Grenada’s Chief Education Officer, Angella Finlay, underscores the importance of stake-holder interest as far as it concerns the transformation of the education system.
Representing Grenada recently at the 10th annual regional meeting for Chief Education Officers, Directors and planners, Mrs. Finlay outlined the need to improve what she termed as “stakeholder buy-in” to realize an effective change management process.
Reflecting on the challenges facing regional Education, Mrs. Finlay sees the stakeholder buy-in initiative as being very important.
According to her, those critical in the change process, principals, teachers and parents, need to be sufficiently informed so that their input can make a desirable difference.
The OECS Commission highlighted continued professional development opportunities available through the OECS Programme for Education and Relevant Learning (PEARL), and the Digital Education Capacity-Strengthening Initiative (DECI) for leadership training and content development.
Among other things, the meeting came up with a few recommendations, including the development of a Child Online Protection Policy Framework and Strategy, which would seek to protect children online.
It will also include the establishment of a Child Online Protection Committee and the launch of a Child Online Protection awareness campaign.
The delegates also agreed to strengthening of data collection and access through a regional Education Management Information System (EMIS) to inform decision making.
This access to data will facilitate improved decision-making to address issues facing the education system.
It’s also recommended that there be increased opportunities for professional development for building teachers’ capacity and to drive change.
