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Parents Urged To Educate Children About Dangers Of Digital Media

The Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC) is encouraging parents to educate their children about the dangers of using digital media, in order to limit their exposure to harmful content and characters.

Speaking with JIS News, Information Technology Manager at the CAC, Andrew Evelyn, noted that with children now doing online learning, due to the closure of schools, there will be a marked increase in their use of digital media and gadgets.

“Persons with nefarious intent can circumvent the kids’ applications, so the main reprieve is to educate and adapt an approach of discussing with the children the danger of these devices and social media. They will come across content and people that do not have good intentions, so we have to educate them early,” he said.

As such, he said that parents should make it a priority to learn more about laws such as the Cybercrimes Act and the Child Pornography (Prevention) Act, so they can better sensitise their children.

Mr. Evelyn further advised parents to caution children against engaging in hacking or other illegal activities on the Internet.

“With more time on their hands, they may explore hacking websites and applications. They may try to find a way to circumvent the security protocols of applications and websites, so have a discussion with them so they know that it’s illegal and wrong,” he pointed out.

He said that cyberbullying is another issue that parents should discuss with their children.

“Cyberbullying is occurring not just in social media but also in the games children play regularly. There are also some users who use these gaming apps that may post links to harmful content and ask for [the child’s] numbers, so it important to educate them frequently and also limit their access,” Mr. Evelyn said.

He pointed out that for teenagers and young adults, parents should emphasise the importance of personal responsibility when using their devices.

“Encourage them to learn more about cybersecurity, the dangers of technology and social media as they have a little more freedom, so their online behaviour rests more on their responsible usage. Let them know that whatever they share online stays there forever and not to share sexually explicit photos of themselves with anyone,” he said.

Mr. Evelyn said that teenagers and young adults should also be encouraged to exercise caution in terms of dating and socialising online, as persons they interact with could have created fake profiles.

The CAC is the national agency responsible for consumer advocacy. For further information, persons can call 876-906-5425 or email [email protected].

Education Ministry Distributes Literacy Books To 800 Schools

Sonia White, principal of St. Patrick’s Primary School in the Corporate Area, receives supplies of Literacy 1-2-3 textbooks from Claudette Carter, director of the United States Agency for International Development /Ministry of Education’s  Improved Reading Outcomes Project, which funded the recent procurement of 613,000 books. Approximately 800 schools along with parish libraries and teachers’ colleges will receive supplies of the Literacy 1-2-3 books. Other Ministry of Education personnel are assisting with the sorting and distribution process.

Students And Teachers Take Part In Heritage Expo

JIS: More than 2,000 students and teachers from primary and secondary schools across the island gathered on the grounds of the Seville Heritage Park in St. Ann, on October 16, to participate in the 2019 Seville Heritage Expo.

 

The expo, which is in its 23rd year of staging, was held under the theme: ‘Experience Cultural Fusion’, and promoted Jamaica’s heritage through exhibitions, speech, drumming, music and dance.

 

The event was geared towards encouraging the school community and citizens to appreciate the evolution of education in Jamaica and the impact of cultural heritage to this transition.

 

There were exhibitions from the Nigerian Embassy, Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT), Bank of Jamaica (BOJ), Dolphin Cove, Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), St. Ann Health Department, CALS Manufacturing and the Jamaica Information Service (JIS).

 

The expo also featured a wreath-laying ceremony to honour the country’s seven National Heroes.

 

In an interview with JIS News, Heritage Event Consultant for the expo, Joan Seagears, said the main aim of the annual event is to encourage students to embrace their cultural heritage.

 

She pointed out that year’s staging was the largest, with over 150 schools participating in the day’s activities.

 

“It has been growing steadily ever since we started. What we hope to achieve is total involvement of our students and especially our teachers. We know that people have been saying that history is dead but today (October 16), you can see for yourselves that history is alive and history is exciting,” she told the gathering.

