Parents are being encouraged to practise and teach proper conflict resolution methods to their children, to help prevent violent behavioural outcomes.

The call came from Minister of Education and Youth, Hon. Fayval Williams, as she addressed a virtual Dress and Grooming Consultation Session with parents on Tuesday, October 4.

“What we are seeing playing out in our schools is just the behaviour that they have absorbed in the homes and in the communities… and when they come to school, they don’t have a sense of how [to] interact with other students [during a disagreement],” she said.

The Minister pointed out that too often children are exposed to violence within their homes and communities.

“Violence has been perpetrated on them. We really need to stop as a society and understand the negative impact of that, and to know that there are boundaries and rules,” she said.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Williams noted that a study conducted on four-year-old students from the Early Childhood sector three years ago showed that “maybe 20 per cent or so, by the time they get to [age] four, have behavioural and early literacy and numeracy issues”.

She argued that the results indicate that many of those children faced physical and verbal abuse within the home.

“We need to stop as a society and understand that we are really damaging the heart [and] the minds of our children by the things we do and how we relate to them,” the Minister said.

“We interact with them in a very rough way. There’s plenty of research that is telling us that we are damaging the psyche of our children when we hit them, yell, or hurl expletives at them,” she added.

Persons are encouraged to report child abuse to the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) by calling the 24-hour helpline, 2-1-1.

Two new Coaster buses were handed over to Lacovia High School in St. Elizabeth, on October 7, by the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Project of the Government of Japan.

The Project has been in operation since 1995, to help respond to the needs in the education and other sectors of the economy.

In January of this yea, the organisation gave the institution a grant to purchase the buses. The grant was approved under the Ministry of Education and Youth’s Expanded Pilot School Bus Programme and the Japanese organisation. The total value of the grant was US$135,014.

Minister of Education and Youth, Hon. Fayval Williams, in her address at the handover ceremony, said the buses represent a “continuation of the excellent support to Jamaica’s education system that the government of Japan has extended to us under the project, which was started in April of 2015.”

She noted that Jamaica and Japan have signed several similar agreements over the years which are indicative of the strong bilateral relationship the countries have enjoyed since 1964.

“This underscores the friendship, understanding and cooperation between our two countries and we take the opportunity to commend the Ambassador of Japan to Jamaica, His Excellency Masaya Fujiwara, for the continued support [for] education,” Mrs. Williams said.

She added that investments in education, such as these, will benefit Lacovia High and Jamaica as a whole.

The Minister explained that under the Ministry’s expanded pilot bus programme, schools in need submit requests, whether directly or through the National Education Trust (NET), to the embassy of Japan in Jamaica for final consideration under the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Project.

Through this programme, the government of Japan offers financial assistance for development projects designed to meet the diverse needs of developing countries such as Jamaica.

“The grants approved are used to purchase school buses from Toyota Jamaica for the improvement of the school’s transportation system. This is a most welcome addition to the efforts of the Ministry to expand the rural school bus service,” she said.

Mrs. Williams pointed out that the Government currently spends $395 million annually on transportation, primarily for students who are on the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH), reaching some 7,500 students in terms of rural transportation.

Mrs. Williams thanked the Government and people of Japan for the buses, and assured them that the principal, staff and teachers at Lacovia High School will take the best care of the vehicles.

For his part, Mr. Fujiwara said that both Jamaica and Japan share the belief that no country can develop effectively without investing in its people.

“The most vulnerable citizens, including our children, should never be left behind in the process of development,” he emphasised.

The Ambassador said it is hoped that buses purchased through the Japanese organisation will help to strengthen the education system on the island.

Principal of Lacovia High, Ricardo Bennett, said the school is “eternally grateful for the kind consideration of the people of Japan, the Ministry of Education and Youth, the Lacovia High School team and the many friends of our school”.

A book that chronicles the development of the Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ) from its formative years into what has become one of the Caribbean’s foremost authorities on standardisation was launched on Thursday (September 29).

Entitled ‘The Development of the Jamaica Bureau of Standards’, the book is authored by Revd. Dr. Artnel Henry, who was the BSJ’s Executive Director for 27 years, from 1973 to 2000.

Minister of Education and Youth, Hon. Fayval Williams, in her remarks at the launch held at the Courtyard by Marriott, Kingston, hailed the tome as a documentation of an important aspect of Jamaica’s history.

