Make a Difference!!! VOLUNTEER TO SERVE ON A SCHOOL BOARD NATIONAL COUNCIL ON EDUCATION Networking for Change Through Education
New Directions In THE GOVERNANCE OF
SCHOOL BOARDS
NATIONAL COUNCIL ON EDUCATION
ABOUT THE NATIONAL COUNCIL ON EDUCATION (NCE) 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 organization 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 The Council performs a number of functions inclusive of advising the Minister on policy matters relating to education in Jamaica, nominating suitable persons for appointment to Boards of Management in public educational institutions and assisting in the preparation of plans and programmes for developing and maintaining an effective and efficient educational system.
RATIONALE FOR REVISED PROCEDURES Effective governance of schools is essential to ensure positive student outcomes. It is against this background that a set of revised procedures for school board appointment is being introduced. These procedures are intended to: (a) support the Ministry of Education’s new accountability framework (c) obviate any potential conflict of interest in the appointment process (d) improve transparency (e) facilitate more timely appointment of school boards (f) raise the profile of school boards (g) standardize the appointment process based on acceptable governance practices
ELEMENTS OF THE REVISED PROCEDURES The revised procedures entail the introduction of strategies to support effective governance in school. These include, inter alia, the establishment of: (i) Criteria for the appointment of Board members inclusive of qualification requirements and special attributes are as follows: (a) Nominated Member - Must be numerate and literate. Chairman – Must have secondary/vocational qualification and demonstrate the capacity and capability to serve. Special attributes include strong negotiating, conflict resolution and inter-personal skills. (b) All members must be fit and Proper Persons i.e. they must be persons of sound mind, have not been convicted of an offence under the Offences Against the Persons Act, the Child Care and Protection Act, Sexual Offences Act or an offence of fraud and dishonesty.
(ii) A national pool of volunteers A call for volunteers for persons to serve as chairmen and members and will be issued on a phased basis. Volunteers will be drawn from professional bodies such as the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica (ICAJ), Service Clubs, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) Private Sector Organization of Jamaica (PSOJ) and Jamaica Civil Service Association (JCSA). Persons willing to serve should complete an application form which is signed either by a Justice of the Peace, a Notary Public or a Minister of Religion. (iii) A three member Review Panel consisting of the Regional Director or his or her designate, the Member of Parliament or his or her designate, and a representative from the community or a reputable Parent Teachers Association, will be responsible to recommend persons to serve from the established pool. The Review Panels are organized by constituencies while the Community Representative is selected by the Regional Director in consultation with the NCE. The Panel will meet and review applications submitted by volunteers who have been enlisted in the pool. A matrix outlining school type, the names of the individual selected from the pool, the position for which the person has been nominated to serve, will be completed at the meeting for each panel. Once completed, the matrix is signed off by each member of the Review Panel and submitted to the NCE for processing. (iv) Standards of performance and tenure – No member under normal circumstances should serve beyond three consecutive terms (a term based on the Education Regulations is three years) on any one school board. The National Council on Education reserves the right to review the performance of each nominated member in order to determine eligibility for re-appointment after each term of office.