 

Ms. Seagears added that the Seville Heritage Park is ideal for an event of this magnitude, as the historical site celebrates hundreds of years of Jamaica’s history.

 

“There are so many different historical facts pertaining to this site that is vital to Jamaica’s development. It is rich in heritage, so what we are doing here today embraces the history of Seville and the history of Jamaica,” she said.

 

In the meantime, Nigerian High Commissioner to Jamaica, Her Excellency Janet Omoleegho Olisa, who participated in the day’s activities, told JIS News that the High Commission’s involvement in the expo is a demonstration of Jamaica’s shared heritage with Nigeria and a show of unity.

 

Ms. Olisa said that she was pleased to see the high number of students who turned out to enjoy the offerings at the expo.

 

“The reason why the High Commission always participates in the Seville Heritage Expo is that we have the same heritage. When our ancestors were brought out of Nigeria, some came to Jamaica and [this is one of the ways] we can participate and show the oneness, the togetherness and the ancestral roots that we have. So, we participate to teach the children where we are from,” she said.

 

The 320-acre Seville Heritage site boasts a museum/heritage education centre, which displays a wide array of artefacts and ruins, representing an accurate and comprehensive report of our Amerindian, European and African foreparents, their individual cultures and how these cultures interacted.

 

CAPTION: Gahbryell Lee (left) and Lee-Ann Fray (right) of Simon Primary and Infant School in Sligoville, St. Catherine, examine a portrait of National Hero, The Right Excellent Nanny of the Maroons, at the 2019 Heritage Expo, held at the Seville Heritage Park in St. Ann on Wednesday, October 16.

Education Officers’ Roles Being Revamped

JIS: Regional Director for the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information’s Region 3, Sophia Forbes Hall, says the duties of education officers are being transformed.

 

“The education officer, over the years, has primarily carried the role of an administrator. We are moving beyond that in order to make teaching and learning our priority,” she emphasized.

 

To this end, the Regional Director said “you will find that our senior education officers will no longer be assigned to levels of the system, but will be assigned to parishes”.

 

Mrs. Forbes Hall said all stakeholders “will be formally advised, as we move forward”.

 

She was speaking at the recent Quality Education Circle (QEC) 27 stakeholders’ conference, at Troy High School in Trelawny.

 

Mrs. Forbes Hall said the decision to revamp the duties of education officers is intended to afford them more time to analyse data relating to students’ performances in high-stakes exit examinations, such as those at the secondary level.

 

This initiative is intended to ensure that students receive quality education at all levels of the system.

 

Mrs. Forbes Hall further advised that the Ministry’s QEC team will be assisting education officers in analysing the data and creating a template for each region. The template will providing guidance regarding the extent of support required for each educational institution in a QEC.

 

Meanwhile, the Regional Director encouraged stakeholders to continue supporting the QEC concept, “as we move forward in ensuring that the education system is ‘super- ready’ to receive our 21st century children”.

 

“We require the support of all partners on board. We require the support of parents, schools and support through partnerships [with] our business community,” she emphasised.

 

Mrs. Forbes Hall also underscored that one of the Ministry’s main priorities is fostering public-private sector partnerships, noting that these are critical in maximizing the resources deemed pivotal to advancing education.

 

The QEC, which was commenced in 2009, is a programme which sees a diverse group of administrators within a particular area, collaborating to create a ‘learning community’ for professionals in education.

 

Through this medium, educators and other stakeholders meet at specific times throughout the school year to share best practices, discuss challenges, propose solutions, assess the progress made, as well as celebrate achievements.

 

The Ministry’s Regions are further divided into QECs, each of which is assigned an education officer who is referred to as a convener.

 

The QEC’s members are expected to meet with all stakeholders in their region at least once per annum. At these meetings, general information about the performances of schools is presented which affords stakeholders the opportunity to share best practices.

 

For her part, Education Officer and South Trelawny QEC 27 Convener, Veniesha Morgridge, lauded the QEC area for their achievements over recent years.