“I am delighted that you wrote this book because it is going to be a great reference for our students now and those to come in the future,” she said.

“Thank you, Dr. Henry, for sharing your story, for sharing your perspective, your take on nation-building. You have expanded our knowledge of the BSJ. You made us experience a little bit of the history,” Mrs. Williams added.

Dr. Henry, in his remarks, recalled some of the notable achievements of the BSJ during his tenure of almost 30 years.

“We established the CARICOM Standards Council, which afterwards, became the CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ) and if you go through the Caribbean, you will find seven standards organisations because of the work of the BSJ,” he noted.

Under his leadership, the entity developed a robust structure with various divisions and 19 laboratories to support its vigorous testing regime.

As the leading advocate for standardisation in the English-speaking Caribbean at the time, Dr. Henry was integral in the BSJ’s membership, on behalf of Jamaica, in the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

He was also instrumental in launching the National Certification Mark Programme in 1984, which awards certification to products and processes deemed to be consistently produced to reliable standards.

The BSJ is a statutory body established by the Standards Act of 1969 to promote and encourage standardisation in relation to commodities, processes and practices.

Its mandate includes the provision of services in relation to conformity assessment (certification, testing and calibration) and metrology.

The entity facilitates the development of standards and other requirements to which particular commodities, services, practices and processes must comply; monitors for compliance; conducts tests and calibrating instruments; certifies products and management systems; and provides industrial training and research and education in standardisation.

The Ministry of Education and Youth is reporting a successful first day of the full resumption of schools for the 2022/23 academic year.

This is the first time that the Ministry has authorised the return of full, in-person learning in schools for the beginning of a new school year, since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Several schools did not open today, as they are still holding orientation sessions. It is anticipated that these institutions will officially reopen next week.

Portfolio Minister, Hon. Fayval Williams, and other Ministry officials toured the Franklyn Town Primary, Mountain View Primary, and Maverley Primary and Infant Schools in the Corporate Area on Monday (September 5) to assess activities for the full resumption of schools.

Speaking with journalists during her tour of Mountain View Primary School, Mrs. Williams said the Ministry will, this year, be increasing its efforts to address the issue of learning loss and improve student performance.

“Beyond bringing students back into the normal school environment and doing the regular things that we have to do; we have to realise that we would have lost a bit over the last two years. So, we have to [redouble our efforts] now to ensure that our children recover [to] where they were, at least prior to when we entered the pandemic and even beyond that,” she stated.

Mrs. Williams said the Ministry will be placing emphasis on recognising and addressing challenges faced by students and employing the necessary interventions to address these.

“There will be a lot of focus this year on ensuring our students who are on the different paths, and that would have been communicated on their Primary Exit Profile (PEP) results, especially those who are transitioning to high school, to let the teachers in the high school know whether or not they need intervention, and the quantum of that intervention,” she said, noting that this will target students in early-childhood, primary and high schools.

Minister Williams also urged parents, teachers, and other stakeholders to assist in instilling discipline among students.

“This year, we want to focus on discipline in schools. We have increased the number of guidance counsellors… available in our schools. So, there are more available to our students if they are experiencing issues that they might not necessarily speak to the teachers about,” she said.

Improvements have been made in several subject areas by students who sat this year’s secondary-school external examinations, according to the Ministry of Education and Youth.

Portfolio Minister, Hon. Fayval Williams, addressing a press conference today (September 7), pointed out that, “notwithstanding areas of challenges and concern, we also saw some improvements, and we will continue the efforts to ensure that our students are enabled to pursue their education and career goals”.

The Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) tests were administered through the Offices of the Overseas Examinations Commission, in June and July.

For CSEC, Jamaican students were registered to sit 34 exams and of that number, 12 subjects showed improved pass rates when compared to 2021. Most notable among them are passes in Additional Mathematics, which increased by 12.3 per cent; English B, which increased by 9.1 per cent; and Electronic Document Preparation and Management (EDPM), which increased by 7.3 per cent.

Nine CSEC subjects had an average pass rate of over 80 per cent. They are Agricultural Science – double award; Agricultural Science – single award; EDPM; Family and Resource Management; Food, Nutrition and Health; Industrial Technology; Office and Administration; Principles of Business; and Physical Education and Sport.

In CAPE, of the 35 subjects entered this year by all candidates in Jamaica, Unit 1 showed an average pass rate improvement in 15 subjects and unit 2 had improvements in 18 subjects. A pass in CAPE refers to the attainment of grades one to five.

