JIS: The creative industry is being touted as a critical and viable sector for the promotion of economic growth and development, through entrepreneurship.

Lecturer in the School of Drama at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, Marvin George, who is also an experienced Caribbean playwright, actor and director, said entrepreneurship is a significant aspect of how professional artists operate in the field.

“Of all the disciplines to which we introduce our children, the one discipline that is surely entrepreneurial is working in the creative arts,” he said.

Mr. George, addressing a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Think Tank’, on June 20, said it is, therefore, important that artists pursue training to develop adequate entrepreneurial skills to achieve success.

He said art management programmes and other courses geared at promoting effective business skills are included in all faculties at the college – School of Drama, School of Dance, School of Visual Arts and the School of Music.

“This means that every single person that we send out into the world has to learn, first and foremost, how to be entrepreneurial. Every single School is asking the artist what he would like to do, how it fits into the context in which he is operating, and by doing what his passion demands, how will that feed him for the rest of his life,” Mr. George said.

“In discussions on development, we talk about entrepreneurship as a critical driver. This means that we have to… work in a way that entrepreneurship becomes part and parcel of what we do,” he added.

Director of Studies at the School of Arts Management and Humanities, Dr. Anthea Octave, said this department aims specifically to develop entrepreneurial skills, and teach students how to manage their own artistic careers and that of others.

“Through the various courses, the idea is to begin to think about what your skill sets are and what are the needs of your community, or region, that those skill sets could meet. (You need to figure out) what are the gaps that exist that might help you to form a career,” she said.

Dr. Octave further noted that students are also engaged in practical ways in the course offerings, specifically through a student-run company at the institution, One Creative Yaad – that gives persons the opportunity to apply theoretical concepts to actual projects.

The courses, she said, help students to start forging careers, with some becoming agents and managers, and others gaining employment as production managers, or in public relations and branding, while still enrolled at the Edna Manley College.

Meanwhile, College Orator, Dr. Amina Blackwood-Meeks, is urging the Jamaican society to engage in a conversation that seeks to promote the cultural and creative industries as a viable career and entrepreneurial option.

She noted that investment in the sector is critical to reaping the benefits from the abundance of cultural and creative assets available in the country and region.

 

“It’s a conversation, really, about emancipating yourself from mental slavery. Society needs to be involved in this conversation about using the arts to dismantle colonialism,” she said.

 

CAPTION: Lecturer in the School of Drama, Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, Marvin George, addresses Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Think Tank’ on Tuesday, June 20. 

 

GLEANER:The Ministry of Education is reporting that regardless of qualification, students leaving the secondary school system will be able to enroll in a programme that will enable them to improve their prospects for employment or further studies. Such programmes are tailored for those students who did not matriculate to sixth form or who chose not to attend sixth form.

 

Chief Education Officer at the Ministry of Education Dr Grace McLean says placement is possible through the Housing, Opportunity, Production and Employment Programme (HOPE) and Learn, Earn, Give back through service and Save programme (LEGS), among others.

 

The HEART Trust/NTA is taking a lead role in the implementation of the various programmes, alongside such agencies as the National Youth Service (NYS) and the Career Advancement Programme (CAP). The available programmes include the HOPE Youth Summer Programme, the National Service Corps Programme, the School Leavers Training Opportunities Programme, also called SL-TOP, and the CAP for grades 12 and 13 students.

 

The recently introduced government initiative, HOPE, seeks to introduce a range of social-intervention programmes affecting the local community and the most vulnerable groups in the society, inclusive of the youth population. Both the HEART Trust/NTA and the NYS are taking lead roles in the implementation of the employment component of HOPE. To this end, HEART Trust says it’s aiming to add value while empowering the youth by enhancing their prospects for job placement through employable and technical skills acquisition. Participants are, in large part, impacted through a strategy under HOPE which addresses their productive engagement to LEGS.

 

… The HOPE Youth Summer Work Programme

The HEART Trust says some dimensions of the LEGS strategy are already being implemented to increase the percentage of the individuals trained, certified and placed in jobs or entrepreneurial activities.

 

These include the NYS-led HOPE Youth Summer Work Programme, which runs from June to August.

 

– The HOPE Youth Summer Programme runs for three months.

 

– It targets just over 25,000 young people, inclusive of those leaving school.

