JIS: General Secretary of Education International, Fred van Leeuwen, says teachers should view the profession as their most valuable asset and their most effective weapon to realise their democratic ideals and aspirations.

 

“We should not allow outsiders, self-proclaimed experts, consultancy agencies, and corporations to determine our professional standards,” he urged.

 

Mr. van Leeuwen, a native of the Netherlands, was giving the keynote address at the 16th Annual Education Conference of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA), at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort & Spa, St. James, on April 18.

 

The General Secretary said a key characteristic of any profession is that its standards, principles and objectives are determined by its members.

 

“Doctors, architects, lawyers, to give some examples, set their own professional standards, within legal frameworks defined by the public authorities,” he noted.

 

“But we, teachers and educators, seem to be gradually losing our identity… For that reason, Education International has started developing our own international guidelines for the teaching profession that will help member organisations to take the lead in setting professional standards in their countries,” he added.

 

The General Secretary said there is no contradiction between “our professional aspirations and the terms, employment conditions and trade union rights we want to achieve. They are complementary.”

 

Education International represents organisations of teachers and other education employees across the globe. It is the world’s largest federation of unions, representing more than 32 million education employees in 170 countries and territories across the globe.

 

CAPTION: General Secretary of Education International, Fred van Leeuwen, giving the keynote address at the 16th Annual Jamaica Teachers’ Association Education Conference, held at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort & Spa in Montego Bay, St. James, on April 18.

JIS: The Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information Floyd Green says steps are already being taken to make the process of adopting children in state care easier.

 

“The process of adoption has been carefully reviewed, and the first thing we did was to look at the steps involved in the process and where it was possible, removed the bureaucracy without sacrificing the checks that need to be undertaken to ensure safety standards are upheld,” he explained.

 

His comments came after Member of Parliament for North Central Clarendon Pearnel Charles lamented the difficulty of adopting wards of the State.

 

“We have to make our adoption programme so flexible that people wanting to adopt children locally or in the Diaspora can do so with ease. I have got complaints from

 

persons wanting to adopt and who have been to Jamaica several times trying to get a child but are yet to get through because of the bureaucracy.

 

 

 

More Flexible

 

 

We need to make it more flexible so people who are willing and able can take the children out of homes and put them in better homes,” Charles said.

 

Green, who was the keynote speaker at the official opening of the newly refurbished Summerfield Childcare Facility yesterday, added that although there was a significant backlog, more than 160 children were placed in homes both in Jamaica and overseas last year.

 

He said that the Child Development Agency has also been mandated with the task of going through all the facilities and identify those children who can be adopted and prepare a complete listing of same.

 

The Government currently has responsibility for more than 4,000 children, with approximately half of that number in foster care. The rest are in childcare facilities across the island, both public and private. Those in foster care are still being monitored by the Government.

 

Transitional programme coming for children with nowhere to go

 

 

Floyd Green, state minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, told The Gleaner that a transitional living programme is now in the making for those persons raised in State care,and who have reached 18 years old and have nowhere to go.

 

“We have got significant resources from USAID to build a facility and we have started a programme of transition years before they are ready to leave to prepare them to make the transition.”

 

 

 

Play Therapy On Stream

 

 

The Government has also mandated that more extracurricular activities, play therapy and other programmes be implemented to help wards work through behavioural problems and other issues they may have.

 

The Summerfield Childcare Facility was originally a boys’ home which started in 1976 with 16 boys ages nine-18 years. It was owned and funded by the Jamaican government.

 

In 2014, placements were suspended to effect major renovations to the facility. Construction of a multipurpose building, bathrooms, offices, re-tiled floors, ceiling repairs and the construction of a ramp, among other things, was done at a cost of approximately $50 million.

JIS: Some $50 million has been spent by the Child Development Agency (CDA) to refurbish the Summerfield Child Facility in Clarendon, which houses 31 teenage girls.

 

Speaking at the official reopening on April 18, State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, said the work had been put in to make sure that the staff and the facility have a positive impact on the girls.

 

“This is a difficult job that requires a lot of sacrifice. The members of the CDA team who work in this area are in it because they love it and they have a genuine passion. What we are doing here is creating a home,” Mr. Green said.

