Last month, the Ministry of Education (MoE), announced the Government’s new programme for children who have not attained mastery on the Grade Four Literacy Test and therefore not able to sit the Grade Six Achievement Test for placement in secondary schools. These students will be moved into what is now known as the Alternative Secondary Transitional Education Programme (ASTEP).
The ASTEP is, according to the MoE, 'designed to provide a safety net for children at the end of the primary level who will require special intensive support and intervention to advance to the next stage.' Each child will remain in the programme for a maximum of two years, over which time their progress will be closely monitored. The programme will focus on developing the literacy skills of the students and ensuring that they are able to successfully transition to the secondary level. The idea behind this programme is that some children need additional time and more specific support before moving on to the secondary level.
The Minister of Education has supported a call for a full parliamentary debate on the Alternative Secondary Transitional Education Programme (ASTEP) and the Jamaica Partners for Educational Progress would like to give our members an opportunity to share their thoughts with each other and policy makers. So, we have secured the final programme documents, as well as the programme summary for your review and reflection. We encourage all members to read the document and share with us your views on the appropriateness and potential effectiveness of this new programme.
The review and comment period will begin on Wednesday, April 27 and end on Friday, May 13. The CoP Facilitation Team will monitor the comments submitted and provide the community with a weekly summary, including suggestions for issues or ideas that could be further explored and fleshed out by the community. The Facilitation Team will compile the feedback and recommendations from our members into a single summary document that will be shared with the Minister of Education at the conclusion of our community review.
How to participate:
- All CoP Members may participate in the consultation by reviewing the ASTEP policy document and submitting a comment.
- Please note that your comments will not be delivered to the entire group until the weekly compilation of posts is sent out by the Facilitation Team.
- At the end of the consultation period, the Facilitation Team will develop a summary document of member recommendations to share with the community.
We are excited for the opportunity to participate in this important policy discussion and we look forward to hearing from all of our members over the next three weeks.