximately 50 per cent of the national cohort," she said.
Dalrymple-Philibert noted, too, that 89 per cent of students enrolled in CAP are boys, while 90 per cent of those enrolled in ASTEP are also boys.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...#ixzz1yzoLKl4o
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