 

“The children do not choose to interact with us, but because of their very difficult circumstances they are forced to, so we must ensure that their interaction is pleasurable and adds positivity to their lives and helps to take away some of the difficulties,” the State Minister added.

 

Mr. Green said the Government is looking at all the island’s childcare facilities to make them more comfortable for the wards of the State.

 

He called on members of neighbouring communities to look out for the homes, reach out and protect them.

 

“If you have a CDA facility in your area, see how you can help to make it better. The reality is that the Government will always need help to find resources to raise the level of these facilities. Adopt a home for Labour Day on behalf of the children and go out and make them better,” Mr. Green encouraged.

 

Meanwhile, the State Minister said the Government is working to make adoption easier in Jamaica.

 

“One of the first things we did was to look at the steps people had to take to adopt a child and where it was possible to remove bureaucracy without sacrificing the need to ensure the homes are safe for the children,” he noted.

 

“Last year, we placed more than 160 children in homes locally and abroad. Once there is a home and we have verified that the people will give them full support, we will place the children in them,” Mr. Green said.

 

The State Minister emphasised that the society should play a greater role in protecting girls and give them the opportunity to do well by creating the right environment for them to blossom and grow.

 

CAPTION: State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green (left), cuts the ribbon to officially reopen the refurbished Summerfield Child Care Facility, in Clarendon, on April 18.

JIS: Head of the General Studies Department at Holland High School in Trelawny, Dageanna Spencer-Hull, has pointed to the need for Jamaican students to be more aware about matters relating to regional integration.

 

She noted that social studies results in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination have been below par over the years and students have been shying away from topics that have to do with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), including the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).

 

“It was kind of eye opening to see that over the years the scores from students in this particular area have always been low,” Mrs. Spencer-Hull told JIS News.

 

“What we are also seeing is that students…have been shying away from answering the questions…having very little if any interest in the subject whatsoever,” she noted further.

 

It is within this context that Holland High recently collaborated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade to host a CSME Seminar for CSEC students on the grounds of the nearby William Knibb Memorial High School.

 

Students from high schools across Trelawny and St. Ann were invited to participate.

 

“This forum is just a start to see how best we can find a solution to this problem,” Mrs. Spencer-Hull told JIS NEWS.

 

“I have a passion for students and I have a passion for social studies. I really want to see the improvement as it is clear from analysing the results over the years that something needs to be done to get our students to be more interested in the things that are happening right inside their backyards,” she added.

 

Mrs. Spencer-Hull said it was very encouraging to see the large turnout of students, noting that she would love to see similar fora in other parts of the country.

 

“This particular topic is all about us as Caribbean people and we want our students to embrace it…not just to see it in the book and ignore it,” she said.

 

“When we can get them to come to a forum like this and where things can be explained to them in a manner where they can understand and appreciate, I am confident we will start to see a difference in how they approach the subject of social studies and also in the results of the exam,” she contended.

 

Ms. Spencer-Hull told JIS NEWS that she wants to make the forum an annual event to give students a broader understanding of Jamaica’s role as part of a regional body.

 

CAPTION: Students from high school in Trelawny and St. Ann participate in a forum on Caribbean integration at the William Knibb Memorial High School in Trelawny, recently.

JIS: Acting Executive Director of the Early Childhood Commission (ECC), Karlene DeGrasse-Deslandes, is encouraging persons and entities in western Jamaica to support the MoBay City Run charity event, scheduled for May 7 in St. James.

 

Speaking in an interview with JIS News, Mrs. DeGrasse-Deslandes noted that any initiative that will positively impact the early-childhood sector will have the support of the ECC

 

She also informed that the MoBay City Run’s organising committee has committed $500,000 towards early-childhood education in western Jamaica.

 

“We want to thank them on behalf of the ECC for their kind consideration. In recent months, the ECC has been strengthening its focus on the certification of early-childhood institutions (ECIs) across the island, through stakeholder partnerships and a series of Regional Certification fairs in all six regions. An Adopt-A-School programme is also to be launched this year,” Mrs. DeGrasse-Deslandes said.

 

She added that the ECC will be seeking to forge more partnerships in western Jamaica to ensure that the just under 500 ECIs in operation in that section of the island receive certification.

