Montserrat hosts 3rd Annual OECS Meeting of Permanent Secretaries

The Ministry of Education, Youth Affairs and Sports is hosting the 3rd Annual OECS Meeting of Permanent Secretaries in Montserrat.

The meeting, which commences on Tuesday, will be chaired by the acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Mr. Lyston Skerritt.

The meeting will focus on advancing action plans for improving the implementation of education initiatives in the OECS.

Skerritt says the effort illustrates the OECS value of engaging stakeholders at various levels of the education system.

He continues, that with this vision in mind, the OECS Education Development Management Unit sees value in bringing together Permanent Secretaries of the Ministries of Education of the OECS, considering their role in managing personnel and budgets, and playing a leading role in policy development.

The meeting recognizes the importance of collaboration and networking between Permanent Secretaries collaborate to dialogue on the issues affecting education.

Mr Skerritt points out that this meeting of the minds, will allow for the emergence of effective strategies for improving the efficiencies and competencies of the Ministry of Education personnel.

The OECS Education Sector Strategy (OESS) endorsed by the Council of Ministers of Education in May 2011 was accepted as the framework for educational development in the Member States. 

With a vision of “Every Learner Succeeds,” the main purpose of the OESS is to guide the educational directions and priorities of Member States. 

Guided by the Strategy and the overarching Revised Treaty of Basseterre in 2010, the Education Development Management Unit (EDMU) of the OECS Commission has been lobbying resources for programme design and implementation to support national efforts and initiatives that align with the imperatives of the OESS.

The EDMU continues to play a major coordinating role with Member States’ Ministries of Education towards harmonized efforts and approaches to addressing multiple issues affecting the education sector.

Skerritt says though some successes have been realized, there is need and opportunity to achieve much more to the ultimate benefit of all citizens of the OECS, particularly students in classrooms of the OECS. 

This year’s meeting will be the first in person meeting since the COVID-19 pandemic.