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No name change for Pathways initiative in schools - Troupe

Published:Wednesday | November 10, 2021 | 2:20 PM
Troupe: "So, this is not a new terminology. It actually refers to a programme of study for individuals and if you look in the international sphere where you talk about flexible pathways [in education], it is actually aligned with where the science is going on this so we are working with that [name] at this moment in time.” - File photo.

Acting chief education officer in the Ministry of Education Dr Kasan Troupe says despite the current negative connotation associated with the word pathway, there is no plan to change the name of the government's new programme for secondary schools.

Since being introduced recently, the Sixth Form Pathways Programme (SFPP) has been subjected to negative remarks arising from the dark cloud that still hangs over the controversial Pathways International Kingdom Restoration Ministries in Montego Bay, St James.

The church and its now-deceased pastor Kevin Smith have taken national attention in recent weeks arising from a cult-like religious ritual at the compound where two persons were killed in a ceremony.

Troupe told The Gleaner that there is no consideration to undertake a name change due to current sentiments.

“We understand that it is trending now but [the term] is an education jargon that has been built into our national standards curriculum from 2016,” said Troupe.

The government has also been implementing the Alternative Pathways to Secondary Education (APSE) at the primary level prior to that [time], Troupe said.

“So, this is not a new terminology. It actually refers to a programme of study for individuals and if you look in the international sphere where you talk about flexible pathways [in education], it is actually aligned with where the science is going on this so we are working with that [name] at this moment in time,” she said.

The SFPP extends high school attendance to a mandatory seven years and is designed to allow all students to matriculate up to Grade 13, exiting the formal education system at age 18 with an Associate Degree or its equivalent.

The Career Advancement Programme (CAP) was fully subsumed into the SFPP since September 2020.

- Tameka Gordon

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