 

“Certification means ECIs have attained all 12 operating standards, which cover certain requisites for staffing. It also means how children are taught, fed, cared for and protected; how ECI buildings and grounds are maintained and how ECIs interact with parents and the community. Certification also means how well the ECIs are managed financially,” Mrs. DeGrasse-Deslandes explained.

 

She stated that, at present, the ECC Board has set a target of 100 ECIs for certification by August 2017 and 300 by 2019.

 

For her part, Brand Manager of Courts Unicomer, Jacqueline Edwards-Locke, whose organisation has contributed $1 million to the event, said the inclusion of a three-kilometre (3K) race for children between the ages of five and 12 is a welcome addition.

 

“This is a very important area of learning, and we want to ensure that we do whatever we can to ease the burden off some of the parents,” she pointed out.

 

In the meantime, Jill Stewart and Sheila Pinto are two mothers who are ecstatic that there is a section this year for children.

 

“During training season, we get up early during the week and on the weekend to get our miles in, usually returning home before the kids wake up. We, however, started to realise that the kids were always interested in running with us, so we decided to start a kids running club, MoBay Likkle Movers,” Ms. Pinto said.

 

She said the goal is to get the runners more comfortable with running, and to participate in the MoBay City Run coming up in May.

 

“The kids, about 30 of them, now meet once a week for 30 minutes and run a little distance, do a little sprinting and have lots of fun. They are really looking forward to competing in the MoBay City Run,” Ms. Pinto added.

 

CAPTION: Participants getting ready for the start of last year’s MoBay City Run 

JIS: FIFTY early childhood and special needs teachers across the island last week participated in a Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes Workshop, which sought to better equip teachers with the techniques and resources needed to educate students with special learning needs.

 

The four-day workshop, held at Hillel Academy in Kingston, was facilitated by the Sandals Foundation and funded by the CHASE (Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Education) Fund.

 

According to organisers, for nearly 30 years, the Lindamood-Bell Learning Centers have used intensive, research-validated instruction to strengthen the sensory-cognitive functions needed for reading and comprehension, which has proven successful for individuals with learning challenges, including dyslexia, ADHD (Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder), and autism.

 

The introduction of the programme to the island was the brainchild of Mandy Melville, the parent of a child with dyslexia, who later secured the help of the Sandals Foundation and the Chase Fund to widen the scope of the project.

 

… I used to have to take him away during holidays for two weeks to do this type of lesson at their centres in Miami, so every year we’d go away [but] one of the things that hit me is he said to me recently, ‘mummy, why am I the only child that has to go away for extra lessons’, so you know we explain but it’s hard when they are young,” she told the Jamaica Observer.

 

“During his mock exams for GSAT (Grade Six Achievement Test) we saw the results of this intervention where he was getting 80s and then 90s in his mock exams for Language Arts and Communication Task, which are his weak subjects, so with that his teachers asked what we were doing and became interested in the programme,” she continued.

 

Melville explained she called to enquire if the programme would be able to facilitate sending a few of their teachers to the island where she was told that they would send some teachers to facilitate a group of 50. It was at this point, Melville said, she made contact with the Sandals Foundation to get help with finding more teachers to be a part of the programme.

 

“I feel very excited and very proud of the teachers because they are so excited, it’s one thing they sign up for a course but they are here and it shows that they are willing to learn, some of them were already on holiday but have taken the time to be here, so it shows that they are committed and ready to do this,” Melville stated.

 

According to director of programmes at the Sandals Foundation, Heidi Clarke, the notice was put out that a workshop was being held to which they received ‘hundreds of applications’ from teachers, but a designated panel selected 50 participants, based on certain criteria. She noted that the influx of applications demonstrated the great need for more workshops of this nature for special needs educators.

 

“… As we continue to make strides in the Jamaican educational system, programmes such as these will help [equip educators to work with] students with varied educational needs as it is a great step in providing children the learning environment they need to flourish. I would like to thank everyone who came on board to make this workshop possible,” Clarke said in her remarks.

 

One of the workshop participants, Shakera Roberts, expressed appreciation for the opportunity extended to the teachers, especially to the sponsors for covering the cost of not only the workshop itself but the extra resources in the forms of kits provided.

