Live blog NCB Digital Transformation Symposium - Ruel Reid - Up-skilling and Re-skilling for a Digital Society

Up-skilling and Re-skilling for a Digital Society

Ruel Reid

Good morning


I do embrace technology and I'm considered to be a disrupter, just tell me what the problem is and I'll take on all the challenges and [make it happen]

I've been discussing how we in education have to embrace technology.

Our prime minister is passionate about digital transformation. We are in the business of developing our human resources. We need to ensure our system is producing the humans needed for this change.

Humans change slowly (evolutionary)
Technology changes quickly (revolutionary)

We are seeing ICT innovations with IoT, Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality, Big Data and Blockchain.

The united nations has as sustainable development goal "Quality education".

Putting on my HR hat, I've been advocating a mandatory 30 hours of professional development for every employee to promote lifelong learning for all. This aligns with our strategic plan vision 2030.

The ministry has achieved the following:

• MoEYI Strategic direction for new and emerging technologies 
• National ICT Competency Framework for Teachers and Curriculum that will ensure that teachers have the basic skills required to prepare students 

Examples of transformation:

Was a forerunner in implementing a digital school management system at Jamaica College, there was a time when we had to enter grades on broadsheet paper reports, now you can be [anywhere] and upload the data.

PEP ...

CXC is moving to digitally delivered exams. Eventually students won't need to travel to exam centres to do exams. You can stay home with your smart device and do your exam.

We can have a master teacher teach the whole country and help to address the "teach shortage". Campion College is leading the way in flipping the classroom.

Addressing Patrick Hylton "I expect NCB to match some of the things I'm doing in the education system"

These strategies form the [foundation] that will help the ministry to address the needs to meet the needs of the labour market.

Not just catch up but leapfrog!

We were leaders in the 1960s and we have the opportunity to leapfrog ahead of Estonia. We don't want to just be like Estonia, we ant to be better. Most education systems are based on models implemented over a century ago. Digital transformation is causing… new jobs requiring skillsets.

You will soon benefit from the new Jamaican creative minds.