from l-r: Chief Officer; Mrs Angela Martins, Leader of Government Business; Hon. Kurt Tibbetts, Minister for Education; Hon. Alden McLaughlin and Chief Education Officer; Mrs Shirley WahlerThe Minister of Education, Hon. Alden McLaughlin made a major statement today about the new structure for secondary education in the Cayman Islands during the regular Cabinet Media Briefing. The statement was broadcast live on radio and television. This is a critical part of the ongoing transformation of the education system in the Cayman Islands. Please find a copy of the full statement copied below. (GL)
Better Pathways, Brighter Futures
"Today I want to talk with you about the new outlook for secondary education in the Cayman Islands to which the Leader of Government Business just referred.
For two and a half years this government has sought to bring excellence to every aspect of Cayman’s education system. Our quest has required us to ensure absolute alignment at all levels of education and in doing so review and update the way we provide secondary education to our students – a process which has resulted in a new plan entitled:
Better Pathways, Brighter Futures
The new plan is founded on the same fundamental principles, which have informed many other parts of the ongoing transformation of Cayman’s education system.
Key among them is the belief that one size does not fit all students – that all students are individuals, with individual sets of skills and abilities, individual learning needs and individual interests. It is well-recognized in education fraternities around the world that students require personalized support to succeed.
You made it abundantly clear during our landmark 2005 national education conference that our system needed to cater more, not just to individuals, but to all individuals – not exclusively to a small group of top performers. To meet this need, the national consensus from that conference called for increased provisions for technical and vocational programming, enhanced offerings at tertiary level and smoother transitions into the workplace so that school-leavers can become - in much greater numbers than has been the case in the past - happy and productive contributors to our society. That national consensus embraced the basic principle that all children deserve a chance, regardless of their individual skills and abilities.
The new plan for secondary education – Better Pathways, Brighter Futures – reflects our commitment to these fundamental principles. It is so called because ultimately it offers students access to more options (pathways if you will) into further study and the world of work, strengthening their preparedness for future-building. More students will have access to more choices, which better suit their needs.
Under the current regime, students of secondary age in Grand Cayman attend George Hicks High School at middle school age, years 7 through 9. At this age they study a broad and balanced curriculum. They then go on to John Gray High School to study in years 10, 11 and 12. Year 10 is currently a foundation year, in which students settle in to the new school before deciding what subject options and exams to take in years 11 and 12.
Working in alignment with the implementation of our new national curriculum, ‘Better Pathways’ represents a restructuring of the framework for each academic year of study which will bring the Cayman Islands in line with international best-practices across the world.
With ‘Better Pathways’ students in Years 7 to 9 will continue to study a broad-based curriculum. Because Cayman’s new secondary campuses will be ‘all-through’ – years 7 to 11 - students will be able to take their options in years 10 and 11, as is the standard in nations around the world. These options will be based on their personal goals, aptitudes and interests under the guidance of their parents and teachers. During these years students will also continue to pursue and improve their skills in core areas, for example literacy and numeracy. The aim is to provide students with the opportunity to build a useful portfolio of qualifications in their chosen areas through the completion of formal assessments such as the Caribbean Examination Council’s CSEC examinations (commonly referred to as the CXCs) and other international relevant qualifications such as IGCSE.
In the spirit of personalized learning, all students in years 10 and 11 will also have the opportunity for personal counseling and assistance in order to develop an individualized career development plan which will help guide their work through the next stage of their education.
Whilst exams will be taken in year 11, it is also an important feature of the restructuring that students showing the requisite ability will be able to sit exams one year early if they so choose, in year 10. This staggered approach is already proving to be hugely successful in Cayman Brac High School and allows the school’s able students the capacity to sit more exams than would otherwise have been the case, increasing the range of qualifications they can expect to leave school with.
Beyond year 11, all students will be required to continue their education for a minimum of one (1) year, by choosing from a significantly enhanced range of subject options, catering for the full range of varied skills, competencies and interests which prevails among them. This is the critical stage for preparing students for entry into the workforce or further education and supports the principle of offering a personalized learning experience to students. These options will include:
· A strong academic programme based around the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme or Advanced Placement examinations, which will provide an internationally recognized set of qualifications;
· Technical and vocational programmes aligned with the offerings of the University College of the Cayman Islands, which prepare students for entry into the workforce and also form a basis for more advanced professional studies;
· Opportunities for students to repeat or resit examination courses already taken in year 11, in order to improve their secondary qualification portfolio - providing students with a critical second chance to improve their performance;
· Supervised and guided work placement or apprenticeship programmes, leading to competency-based skills assessment and the achievement of work-based qualifications, and;
· A-level course programmes offered by local private schools with assistance from the government for Caymanian students.
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At this level, students will study for at least one year, or possibly two years, depending on their chosen pathway, as we aspire to engender a culture of lifelong learning. This will bridge the gap between secondary and tertiary education, whilst also providing important links with the University College of the Cayman Islands, whose range of certificate, diploma and associates programmes will add further scope to the range of available options. During this time, students' progress will be monitored and assessed, and a range of support services will be provided to facilitate the transition to full-time employment, more advanced studies, or both.
This means that not only will students have access to a wider range of options to prepare them for a variety of career or further education paths, but also that students will leave the system with qualifications to perform in the workplace; answering long-held concerns that students leave our schools inadequately prepared for life beyond school.
Another key feature of the new structure is that it provides for the first time ever in the Cayman Islands, a safety net for students by giving them a critical second-chance to resit exams.
‘Better Pathways’ is planned to begin in 2009. This means that students currently in years 9 and 10 are presently choosing options. Going forward, this aligned structure is an integral component of the evolution of Cayman’s education system. It addresses the needs of all our children regardless of background, aptitude or ability, and builds in contingency for those who need and deserve a second chance. The new structure brings Cayman’s education system even further in line with best practices from around the world, yet brings education closer to home by catering to the varied individual needs of our very own students. The new plan offers a more varied range of options for students, many developed through strategic partnerships with entities outside our schools’ walls, and caters more effectively for the differing needs of students by supplementing traditional academic options with those of more specific social and economic relevance, such as Leisure and Tourism, Health and Social care or Automechanics.
.In summary, ‘Better Pathways, Brighter Futures’ is designed to give each young person in our education system the support and opportunities they need and deserve to achieve their highest potential."
This Ministry of Education blog 'Building Caymans Future' reached a new milestone this week when our visitor tracking software recorded visits from even more new countries meaning that the total of countries that have visited the blog now exceeds 100.