 

“Being trained by the Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes will greatly assist my fellow Jamaican teachers to be more equipped with effective methodologies to facilitate students with special needs to learn to their full potential. There needs to be greater awareness that persons with special needs have the ability and can indeed contribute significantly to their growth, well-being and the society,” said Roberts, a resource teacher at New Providence Primary School.

 

Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information Floyd Green offered the ministry’s endorsements for the implementation of the programme, which he said will help to contribute and refine the existing methodologies employed by the teachers in order to unlock a student’s full potential.

 

“You can be assured of our full support, our collaborative work here must be to the benefit of our children even as we draw from the best practices of elsewhere and apply our unique perspective. We depend on all of you in the field and we want to make it clear we don’t have all the answers, so feel free to share with the ministry where you think we can do more, the areas you want to see urgent interventions. You are out in the field, you are facing the children daily and I know you want to see us do better and we can do better through partnerships like this,” the Minister said.

 

CAPTION: Lindamood-Bell professional presenters, Mary McDonald (left) and Tracey Hall (second left); director of programmes at the Sandals Foundation, Heidi Clarke; representative from the Ministry of Education’s Special Education Unit, Christiana Addington; project manager at the CHASE Fund, Paulette Mitchell; and chairman of the Early Childhood Commission, Trisha Williams-Singh pose with one of the special education learning resource kits which was presented to each participant at the four-day Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes Workshop at Hillel Academy in Kingston, last week. 

JIS: The 240 students and 13 teachers at the St. Catherine-based Brown’s Hall Primary School, now have upgraded facilities following a $60 million expansion project.

 

Financed by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), the project included construction of new classrooms, multipurpose court, kitchen and tuck shop; erection of new perimeter fence; paving of driveway and parking area; putting in disability access ramps, among other things.

 

Delivering the keynote address at the official handing over ceremony on April 12, Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, urged parents to ensure that their children attend school, and adhere to the standards of order and discipline.

 

He encouraged the students to “work with your teachers, take care of the facilities that are made available for you…pay attention, and take advantage of the educational opportunities being provided.”

 

For his part, Health Minister and Member of Parliament for West Central St. Catherine, Hon. Dr. Christopher Tufton, expressed gratitude on behalf of the community and praised the contractors for completing the project on time and within budget.

 

“When we are dealing with Government money, whether it is a grant or otherwise, we have to deliver value. People must look on and see that we have management of the process,” he pointed out.

 

Principal of the institution, Barrington Mighton, said the upgraded facilities have been a source of motivation for teachers and students, which should help to improve academic results.

 

Managing Director of JSIF, Omar Sweeney, said the project has put the school “in its rightful place,” to prepare well-rounded students.

 

CAPTION: Health Minister and Member of Parliament for West Central St. Catherine, Hon. Dr. Christopher Tufton (right), interacts with students of the Brown’s Hall Primary School in the parish, at Wednesday’s (April 12) handing over of a $60 million expansion project, which was financed by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF). Sharing the moment at left is Managing Director of JSIF, Omar Sweeny.

JIS: The Government is spending more than $300 million to carry out repairs at primary schools across the island.

 

Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, said that at least three or four institutions in each of the 63 constituencies will be targeted for “further maintenance and upgrading”.

 

He was addressing the handover of an expansion project at the Brown’s Hall Primary School in St. Catherine on Wednesday (April 12).

 

Also at the primary level, he informed that $38 million is earmarked for sanitary improvements at seven schools and to complete the removal of pit latrines in all institutions during the current financial year.

 

He noted that since April 1, the allocation per student at the primary level has increased from $930 to $2,500.

 

As it relates to early-childhood education, Senator Reid said the Government has increased the Early Childhood Commission’s (ECC’s) nutrition budget from $191 million to $620 million.

 

He said there is agreement with some privately owned institutions for them to become public.

 

The move, Minister Reid explained, will see the institutions being converted into infant schools and meeting the ECC quality standards.

 

“So, no more will people have to pay fees for their children to have quality early-childhood education. For the first time, at last, they will have public early-childhood education,” the Minister said.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, addresses a ceremony for the handover of the upgraded Brown’s Hall Primary School in St. Catherine on April 12.