Minister of Education Senator Ruel Reid is clearly a man with new ideas.

His ministry’s latest idea of seven-year secondary education, however, lacks clarity.

When it was first announced on Wednesday at the launch of the Alternative Pathways to Secondary Education (APSE) initiative, it was described as a “compulsory education policy” placing students on a path to completing “at least seven years at the secondary level”.

It has since been stated by the ministry that the additional two years of schooling will be applicable only to those students who need this support to sufficiently develop their skills. The phrasing has taken the form of “an opportunity to complete two extra years”.

The two extra years will come under the Career Advancement Programme (CAP), which is to be rolled out by all secondary institutions in September. CAP includes “structured programmes being offered during the day or afternoons in schools and other training institutions, the Registered Apprenticeship Programme, and other work-study initiatives” offered by organisations like the HEART Trust/NTA.

Supposedly, upon leaving grade 11, “all students will have an opportunity to pursue Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations, Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) papers, Caribbean Vocational Qualification, National Vocational Qualification of Jamaica programmes, and City and Guilds qualification”.

But administratively, the public is not clear on what this redefinition of high school education will mean. We understand that many youngsters leave grade 11 without requisite qualification to continue on to tertiary life and are not easily absorbed into the workforce. The latest phrasing of the ministry’s announcement suggests that there will simply be an extension of vocational programmes, already offered by HEART Trust/NTA et al, into high schools.

But other than the simple question of who will staff these engorged structured programmes – since it presumably would not be the same teachers under whose guidance these students underachieved the first time around – other questions arise.

Where will the space come from for the day programmes in our already overcrowded schools?

Primarily, though, we are concerned with what this means for the curriculum. This CAP reform comes along with APSE reform, which has been described as tailored curricula, enabling each learner to perform to his/her fullest potential based on aptitude, interest and ability. The variation of curricula based on students’ interest and abilities has long been needed.

But does this mean more subjects will be offered by high schools? Have teachers been trained in helping students along each path? Will high schools who have restrictions on what variation of subjects a child may choose to do in CSEC end these restrictions? Are the only compulsory CSEC subjects now Mathematics and English?

We note that consultations have been ongoing with schools and critical stakeholders. These critical stakeholders must include the very failed students who need these initiatives publicly explained in clear and simple fashion.

Senator Reid’s mind is in the right place, and these ideas sound promising, but more information is needed from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information.