 

She reported that South Trelawny has the 10 registered basic schools, the most in Region 3, to date.

 

Mrs. Morgridge also advised that the three high schools in the QEC – Albert Town High, Troy High, and Westwood High – performed well the in 2018/19 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations.

 

“All three high schools are blazing the trail in QEC 27; they have not become complacent… they are growing,” she stated.

 

The conference featured presentations from key stakeholders within the Ministry on best practices, school performances as well as the way forward.

 

The event was held under the theme: ‘Celebrating Success: From Vision to Action’.

Rainwater Harvesting Systems to be Installed at 30 Additional Schools

 

JIS: Approximately 30 additional schools will benefit from rainwater harvesting systems to be installed by Rural Water Supply Limited (RWSL).

 

The agency recently commissioned into service systems installed at Rock Hall All Age School in St. Andrew, and Enid Bennett High School in St. Catherine, with another 30 set for completion by the end of the 2019/20 fiscal year.

 

Managing Director, Audley Thompson, says the agency’s increased budget is enabling it to install systems in more educational institutions and communities.

 

Mr. Thompson indicated that RWSL had discussions with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, and obtained a list of 182 primary schools which are also require improved water supply, adding that funding is being sought to install systems at those institutions.

 

The Managing Director was speaking at the recent commissioning of the $7 million rainwater harvesting system installed at Enid Bennett High School.  

 

Meanwhile, Mr. Thompson said the RWSL will be installing 26 minor water supply systems, which will afford improved access to the amenity for some 65, 000 residents islandwide.

 

He informed that these will be established in several communities, including Hamwalk, Redwood, Lucky Valley, Sligoville, and Watermount.

 

“We intend, also, to complete 23 catchment tanks [which] will benefit approximately 6,000 residents. We will continue to earnestly fulfil the mandate which we have been charged with by the Government and people of Jamaica,” Mr. Thompson stated.

 

He indicated that RWSL recently provided water solutions to the Gardon Hill Primary School, in St. Catherine, where the institution is being utilised to supply the community storage tank with pipelines installed to facilitate distribution.

 

Additionally, rainwater harvesting systems, storage facilities, and a number of 400-gallon black tanks were also provided for residents of Giblatore in the parish, with funding from the Inter-American Development Bank.

 

The RWSL is an agency of the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, with a mission to design, plan, and implement potable water infrastructures.

HEART/NTA Better Positioned To Drive Human Capital Development

JIS: Managing Director of the HEART Trust/NTA, Dr. Janet Dyer, says the merger of the entity with the Jamaican Foundation for Lifelong Learning (JFLL), National Youth Service (NYS) and the Apprenticeship Board has better positioned the agency to carry out its role as the driver for human capital development.

 

Dr. Dyer, who was addressing a recent JIS Think Tank, said that the operational and administrative aspects of the merger are complete, while work on the amended Act is in the final stages.

 

She said that the amalgamation of the entities, which is the largest to date in the public service, is in keeping with public sector transformation and modernisation programme and the imperative for a trained and certified labour force to meet the demands of the local and global markets.

 

She noted that the HEART Trust/NTA is now better able to help all working age and retired Jamaicans to maximise their potential for work, volunteerism, mentorship and national service, therefore advancing Jamaica’s growth and development.

 

“As the national training agency, we are obligated to put mechanisms in place to ensure that Jamaicans are equipped with the necessary skills to better themselves,” she noted.

 

Dr. Dyer told JIS News that 97.9 per cent of the institution’s training programmes are aligned with labour market demand. She noted that the agency provides training in eight of the priority sectors under Vision 2030 Jamaica – tourism, information and communications technology (ICT), agriculture, construction, creative industries, manufacturing, and mining and quarrying, which are the latest to be added.

 

Among the objectives of the HEART Trust/NTA are: to increase access to training and certification, especially in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics; upgrade and expand work-based learning and apprenticeship programmes; and support labour market programmes aligned with the economic development and growth agenda.