 

– Participants are being provided with an opportunity to gain three weeks of work experience while earning a stipend.

 

– Stipend can be used, among other things, to contribute to future educational pursuits.

 

– Participants are exposed to key employable skills, such as rÈsumÈ preparation and interviewing techniques.

 

– Based on assessment, following orientation, selected participants will be further engaged in a two-week job-readiness training programme as part of preparation to access jobs in the business process outsourcing sector.

 

… HEART-Trust/NTA

For the thousands of unattached teenagers graduating from the formal education system this summer, and who may be short on qualification, the HEART Trust/NTA may be your best option.

 

According to the HEART Trust, its approach is to assess each individual and determine which programme they are best suited to participate in. It says everyone will be aligned to an appropriate programme.

 

Those without CXCs must do the following:

 

– Sit the HEART diagnostic assessment.

 

– Academic strengthening intervention is provided for those who need basic numeracy and literacy-skills enhancement.

 

– Following assessment, selectees could be placed in the National Service Corps Programme.

 

– Participants with a single CSEC subject or who demonstrate mastery in the HEART diagnostic assessment can matriculate to National Vocational Qualification of Jamaica (NVQJ) programmes at HEART institutions or enroll in the National Apprenticeship Programme.

 

– Participants with two or more CXC passes can matriculate straight into the SL-TOP or NVQJ programmes offered at HEART institutions.

 

– Participants with five or more CSEC subjects can matriculate to the Vocational Training Development Institute.

 

… The School Leavers Training Opportunities Programme

A variant of the apprenticeship programme, the School Leavers Training Opportunities Programme (SL-TOP) is aimed at training school leavers between the ages of 17 and 23.

 

– SL-TOP uses on-the-job modality in specific disciplines.

 

– Programme duration is one to two years for persons with two or more CSEC subjects or equivalent qualifications.

 

– SL-TOP offers a high rate of job placement as many of the trainees are offered employment in the firm where they received training.

 

… National Service Corps Programme

School leavers can also tap into the National Service Corps Programme, which targets young people 18 to 24-years-old. THE NYS is the main implementing agency. The programme offers the following:

 

– Apprentices are exposed to both core and technical skills.

 

– Core skills include self-development, conflict management, family life management, civics, social etiquette, etc.

 

– Technical skills include document management and digitisation, environmental management, geographic information system, infrastructure and construction and hospitality.

 

… Access to Higher Education Partnership Programme

The NYS also assists school leavers through its Access to Higher Education Partnership Programme. This is a scholarship provided for youth who have matriculated to a tertiary educational institution to pursue study in areas of national importance.

 

– Scholarship recipients receive $100,000 per annum towards their tuition.

 

– Partnering institutions pay a percentage of the tuition fee for the beneficiary.

 

– The NYS currently partners with the College of Agriculture, Science and Education; the Caribbean Maritime Institute; Brown’s Town Community College; Montego Bay Community College, and the Northern Caribbean University.

 

– Tuition assistance is provided to scholars who are studying in national priority areas of agriculture, logistics, engineering, tourism, information and communication technology.

 

– Scholars are required to maintain a GPA of 3.0 and are engaged in empowerment sessions and volunteer service.

 

…Volunteerism

Another option for school leavers this summer is volunteerism. Those thinking about volunteering should contact the National Youth Service (NYS).

 

– The NYS offers a structured volunteer experience.

 

– The programme is designed to increase youth participation in national and community initiatives.

 

– Programme aim is to foster civic responsibility and strengthen communities.

 

– Youth can be facilitated within an organisational setting, in community-based projects, special days or activities on a continuous basis.

 

CAPTION: Hundreds of graduates listen attentively at a HEART Trust/NTA Annual Regional Certification Ceremony at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston. 

GLEANER:  Minister of Education Ruel Reid said the Government is prepared to take disruptive students from the regular school system and place them in what he is proposing as ‘Time Out’ facilities.

 

Speaking to journalists during a Gleaner Editors’ Forum held at the newspaper’s offices in central Kingston, the education minister said that starting with Kingston and St Andrew, serious consideration is being given to establish special facilities to treat children who display deviant behaviour.

 

He indicated that the moral decay that continues to plague the society has resulted in a breakdown in family structures, which then produces children with severe behavioural challenges.

