The Education Strategic Plan (ESP) was developed with the intention of ensuring the education system contributes to raising the standard of living and improving the overall effectiveness of education. However, periodic monitoring and re-evaluations are critical to ensuring the achievement of set goals. Managers and regional heads of the Education Ministry met yesterday at the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD) to assess and report on the progress of the ESP which is slated to commence in 2013.
While addressing the gathering, Education Minister Shaik Baksh indicated that the ESP was developed via countrywide consultation. He further made reference to the new education legislation which is currently at the Auditor General’s chambers.

Minister Baksh stated that the ministry is pushing for the legislation’s approval to facilitate further debates in Parliament and its implementation by the end of the school year.
Importantly, the legislation supports the ESP which has gone through several presentations both nationally and internationally. He emphasised that the most successful of these presentations was one at a donors’ meeting in Paris, which resulted in the receipt of US $20.5M for its implementation. This is a positive indication of the plan’s quality.
Minister Baksh pointed out that the Education Ministry was able to secure US$1M for the implementation of the educational television channel which will aid the promotion of distance education. It is hoped that this initiative will commence during the first quarter of 2011.
In previous discussions held during the week, education managers were able to discuss the quality improvements in the educational outcomes. Several initiatives addressing HIV/AIDS, inclusive education and science, technology and innovation, have operational plans which provide strong backing for the ESP. However, they are subject to change based on outcomes of reviews and evaluations.
Minister Baksh noted that initiatives addressing teacher education, ICT, TVET and literacy have supporting operational plans, which are separate from the ESP. These documents were presented to government for funding and have been successful. One such is the ICT programme which was allotted $40M for the refurbishing of information technology labs in schools countrywide.

He further stressed the need for the strengthening of monitoring and evaluating of the ESP and more focus being placed on results. Additionally, feedback, supervision and partnerships between the regional education system and the schools are critical.   
The Education Ministry’s regional heads were urged to report shortcomings in the implementation of policies, thereby facilitating changes that effect improvements.
Minister Baksh noted that the ESP contains strong indicators of the improvements the education system seeks to achieve. These include attendance rates of both students and teachers, coverage of the curriculum, and improved performance at all levels.
In this regard, he reported an improvement in teachers’ daily attendance from 77 percent to 90 percent; however the target is 95 percent. There were also successes in the CSEC results for Mathematics and English, which recorded 59 percent and 69 percent, respectively.
Minister Baksh pointed out that there is need for more public awareness since there are many who are not fully aware of the programmes and initiatives of the Education Ministry. He also noted that both parents and teachers need to be brought on board to support the efforts of the ministry in ensuring enhanced student performance.
The ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Pulandar Khandai, stressed the need for safe keeping of the feeding programme stocks, the proper distribution of text books, and the logging of all resources, including furniture, equipment and tools.
Monitoring and evaluation are an integral part of the Education Strategic Plan, and this is done by the respective schools, the regional education department, the MERD unit, and other departments in the ministry.  These ensure that the various policies and initiatives of the ministry fulfil their purposes in ensuring the delivery of quality education that caters to the various needs of students. (GINA)
File photo of Baksh