Tertiary level education will be a key focus of Education Month 2015.
Acting Chief Education Officer, Karen Best, revealed this today as she addressed a press conference at the Elsie Payne Complex to outline the events of the Month, which is being hosted by the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation.
Pointing out that in previous years there had been some involvement by these institutions, Mrs. Best said the Ministry wanted to highlight the role they played, and therefore some very exciting activities had been planned around these.
???We are hoping that during the month of October the spotlight would be on all the positive aspects of what we are doing in education,??? she stressed.
Meanwhile, Director of the Higher Education Development Unit (HEDU), Dr. Patrick Rowe contended that Barbados Community College (BCC), Erdiston Teachers??? Training College and Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytechnic needed to be highlighted for ???some of the things that they are doing that are fairly innovative and responding to the needs of the private sector???.
???BCC, this year, has launched a new Bachelor???s programme in Nursing and Pharmacy and these are two programmes that responded to changes at both a regional and international level???. SJPP is really leading the region, partnering with a Canadian institution and has started training in photovoltaics, and planning to move that training to a level three in terms of National Vocational Qualification levels next year.
???Erdiston is in the process of also developing new programmes and upgrading programmes with the help of external consultants, and I think that in the next two/three years, the tertiary sector in the post-secondary institution would respond very favourably to the needs of Barbados and the region,??? Dr. Rowe said.
HEDU???s Director further alluded to the commitment of almost $12 million, through the Skills For The Future Programme [via the Competency Based Training Fund], to innovative projects that are responding to manufacturing and special skills needed across industry in Barbados.
Among the activities scheduled with tertiary level institutions in mind are a heritage walk and bus ride on October 11 and 18 respectively; the EduNation Forum at the Queen???s Park Steel Shed on October 20; a 20/20 cricket match between personnel from the Ministry and others from tertiary institutions on October 30; and an Edumarket/Q in the Community session, at the Old Bartel Sports Complex, on October 31.
The theme chosen to mark Education Month, from October 1 to November 4, is: Transforming Education: Imagine, Explore, Create.
joy-ann.gill@barbados.gov.bb