 

CAPTION: Managing Director of the HEART Trust/NTA, Dr. Janet Dyer, addressing a recent JIS Think Tank.

 

PHOTOS: Minister Samuda With Teacher In Hospital

JIS: 

CAPTION ONE: Minister without Portfolio with responsibility for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Karl Samuda (left); Acting Chief Education Officer, Dr. Kasan Troupe (centre) and Acting Regional Director, Region 1, Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Alison Cooke-Hawthorne, speak with teacher who was recently attacked by pitbulls, leaving her with serious wounds. The Ministry officials visited the hospital on October 9.

 

CAPTION TWO: Minister without Portfolio with responsibility for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Karl Samuda (left); and Acting Chief Education Officer, Dr. Kasan Troupe, offer words of comfort to the teacher who was recently attacked by pitbulls, leaving her with serious wounds, which caused her to be hospitalised. They, along with other Ministry officials, visited the teacher on October 9 at the hospital.

Improvement In Grade Four PEP Test

JIS: Minister without Portfolio with responsibility for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Karl Samuda, is reporting improvement in the results from the recent Primary Exit Profile (PEP) Performance Task Test for grade four.

 

Speaking at yesterday’s (October 9) post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House, the Minister said the literacy score improved by one per cent, moving to 83 per cent, while numeracy increased by six per cent, moving to 74.

 

“It’s very encouraging that we have seen concrete improvements in those areas, and commendation is due to the teachers and the whole educational effort by all the members of the Ministry,” he said.

 

Meanwhile, Mr. Samuda said the results for both grade-four and grade-five Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examinations have been sent to schools for review and distribution to parents.

 

“Many parents are anxious to see how their little ones are progressing and we engage this strategy to prepare them for the grade six, which will indicate the placements in high schools,” he said.

 

Grade-five students sat the inaugural Performance Task Tests for their demographic between June 18 and 21, while grade-four students sat their Performance Task Tests on May 30 and 31.

 

In the meantime, Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Grace McLean, noted that the report on the grade-five results should be completed within another week, adding that a national report for the performance task at both grades will be done.

 

“In the instances of these two assessments, we found 208 cases at grade four where there were students who sat at both grade four and grade five, and there were some students where there were some anomalies in terms of their scores that we have picked up in the marking,” she said.

 

“So, what we have done is to send these to the schools, so that they can do their review,” she added.

 

PEP is the series of tests that have replaced GSAT as the national secondary school entrance test. It is intended to provide a better and more complete profile of students’ academic and critical-thinking capabilities at the end of primary-level education.

 

Students will sit the PEP exams over three years in grades four, five and six.

 

CAPTION: Minister without Portfolio with responsibility for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Karl Samuda, addresses yesterday’s (October 9) post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House.

No Shortage Of Textbooks Or Furniture In Schools

JIS: The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information is reporting that there is no shortage of textbooks or furniture in schools.

 

Free text books are available for primary-school children, while there is a book rental system in place for students at the secondary level.

 

Minister without Portfolio with responsibility for the Ministry, Hon. Karl Samuda, provided details at yesterday’s (October 9) post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House.

 

“I want to make a blanket statement that there should be no sense of anxiety with respect to the supply of books throughout Jamaica, in both the primary and secondary schools. There is no shortage of books for the first term.

 

What everybody will be inclined to do, when asked, ‘What do you want’, they will give you a wish list, but the wish list has very little to do necessarily with the consistency of the National Standards Curriculum for the academic year,” Mr. Samuda explained.

 

He said the Ministry is not embarking on a programme to “countenance, sanction or provide a ‘wish list’ that may occur to any group within the Ministry. We stick strictly to the requirements under the National Standards Curriculum programme and we provide the books appropriate to that programme”.

 

Mr. Samuda added that as far as the books and the numbers supplied so far, the needs for the first term of the school year are covered.

