VICE-CHANCELLOR’S REPORT TO COUNCIL 2022—2023
VICE-CHANCELLOR’S FORUMS
TRANSFORMING CARIBBEAN EDUCATION
On July 21, 2023, The UWI, in collaboration with the Caribbean Centre for Educational Planning (CCEP), hosted a Vice-Chancellor’s Forum to discuss the Orlando Patterson Commission Report. The Report, which presents a comprehensive review and assessment of Jamaica’s education system, was examined by regional education experts during a two-hour hybrid event. Several regional experts delivered addresses, including Chair, Reverend Ronald Thwaites, former Minister of Education in Jamaica; Ambassador Richard Bernal, Chair of the Advisory Board of the CCEP; Dr. Canute Thompson, Head of the Caribbean Centre for Educational Planning at The UWI; and Professor Silvia Kouwenberg, Dean, Faculty of Humanities and Education at Mona Campus. The conversation centred upon the implications of the findings and recommendations of the Orlando Patterson Commission Report for the education system in Jamaica and elements of the report which may be applicable across the Caribbean. There was also heavy emphasis on matters such as societal and economic justice, inclusion, communications technology, equity for differently abled students, and a more accessible scope of language that eliminates the elitism of English-speakers. Dr. Canute Thompson revealed direct correlations between participation in tertiary education and a country’s innovation index and quality of social life measured, among other things, by the murder rate. Feature presentations were followed by a panel discussion and question and answer segment which included several regional subject matter experts.
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