The Ministry of Education, Human Resources and Culture recently held its annual retreat at the Cayman Corporate Centre to discuss major achievements, initiatives and challenges over the past four years, in anticipation of this new four-year political term of office.
Permanent Secretary of Education Mrs. Joy Basdeo and Deputy Permanent Secretary of Education Mrs. Mary Rodrigues were joined by ministry department representatives, who all reported on their accomplishments and discussed the ministry’s national priorities.
Mrs. Basdeo said: ‘The people of the Cayman Islands must be adequately educated and trained to compete in the existing world market, and be prepared for the demands of competitors in the future. Our goals over the past four years have been focused on achieving this.’
Some major Education achievements discussed included the launch of the ITALIC (Improving Teaching and Learning in the Cayman Islands) software programmes in schools, enhancing the traditional classroom experience; the provision of state-of-the-art computers in labs and classrooms for student use, along with digital cameras, camcorders and projectors, and laptops for teachers; the continued operation of an objective national school inspection programme; the completion of Prospect Primary School; the establishment of the University College of the Cayman Islands, offering four year degrees; the development of a National Education Leadership Programme, with the first class graduating in March 2005; the drafting and circulation for comment of a new Education and Training Bill; award of scholarships to 704 students attending overseas tertiary-level institutions and 479 to students attending local institutions; and the establishment of the Cadet Corps in August 2001 to provide an alternative youth programme.
Progress in Employment Relations included moving from simply policing and enforcing the Labour Law, towards preventing and resolving disputes and promoting best practice in the workplace; the establishment of an Employment Services Centre to provide advice, support and training; a Workforce Skills analysis survey which provided data on technical and vocational skills available on the Island, along with the first annual Occupational Wage Survey in September 2003.
Since the appointment of a new Superintendent of Pensions in 2004, the National Pensions Office has continued to strengthen the regulatory and information services they provide. This has been achieved by implementing a computerised complaint tracking system and developing a Standard Operational Plan for Investigative Procedures of Complaints and Reviews.
Over the past four years, the Ministry has worked on promoting active support and funding for cultural development, awareness, appreciation and standards. Levels of participation in cultural and artistic endeavours have continued to grow and are now at an all time high. Achievements in culture have included the introduction of the annual McCoy Prize for excellence in Caymanian art; establishment of several Cayman National Cultural Foundation programmes, including Rundown and Cayfest; introduced a modern history of the Cayman Islands, Founded Upon the Seas: A History of the Cayman Islands and their People, which was launched in 2003; plotted, using ArcView, a computer mapping programme, all of Cayman’s known underwater cultural heritage; created the first Maritime Heritage Trail in the Caribbean, securing private sector funding for a new three-storey George Town library.
Related Videos
