Minister of Education, Youth & Information (Ministry of Education, Youth & Information)

Jamaica is a major player in the Caribbean, being the second biggest economy in the CARICOM as well as the second largest population. However, it also has serious competition on all fronts in the region– tourism, finance, and otherwise. What are the main comparative advantages Jamaica has, and what are the areas where it can improve?

Frankly, Jamaica has plenty of diversified natural resources and that makes us pretty competitive.  You can consider any businesses in Jamaica and you would only need resources to support it.  We have nice arable land and we are certainly not short on water.  Our climate is conducive to growth of most tropical agricultural products.  We also have an opportunity for health tourism, which is another niche we want to tap into,  both,  in terms of climate, and in terms of medical personnel, that we have and can help with post operation recovery as well.  Jamaica is also known for sports.  We have done very well in all the big sports.  In cricket, football and in track field, we are certainly masters in all of that.  When you look at the potential of Jamaica, an entrepreneur with a keen eye in terms of opportunity can definitely become successful. Jamaica is also going to seek to be competitive in terms of telecommunications by providing ICT services and we have already seen growth in our business process outsourcing capabilities.  I think, as a small economy, there are tremendous opportunities in real estate, housing, retirement homes that we can look at.  We are also looking at setting up an international financial center. In addition, we are the largest English speaking country outside of the United States on this side of the world.  We are also well located.  We have an interest in maritime and logistics. We want to be the fourth platform in logistics business in proximity to the Panama Canal.  Just from our strategic location, the potential is certainly enormous.  In terms of the challenges we face, we have not been very strong at maintaining a period of growth and that has impeded Jamaica's overall development.  This has created higher level of unemployment including youth unemployment.  This has had a social impact in terms of higher levels of crime that requires serious actions.  The system needs to be efficient but at the same time the country needs the kind of growth that is inclusive and allows all persons to find a legitimate way of living, so that they themselves can experience very good quality of life.

One thing that came up on a regular basis in our interviews has been the value of the Jamaican people as a comparative advantage relative to other countries – we’ve heard that from Jamaicans and from foreigners. What do you attribute that to, and what role has the educational system played in shaping that human capital?

The education system has played its part. However, we have to talk about the philosophy of education that I am part of, as one must understand that education should not be elitist.  There must not be an impediment for our people to access education. Our administration is trying to create a strong framework so that from early childhood children seamlessly move from secondary to tertiary.  We have a problem in dealing with early childhood education, into primary and showing impediments into secondary.  I have annunciated that students leaving the secondary phase have additional opportunities to remain attached and get another 2 years minimum to continue with their education.  It can be a general education or a technical program where they are more prepared for the world of work. We need a kind of mantra that engages a person to say that learning is a lifelong endeavor.  You must continue to upgrade yourself because we want our human resource to remain competitive.  Part of my contribution to this administration and my country has been to ensure that every young person maximizes their academic qualification. We are focused on the year 0 -29.  Therefore, all persons must maximize their human resource capacity.  Even when we talk about BPO, we want to see an innovative spirit in Jamaican workers by creating new services and gadgets that can be sold elsewhere. We don’t want to see Jamaica as simple consumers but as originators of ideas, products and services.

For a number of years now, Jamaica has been in the long process of an incremental educational reform. Could you walk us through what has changed so far, and what you, as the newly appointed Minister of Education, have in mind for the future?

One of the most fundamental problems was the framework of the educational system. Previously, we did not have access to all students at all levels particularly, at secondary.  We also needed higher standards - standards for teachers and for student’s attainment. We need to have all that with a transparent and accountable system. Over the period, we have implemented a number of key institutions to help with this endeavor - the national educational inspectorate.  We put it in place to check the service delivery in our schools.  This does help the performance.  So far, the transformation is working. We wanted to improve the outcomes of the student’s education and the management. At all levels, we have made significant improvements.  We have instituted a leadership college where we have been training principals and middle managers. We currently have a force of trained persons who are available for schools to select from.  We have introduced several behavior management systems to help control the incidences of ill discipline in schools.  I need to review and add my own programs to make it better.  While we have had a good reputation for early childhood development, problems seem to be appearing later on. Afterwards, they can start with early stimulation programs so they can detect any gaps in their children’s development earlier than formal school.  I want to go back to that program, particularly amongst the most vulnerable parents. My vision is to have 80% of all youngsters with a tertiary qualification.  

What opportunities such a large scale educational reform offer in terms of adopting new educational practices, that would be more complicated to apply in a country that has had the same outdated system since the beginning of the industrial age? Especially given the size of Jamaica as a country, making it nimbler than the US or any European country.

I have never believed in a one-size fit all when it comes to curriculum innovation.  I believe in a comprehensive education system that allows persons to pursue their own interest and abilities. I looked at countries like Australia, Germany and France where youngsters can disengage for a while from the formal system have more apprentice type education opportunities and then come back into the formal system.  I do not like the idea of a standardized curriculum.  I want youngsters to have opportunities to find their niche.  You want the student to be able to show their interest very early and have the opportunity to follow their dreams and aspirations. Our education system was never designed to be a liberal system.  It was designed to ensure that only the better students progress.  I know that we do not progress at the same time.  We should not have a system that seeks to prevent students from seeking their full potential.  Part of my own revolution is to ensure every child gets the chance to pursue his potential.  

Technology is an increasingly important factor in education, enabling new systems such as digital gamification, or tracking of students’ progress to make sure no child is left behind or forgotten. I know gamification is something that is currently being done in some schools in Jamaica, what other new technologies do you wish to see used for educational purposes here?

The government has a program to roll out the Internet.  We still do not have global Internet connectivity for all our academic institutions but it is one of our medium term goals.  We already have an educational station where we communicate and have educational programs.  We want our students to be able to access materials on the Internet. This requires the students to be able to utilize the technology to make the teaching and learning process more efficient.

As you mentioned earlier, that you are known as an educational innovator.  Not necessarily in Jamaica but worldwide, people are often resistant to change. Are there ideas that you have in innovating education that are not popular enough or perhaps ground breaking to apply in the short term in Jamaica?

It’s a question of being able to define precisely what you mean and want.  I have known in my own life as an administrator what we like to call early adopters - people open to piloting.  You start with the early adopters, you refine, you learn how the system works and then you are able to sell it.  I ran a very successful school because my previous job was as a principal and I was known as an innovator.

You’ve had a distinguished career in teaching, and were later involved as a senator, and now as Minister of Education, Youth and Information. What are your proudest achievements, and what were the biggest challenges? What is next for you?

My proudest accomplishment has been my previous job at Jamaica College that I left to come here. It was a school that was known as a top school previously and literally fell from grace. I led a total turn around and made it one of the most popular high schools in Jamaica again.  That is a tremendous legacy that I have led.  In regards to disappointment, it is more the pace at which this occurs.  Sometimes, I wish I had a magic wand where you snap your finger and things happen.  Overall, when you have programs that create opportunities and the people do not embrace them, you are disappointed. My disappointment is not seeing the embracement of an innovative idea that will definitely benefit our country. I want everybody or at least the majority of the people to benefit from it.

Readers of HBR include some of the most influential business leaders and decision makers in the world. As a conclusion to this interview, what is your final message to them?

I would like to thank you for taking interest in Jamaica.  We have an interesting story and we are very popular around the world. This government has a great opportunity to make Jamaica realize its potential more than it has ever done before. I want to say to the world that Jamaica is open for business.  This is a great time to invest in Jamaica.  You can’t think of investing when everything is going well.  If you are a keen investor you will want to take advantage of the potential that is now in place.  Look at Jamaica as a place to live, a place to invest and a place to retire.