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Jamaica

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Jamaica is the most populated Caribbean Commonwealth nation, with over2.8 million people (World Bank, 2022).

COL plays an important role in supporting Jamaica’s education and training systems, particularly in the areas of higher education through the Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth (VUSSC) network, Lifelong Learning for Farmers, Skills for Work, and Technology-Enabled Learning. The University of the Commonwealth Caribbean (UCC) offers COL’s Commonwealth Executive Master of Business Administration and Master of Public Administration programmes and serves on the programmes’ academic and executive governing boards. Learners from Jamaica are also participating in COL’s free online courses and benefitting from other openly available resources.

Highlights

  • Developed national Online Distance Technology-Enhanced Learning (ODTEL) framework.
  • Promoting climate literacy through partnerships with the University of the West Indies, giving learners and educators a strong foundation in climate change science.
  • Improving outcomes for disengaged boys with the Boys’ Education Empowerment Project in partnership with the Jamaica Teaching Council.
  • Advancing employability by supporting the Caribbean Examinations Council with the integration of micro-credentials into regional education systems.
  • Supporting teachers and learners through initiatives, such as COL’s Teacher-in-the-Loop AI model, enabling capacity building, and co-creation of open educational resources (OER).

Partners

Partnerships are fundamental to COL’s work. Strategic partnerships allow COL to broaden its reach and engage at global, regional and national levels, while implementation partners support COL’s work in communities and institutions across Commonwealth Member States. Partners include multilateral organisations, regional bodies, national governments, government agencies, foundations, civil society organisations, public and private (not-for-profit) institutions and the private sector. COL partnerships assist in improving and extending teaching and learning services to people in the developing Commonwealth.

COL’s partners in Jamaica include:

  • Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information
  • Ascot High School
  • Caribbean Examinations Council
  • Caribbean Maritime University
  • Jamaica Teaching Council
  • Rural Agricultural Development Authority
  • Sam Sharpe Teachers College
  • University of the West Indies, Mona
  • University of the Commonwealth Caribbean
  • University Council of Jamaica
  • University of Technology
  • Vocational Training Development Institute

Key Contacts

Focal Point

Dr Phylicia Marshall
Assistant Chief Education Officer
Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information

Notable Mention

Dr Nancy George, Honorary COL Adviser

Dr Marlene Hamilton, former member of COL Board of Governors

The late Dr Dennis H. Irvine, COL Honorary Fellow

The Honourable Sir Alister McIntyre, former member of COL Board of Governors

The Honourable Burchell Whiteman, OJ, COL Honorary Fellow and former Chair, COL Board of Governors

More Information

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