MISSION STATEMENT

“To provide leadership in stimulating, advising and promoting consensus in the development of educational policies to support the nation’s pursuit of a comprehensive, coherent and consistent system of education.”  

NCE was established by an Act of Parliament in March 1993. It is a statutory body within the Ministry of Education (MOE).

WHY A NATIONAL COUNCIL ON EDUCATION?

The establishment of the NCE was born out of the need to have a non-partisan, national and strategically placed organisation that would "address a wide range of issues impacting on the education process."  The aim is to ensure continuity in policy development as well as to facilitate greater community involvement in the management of educational institutions.

FUNCTIONS OF THE COUNCIL

1. Advise the Minister on policy matters relating to education in Jamaica.
2. Nominate suitable persons for appointment to Boards of Management in public educational institutions.
3. Assist in the preparation of plans and programmes for developing and maintaining an effective and efficient educational system.
4. Monitor and evaluate the implementation of these programmes and making appropriate recommendations to the Minister.
5. Stimulate the development of education in Jamaica, by means of     training programmes, competitions, exhibitions or otherwise, as     the Council thinks appropriate;
6. Perform other functions relating to education as may be assigned by the Minister;
7. Design and implement training programmes for the benefit of members of Boards of Management;
8. Undertake research in connection with its functions and publish or otherwise disseminate the findings of such research;
9. Recognize exemplary service in the field of education in Jamaica, and make such awards, as it thinks fit, to persons selected by the Council in accordance with criteria approved by the Minister.

PROGRAMMES & PLANS OF THE COUNCIL

Since our inception the Council has pursued the implementation of the following plans and programmes:

• Standardization of the appointment of School Boards through the cyclical appointment of Boards by Regions.
• Training of Members of School Boards on a continuous basis.
• Development of an Award System to facilitate the honouring of Boards of Management of Public Educational Institutions.
• Conduct research to highlight the performance of standards in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) Exams and the Grade Four Literacy Test (GFLT).
• Monitoring the performance of the Education Transformation Project.
• Timely dissemination of information to inform the public of the role and functions of the NCE and the importance of education as an agent of change.