Database to assess student development coming

Government will be implementing a database to evaluate primary and secondary students for the purpose of devising strategies better suited to their development.

Minister of Education Ruel Reid made the disclosure late last week at the Regional Data Security Conference at the Jamaica Conference Centre, which was jointly staged by the American Chamber of Commerce, Jamaica, and e-Biz Pro Train.

Reid said that additional technological features would be inserted into the teaching and learning experience, including online examinations.

"The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information is also developing an education management information system (EMIS), which will be supported by information from the national student registration," disclosed Reid.

"The EMIS will create an account for each student in which his or her cumulative records will be stored. To facilitate this, each student will be assigned a unique identification number that will track the student throughout the primary and secondary levels of the system. The permanent student record will include data on attendance, performance, achievement, and behaviour," the education minister explained.

Government has already passed legislation to create a national identification system and the national student registration system (NSRS), and Reid explained that EMIS is geared towards a data-driven decision-making process.

"This also helps us to better craft responses to new developments and trends, based on specifics and not anecdotal reports," he said. "We are also looking at having more of the teaching and learning experience as well as exams being done online. This requires an equal investment in the technology and the protection features to ensure the integrity of our systems."

ICT necessary for development

Themed 'Your Data, Your Rights: What Individuals and Companies Should know', the two-day regional data security conference addressed several data-security concerns and provided information and solutions regarding the activation of the General Data Protection Regulation in the European Union this year, which highlighted the growing importance of managing risks and opportunities related to the digital landscape.

"Jamaica's National Cyber Security Strategy recognises that information and communications technology is a necessary tool for national development and that systems must be in place to mitigate the inherent risks which come with it," said Reid.

"We are at a place in human development where we have little choice but to be fully engaged and informed about the world of digital technology and along with it our rights and the measures to better protect personal, institutional, and national data. This conference is an important platform in helping to shape and share perspectives," he added.