 

“We are a bold administration and it was something I had to do at JC (Jamaica College). There have been students who required deliberate and specialised treatment, where they do a whole cycle on social analysis to drill down to some of the issues. Meaning, therefore, that some of them can’t remain in the regular classroom for awhile,” the minister said.

 

 

 

MOVING AHEAD

 

 

“We can dance around it as much as we would like but we are now going to be moving ahead to see how we can establish in each region, in the first instance, Kingston and St Andrew, to establish time-out facilities so that those students with serious challenges would have to be taken out temporarily, treat them and bring them back,” he continued.

 

Reid said the ministry will be strident in ensuring that discipline and holistic development become the pillars that guide all educational institutions.

 

“It doesn’t mean that they are necessarily not going to have educational opportunities while they are out, but I don’t like the notion of having children in a regular school that you can’t control,” he said.

 

CAPTION: A policeman from the bicycle patrol team searches a group of schoolboys who were seen loitering in the St William Grant Park in downtown Kingston

GLEANER: With only a year left before the Ministry of Education replaces the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) with the much-anticipated Primary Exit Profile (PEP), the preparation for transition is on in earnest, and further details have emerged on how students will be tested, graded and subsequently placed in high schools.

 

Education Minister Senator Ruel Reid, speaking at a Gleaner Editors’ Forum at the newspaper’s North Street offices in central Kingston last week, said he has interrogated the system and is so far pleased with the progress the ministry has made in preparation for PEP.

 

He said further training of teachers and school administrators would get under way soon to prepare them for the new dispensation of the Primary School Exit examination, which commences in 2019.

 

It means that current grade four students will be the first cohort to sit PEP.

 

 

 

SWEEPING CHANGES

 

 

Part of the sweeping changes the ministry has disclosed is a shift in the examination period from March to May, and there will be an introduction of short-answer questions to complement multiple-choice questions which are now solely presented to students.

 

Reid declared: “The change is not just going to be a name … .

 

“It is intended for it to be a better preparatory mechanism for students moving into the secondary system to make sure we have better outcomes,” Reid said, adding that the PEP will shift the status quo of students regurgitating to developing critical and creative thinking skills.

 

The Primary Exit Profile (PEP) exam slated to begin in 2019 will have three distinct components which are the high order test, the performance task, and an ability test.

 

“The high order test will be the test that they will perform at the end of their time in grade six, and it will be a combination of multiple-choice and short-answer essay-type questions,” Education Minister Ruel Reid disclosed on Friday at a Gleaner Editors’ Forum at the company’s North Street offices in central Kingston.

 

The performance task, the minister disclosed, will be comparable to the current school-based assessment done by students preparing to sit the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) exams and will span grades four and five.

 

Reid addressing the issue of quality control of the assessment said, like at CXC, teachers will assess the students at the school, but there will, however, be moderation by way of a sampling mechanism.

 

The minister said the ability test would not be curriculum-based and will be presented to students in the form of multiple-choice questions.

 

As for high-school placement, the education minister said there would be no changes in that respect.

 

 

 

SMOOTH TRANSITION

 

 

Adamant that there must be a smooth transition into PEP, Reid disclosed that beginning September of this year, a change-management and communication team will be responsible for preparing primary-school teachers and administrators for PEP, while keeping the public informed on related matters.

 

The introduction of PEP coincides with the ending of the implementation of the national standards curriculum.

 

This financial year, the ministry has allocated $389 million for preparatory work and further training of teachers for PEP.

 

[email protected]

 

CAPTION: Central Branch All-Age School Students.

JIS: Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, is challenging researchers at the Northern Caribbean University (NCU) to undertake more agricultural based studies and innovations which would redound to the benefit of the country.

 

“If we manage to infuse technology and good management into our agricultural practises, we could increase our agricultural output tenfold and where you are in the centre of the island, I think you are well placed to lead that initiative,” he said.

 

The Prime Minister was speaking at the Northern Caribbean University’s (NCU) fundraising banquet held on Thursday (June 15) at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.

 

The banquet was to commemorate the inauguration of the NCU’s 24th President, Dr. Lincoln P. Edwards.

 

Mr. Holness encouraged the institution to develop and expand their research training capacities.

 

He further urged the school to train more students who will be ready for the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector at all levels, particularly in accounting, and software development.

