Minister of Education, Technological and Vocational Training, Kay McConney, believes that children must be at the centre of Education Transformation as the Ministry offers support to teachers, schools, educational/training institutions, and all stakeholders of education.
Ms. McConney expressed this view last Friday at the closing ceremony of the School Assistants’ Training course in the Liberal Arts Auditorium of the Barbados Community College.
“Perhaps most fundamentally, we want a child-centred education system; one where we put the children first, and all that we do is to support teachers, support the schools, support Erdiston, support all of our partners and being able to do what is right by every child, no matter how they learn, no matter what their interest is, no matter what the outcome is of what’s happening,” she said.
The Education Minister stated that the Ministry is standing on the brink of a transformative year in education in Barbados, and behind all that they are doing is a team, who is “working diligently and meticulously to craft significant proposals that will make a difference in the lives of children”.
She explained that the training of the participants was borne out of an outcry from the primary school principals, who insisted that the then COVID Monitors remain attached to schools because of the invaluable assistance they provided to the teachers, who were able to maintain their focus on teaching without distractions.
“With the introduction of the school assistants, it is intended to help create the kind of school environment that allows teachers to teach, that would allow the student to teacher ratio (that is the number of students to a teacher), to remain at a higher level, that allows the teachers to give the kind of attention to each child that is necessary, with assistance from persons who graduate today,” she stated.
Ms. McConney told the participants that they are ‘school’ assistants, not ‘class’ assistants, an important distinction made because the Ministry expects flexibility in their role with the expectation that their assistance will go beyond the classroom.
“As we navigate the evolving currents in our education system, we expect that the role of school assistants will become increasingly essential…. The learning you received, can’t end here. If you make a good way, you will clear the way for others. We ask that you see yourself as the trailblazers, as those clearing the way for the future of school assistants,” she said.
The Minister also added that children are the most important assets of our future, and disclosed the Ministry’s intention to ‘professionalise’ school assistants.
She said there are persons positioned within the Ministry to listen to their concerns and record feedback, and assured them that the Ministry is prepared to customise very short, quick learning experiences as part of their continuous professional education.