Education Minister Engages Tertiary Institutions on Affirmative Action

Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, has engaged tertiary institutions in a discussion about the implementation of an affirmative action policy for poor and vulnerable youth through a system of bonded scholarships.

The Minister said he has already started a conversation with the University of the West Indies (UWI), in which the university expressed a willingness to start a programme in which the State would fund tuition for the first person of a poor household who matriculates.

Senator Reid said this initiative would be for persons pursuing a degree programme that is aligned with the country’s strategic direction, particularly as it relates to expanding the global services outsourcing sector.

The Minister was addressing a forum with stakeholders in the education sector, at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel, yesterday (March 27), to discuss how institutions must restructure to best meet the growing business process and knowledge outsourcing needs of the labour market.

“I am going to shake up the education system. We are going to have to find a way to ensure that the same students who we are taking from the margins, that we find a path for them,” he said.

Senator Reid, meanwhile, urged tertiary-level institutions to seek to align their programmes with the imperatives set by the Government for the long-term growth and development of the country, in order to create the required skill sets. Read more

Source: Jamaica Information Service