 

“You have students who could easily transition into a work study programme in partnership with people who have business process outsourcing opportunities to do in Jamaica,” he said.

 

He noted that while more than 1000 persons have been employed in the sector in Mandeville, discussions with directors in the area have revealed that there is a need for more trained individuals and infrastructure.

 

Meanwhile, Mr. Holness said the institution is integral to the development of Mandeville through student housing and all the allied services that are provided to the university.

 

He further lauded the students for the numerous awards they have received both locally and internationally and encouraged them to continue being trailblazers in their respective fields.

 

In his remarks, President, NCU, Dr. Lincoln Edwards said the university aims to raise in excess of US$10 million over the next three years.

 

The initiative dubbed the NCU Restoring Every Student Confidence Using Education (RESCUE) 2020, will provide scholarships to needy students who are in at-risk communities in the island.

 

“We would also like to equip and build a dental hygiene and community outreach centre-a multipurpose building…and medical clinic to deliver dental and medical services to underserved populations, particularly in rural communities,” he said.

 

CAPTION: Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (left) listens to a point being made by President, Northern Caribbean University (NCU), Dr. Lincoln Edwards, during the institution’s fundraising banquet, in commemoration of the inauguration of the new president, at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on June 15 .

JIS: The diaspora has contributed US$186,000 to the education sector for the period April 2016 to March 2017.

 

This was reported by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith, while speaking at a Jamaica Diaspora Day Breakfast event held on Friday (June 16) at the Jamaica National Financial Centre on Belmont Road, Kingston.

 

The event was held to commission a study on the economic value of the diaspora being undertaken by the Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CaPRI) and the Jamaica Diaspora Institute (JDI).

 

It was also part of activities to observe Diaspora Day celebrated locally and abroad on June 16.

 

Minister Johnson Smith said the money came from in-kind donations in the form of educational materials, inclusive of books and computers.

 

“We truly value the sacrifices that many of them make to their families and communities evidenced by their generous gifts, whether through philanthropic donations or sharing of their time, skills and expertise,” she said.

 

The Minister said that Jamaican nationals overseas have also provided an important niche market for non-traditional products.

 

She said that products, such as yams, sweet potatoes, papaya, dasheen, pumpkin, mangoes, breadfruit, callaloo and ackee are now top agricultural exports to the United Kingdom, United States of America (USA) and Canada.

 

“During the period 2005 to 2015, the USA represented the major market for agricultural exports,” she added.

 

The Foreign Affairs Minister said that the Government is committed to removing the bureaucratic hurdles that hinder investments.

 

She cited the Economic Growth Council, which she said was created “to remove the bureaucratic barriers that exists and encourage innovation and a level of pragmatism in our government processes.”

 

Turning to the study which will highlight the true value of the Diaspora, Minister Johnson Smith said it will enable the government and the private sector to design innovative strategies that are relevant to the Diaspora, taking into account their unique needs and preferences in their respective locations.

 

“It is imperative that we secure empirical data of the current and potential value of the partnership between Jamaica and its Diaspora,” she stated.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith speaking at a Jamaica Diaspora Day Breakfast event held on Friday (June 16) at the Jamaica National Financial Centre on Belmont Road, Kingston. The occasion was the launch of a study on the economic value of the Jamaican diaspora, to be undertaken by the Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CaPRI) and the Jamaica Diaspora Institute.

JIS: Prime Minister the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says the Government will be undertaking a review of tertiary education funding.

 

He said the objective is to ensure that more students will have access to higher learning.

 

“A part of the transformation in the way in which we fund tertiary education is to fund the students rather than the institutions. I think if you do that, you will see institutions becoming more efficient, because they now have to compete for the students and I think, that, in itself, will make tertiary education more accessible and more affordable,” he said.

 

The Prime Minister was speaking at the Northern Caribbean University’s (NCU) fundraising banquet held on Thursday (June 15) at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.

 

Mr. Holness said the new funding arrangement will include careful negotiations and public discourse.

 

He said while the Government does not have the resources to make tertiary education free, there are ways to restructure student loans and the resources being provided so that more students are able to complete their courses.

 

“Every year, the number of students who register but then are unable to complete their courses is increasing, and it amounts almost to a waste because, you start, you pay down then can’t finish, you drop out, and that money is gone,” he lamented.