 

For her part, Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Grace McLean, said based on the monitoring of the system by the education officers, there is no reported immediate shortage of furniture and books within the system.

 

She explained that the Ministry undertook a placement of orders from last year December as it relates to the number of books required, based on indications from the school administrators.

 

“The process for procurement takes more than six months. These contracts have to go all the way to Cabinet for approval before they are provided to the suppliers who actually distribute the books across the island,” she noted.

 

“This year is also unique, because we have fully implemented the National Standards Curriculum and we are on a drive to ensure that we change out all the books within the system, which will be done over a two-year period,” Dr. McLean said.

 

She said educational officers are always on alert for schools that will call to say they need additional books, noting that “once we receive those calls then we provide those books accordingly. To the best of our knowledge, we have done that within the first two weeks of the school year”.

 

Turning to the matter of school furniture, she said the Ministry supplies furniture based on what is critical, adding that there is an active repair programme within schools.

 

Dr. McLean said approximately 30 schools, for this year, were provided with funds in their regular grants to purchase their own furniture.

 

She noted that based on its audit, the Ministry has, so far, delivered 11,058 pieces of students’ furniture with about 1,500 to be delivered within the course of this week, and the other 6,200 pieces will be delivered to the schools that have requested, by the end of October.

 

“We do not have any students who are standing up at this time and receiving instruction. They are all seated on a chair around a desk, in their labs on stools around a table, and the teaching learning process continues,” Dr. McLean said.

 

CAPTION: Minister without Portfolio with responsibility for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Karl Samuda, addresses yesterday’s (October 9) post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House.

$7-Million Rainwater Harvesting System Installed At Enid Bennett High

JIS: The St. Catherine-based Enid Bennett High School is expecting savings of up to 50 per cent on its annual water bill from the establishment of a $7-million rainwater harvesting system.

 

Installed by the Rural Water Supply Limited (RWSL), the system comprises four 1,000-gallon black tanks, a 20,000-gallon block and steel tank, a solar-powered pump, and other features to harvest and store water.

 

Speaking at a ceremony on the school grounds on Tuesday (October 8) to officially commission the system into service, Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., said that the harvesting facility “will go a long way in making the school water-secure”.

 

He noted that the bathrooms and kitchen will be retrofitted with water-saving fixtures in order to conserve on the use of the commodity.

 

The Minister said that while the provision of infrastructure is critical, “the change of attitude towards the use of water is very important, as the commodity must be preserved”.

 

“There needs to be a complete turnaround in how we use the resource if the structures that we put in are to be maximised,” he added.

 

Senator Charles Jr., who has responsibility for Water, Housing and Infrastructure, commended the work of the RWSL, noting that in recent years, the entity has provided approximately 40 water solutions for schools, health facilities, infirmaries, and communities across the island.

 

These include guttering, storage facilities, and other associated infrastructure to enhance the collection and use of rainwater.

 

Member of Parliament for North Central St. Catherine, Natalie Neita, in her remarks, welcomed the water-harvesting system, noting that it will cater to the school’s long-term water needs.

 

“This project, I believe, is an awesome one, because it is pointing the way in ensuring that we conserve [water] for the benefit of our population,” she said.

 

Principal of Enid Bennett High, Patrick Phillips, for his part, said “it is good that we now have a water-harvesting project where we will not be short of water”.

 

He informed that the system will also provide water for the school’s farm and playfield.

 

CAPTION: Students at the Enid Bennett High School in St. Catherine, perform a skit at the commissioning of the $7-million rainwater harvesting system on the school grounds on Tuesday (October 8). The system was installed by the Rural Water Supply Limited (RWSL).

 

CAPTION: Students at the St. Catherine-based Enid Bennett High School perform a cultural item at the commissioning of the $7-million rainwater harvesting system on the school grounds on Tuesday (October 9). The system was installed by Rural Water Supply Limited (RWSL).