Time for Critical Reflection ... at Principals' Conference

Contact: Dana Augustin

Thursday, December 07, 2000 - Education Minister, Honourable Mario Michel, says the Annual Principal’s Conference presents an ideal opportunity for critical reflection on the education system with a view to changing the culture of the classroom. The minister was opening formally, the 17th Annual Conference of the National Principals’ Association on Wednesday, December 6, at the Bay Gardens Hotel.

He suggested that reflection and research are key to examining the pros and cons of the education system. Such a forum, he believes, can provide an atmosphere through which the ministry and the schools could work in unison towards the same goal.

"It is that annual exercise of reflection that excites educators to share ideas that can have direct application in the classroom or in the management of the school."

Lera Pascal, President of the National Principals’ Association noted that there has been a movement to strengthen the relationship with the Ministry of Education. She feels however, that there are some very pertinent matters that need to be addressed. The contentious issue of the extension of the school term, Pascal notes, is one such matter that is ever present on their minds.

Says Pascal, "As principals we agree that additional instruction time is desirable. After all, there are many distractions and interruptions during the term and valuable teaching time is lost. We hasten to add, however, that the lengthening of the school term is not the best means by which the objective can be achieved. Our recommendation that a moderate lengthening of the school day, seems to be a more acceptable and a more practical solution to the problem."

Guest Speaker of the conference, Errol Miller who is the Head of the Institute of Education at the Mona Campus in Jamaica, suggested a number of ways through which the education system could be strengthened. Professor Miller was of the firm view that if schools could become entrepreneurial, then they could become more self - reliant. More over, he suggests, through entrepreneurship, schools can maximize their potential by producing information for the community.

"Usually schools and colleges have considerable resources and have things that the community needs. We have to begin to create a new relationship between the school and the community in which the community comes for services. This new age, when knowledge is so important and knowledge is the business of the school, we are producing knowledge and people will pay for the services."

According to Professor Miller schools cannot specialize very early and if one has to relate to the private sector, schools must give students as broad an education as they can, then do the specialization. Knowledge and technology, he says, now constitutes economic growth. "We have a duty to master the technology and who knows what we will become in the future," he urged.

The conference, a joint effort of the National Principals’ Association and the Ministry of Education, Human Resource Development, Youth and Sports was held under the theme "Public and Private Sector Partnership: An Imperative for Effective Educational Change".

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