 

He said the Government has heard the concerns regarding funding and is moving to make improvements.

 

“We know the difficulties that students face, which is why we have been very sympathetic and acted to support students who reached out to us at the University of the West Indies (UWI), to ensure that they could stay in school and complete their education. They are far more valuable to the society with a degree than without,” the Prime Minister pointed out.

 

The banquet was to commemorate the inauguration of the NCU’s 24th President, Dr. Lincoln P. Edwards.

 

During the function, awards were presented to several persons for institutional advancement.

 

They include Dr. and Mrs. Ethelred Carter; Mr. Victor Dixon (posthumously) and Bernice Dixon; Drs. Neville and Angela Gallimore; the Hon. Michael Lee-Chin; Dr. and Mrs. Milton Morris; the Most Hon. Percival James Patterson; Dr. and Mrs. Witford Reid; Dr. and Mrs. Herman Ricketts; Dr. and Mrs. Byron Robinson; Mr. and Mrs. Aston Tai; Dr. Herbert Thompson; Dr. Ouida Westney; and Dr. Lennox Westney (posthumously).

 

CAPTION: Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (right) greets President, Northern Caribbean University (NCU), Dr. Lincoln Edwards (left), on his arrival at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on June 15 for the institution’s fundraising banquet in commemoration of the inauguration of the new president. Looking on is Chairman, NCU Board of Governors, Pastor Everett Brown.

GLEANER: The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information will shortly roll out its policy guidelines on the grooming standards for students as it relates to styling of their hair, uniform, and general deportment, portfolio minister Ruel Reid disclosed yesterday. However, schools will still have the final word in its application.

 

This is in keeping with a commitment last year and drawing on the recommendations from islandwide consultations with students, parents, teachers, and school board chairmen conducted by the National Council on Education.

 

“We will provide our full position on that shortly. We are reviewing the recommendations so that we can sign off on the guidelines that we will issue to schools,” Reid told a Gleaner Editors’ Forum at the company’s North Street, Kingston, headquarters.

 

The final document, however, will not be quite as definitive as anticipated, especially in light of the recent incident at the Vauxhall High School in the Corporate Area, which resulted in three teachers being arrested and charged after they, reportedly, forcibly gave a male student a trim.

 

The long-overdue grooming policy will still give schools some leeway in making a final determination as to what is fit and proper in terms of hairstyle, accessories, and uniform. It was this latitude that led to the decision by a private preparatory school last year to bar a three-year-old based on his frizzy, Afro-centric hairstyle.

 

“The Vauxhall and the prep school are the same issue. The schools had no documentation that specified what the standard of the hair should be, but you are policing in the absence of a clear standard, and it becomes very subjective. We have to say to the schools now that we are in an environment now where we need clarity; where rules have to be very clear and specific, and the sanctions also have to be specified, which is also consistent with the regulations,” Reid declared, adding that the ministry would still need to offer guidance to educators.

 

 

 

LAW DOESN’T SPECIFY

 

 

He added, “If the law doesn’t specify, you can’t interpret that the law allows you to implement certain sanctions. So we also are going to guide the schools as to what is permissible under the law. The overwhelming position, I would say, is that the ministry should not prescribe what the hairstyles, or even the standards, should be, but give a framework, and the schools would be allowed, through the normal process with their boards, to sign off on what the standard is. Standard of grooming means standard of your hair, uniform, etc.

 

“What we are likely to say is that within the law and the Constitution, you’ll be mindful that whatever you do is non-discriminatory; that you can’t discriminate; that there has to be access; that the person can’t be barred without due process.”

 

Reid further said: “All I’m saying is that we are not going to say that the length of your hair must be X, Y, Z. The ministry is not going to say that. The ministry is going to give guidelines that you must go through a process that is legal and constitutional, and each school will have the flexibility to make the determination as to what the height of your hair should be, with due consultation with the parents, which is the general recommendation.

 

“However, once it has been so established, it becomes the rule of the school, and the sanctions are to be also explicit. Indeed, you are to be very clear … even providing graphical representation as to what the hairstyle is to be.”

 

[email protected]

 

CAPTION: Ruel Reid, Minister of Education, Youth and Information, at a Gleaner Editors’ Forum yesterday