The ETT was established in 2005 to lead the restructuring and transformation of the education system, as recommended by the task force report on education. The team has six workstreams.
"What we have decided to do is the prudent thing, the ministerially correct thing, that these projects that have been brought to a level where they can be absorbed into the ministry, we do them now," Holness told journalists at a press conference at his Heroes Circle offices yesterday.
In a communiqué to Frank Weeple, executive director of the ETT on Wednesday, the Ministry of Education advised that, effective January 2, 2009, all functions under the Curriculum Teaching and Learning Workstream would be absorbed by the Ministry of Education and attached to the core curriculum unit.
Staff members who work on this team will have their contracts run until they expire in March, August or September with different reporting arrangements. Other members whose contracts end in December have had them renewed until March. One administrative staff member's contract, which will expire at the end of this month, will not be renewed.
Less workload
Holness said that when this absorption is done, it would lessen the workload of the transformation staff to focus on the projects, which have not been brought to fruition, as well as speed up the process.
The Behaviour Change and Community Workstream will continue under the ETT.
Holness said Weeple was aware of his concern that the transformation process was not moving as quickly as it should.
"In subsequent meetings, I gave indicative dates as to when I would want to see things happen and we did outline that we want to start the mainstreaming of projects right away," he said.
The minister said the ETT was always structured to be a policy development and implementation unit, adding that it was never designed to be the unit that operates the projects.
"What we discovered was happening is that they (the ETT) actually started to operate these projects. Effectively, what we would be doing is creating a parallel ministry and this was never the intention and is not the managerially feasible thing to do," said Holness.
Weeple's contract, Holness said, would be reviewed when it expires in 2009.
The ETT employs 177 people, 127 of whom are attached to the curriculum, teaching and learning workstream.