Teach cybersecurity in schools – OPM official

Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), Ambassador Dr Rocky Meade, wants cybersecurity education added to Jamaica's school curriculum, beginning at the primary level.

He made the call at the opening ceremony for the Jamaica Cyber Youth Empowerment Academy at the S Hotel in Kingston on Monday. Meade highlighted the shortage of cybersecurity professionals in the country and region, noting that the gap could have serious consequences if left unaddressed.

"Some of the classic symptoms include increased risk and vulnerability to cyberattacks for organisations, higher costs associated with breaches, burnout among the existing cybersecurity professionals due to the shortage, compliance issues and potential fines in regulated industries, innovation challenges that slow the digital transformation efforts, and the economic impacts, potentially leading to trillions of dollars of unrealised annual revenue," he outlined.

He said addressing the issue requires bold and disruptive action across the entire cyber talent pipeline.

"This includes [the] introduction of cyber and its associated branches at the primary level within our education system; and the reason for that is, our youngsters, our babies, are naturally digitally capable. You give them a device, and they figure something out without reading the instructions. If we seek to take them away from the devices at the primary level, and then we hope to re-introduce it at the tertiary level, it would not be the best way for them to develop. So we need primary, secondary, tertiary level... building progressively," he stated. Meade further emphasised that addressing the national cybersecurity gap requires a multifaceted approach--one that promotes public awareness, modernises training programmes, and makes certification more accessible and affordable.

Thirty young Jamaicans, age 18 to 24, have commenced a six-month intensive cybersecurity training programme at the academy. The initiative was developed through collaboration among the OPM, the Ministry of National Security and Peace, and the Organization of American States, with funding support from the Government of Canada.