On the other hand, students’ performance in CSEC Maths decreased by one per cent this year, when compared to the previous year, with a pass rate of 37.2 per cent. For English, a 69.9 per cent pass rate was attained, which is a 3.4 per cent decrease when compared to last year. CAPE Applied Maths also had a pass rate of just 56.2 per cent.

Overall, 30,331 public school students were registered for CSEC exams. 28,227 of these students, or 93.1 per cent, sat the exams and 83.5 per cent of them passed at least one subject with grades one, two or three. 1,155 entries were deferred.

In addition, 143 more students from public schools were registered for CSEC this year, in comparison to last year.

For CAPE, 11,649 candidates from public schools entered both Units 1 and 2. 183 entries were deferred for these exams.

Minister Williams commended students for the strides they have made in their education and for the perseverance to complete the external exams “under very trying and challenging circumstances”.

“I also want to encourage those who may not have done as well as they would have liked, to look for opportunities that will contribute to improved performance,” she urged.

The Minister also thanked teachers and parents for supporting the nation’s students in their academic pursuits.

The Ministry of Education and Youth is to spend $2 billion on textbooks this academic year, of which $1 billion is for primary schools and $1 billion for high schools.

Portfolio Minister, Hon. Fayval Williams, made the disclosure during the sitting of the House of Representatives on September 6.

“I am particularly pleased of the greater investment in textbooks at the high-school level. Prior to this last year, we were only able to invest $200 million at the high-school level,” Mrs. Williams said.

Textbooks will be available in the usual hard copy and e-book format.

She informed that the Ministry has worked with the principals in the schools to determine the mix of text versus e-book format.

“Distributions have begun and will continue to the end of September. For the e-books, the student will only need to download the book once and will have it on their device for the entire year,” Mrs. Williams said.

Regarding dress and grooming, the Minister said an initial consultation session with principals has been held about the vexed issue of dress and grooming in schools.

“We implore our parents to ensure their children obey the school rules. If our parents desire a change in a school rule regarding dress and grooming, these changes are done by a standard process,” Mrs. Williams said.

“I would implore our parents to attend Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) [meetings] where you can put the particular issue you have with the school rules on the table. Rules and regulations are set by a standard process,” she added.

Mrs. Williams said a parent cannot just say, nothing is wrong with sending his or her child to school in tight pants, when the school rules specifically describe the pants that should be worn.

“School rules are about discipline in school. School rules are about preparation for living in the wider society in which we have to co-exist with each other. There are rules everywhere in society that all of us have to obey. We must teach our children in our schools to obey the school rules,” she emphasised.

“If you believe the school rule needs to be changed, engage the process. Do not lock the school gate, do not bad up the teacher or principal. Engage the process. If the school says no pink hair, do not send your child with pink hair. Obey the school rules,” the Minister urged.

The main goal of transforming Jamaica’s education system is to close the inequality gap in students’ learning experiences and outcomes, Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, has said.

He noted that critical to accomplishing this objective is standardising resources and strengthening the accountability framework within the sector.

“The objective of the transformation is to keep the schools that are doing well, [doing] even better. But we have to focus on those sectors of the education system that are not doing well and lift up their standards, lift up their accountability and improve their output,” Mr. Holness said.

He was addressing the Office of the Prime Minister’s (OPM) Face-to-Face Townhall Meeting on Education, at Jamaica College in St. Andrew, on Friday (September 9).

Noting that the sector’s transformation is long overdue, Prime Minister Holness urged all stakeholders to support the process.

He said the Government will be emphasising accountability and efficiency in the delivery of education, to remove inequalities in the system and improve student performance across all institutions.

“That is what the objective is, because we’ve got to remove the inequality and inequities of the Jamaican society and start with equalising educational [outputs], not by tearing down those who are doing well, but by pulling [them] up,” he said.

‘The Reform of Education in Jamaica 2021 Report’ was launched in January 2022, with the Ministry of Education and Youth tasked to implement the recommendations.

Prior to this Report, there have been several others. They include the 2004 Taskforce on Educational Reform, the Education System Transformation Programme, which was started in 2010, and the 2012 National Education Strategic Plan.

The Children’s Advisory Panel (CAP) of the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) is accepting new members this year, and interested youth are being encouraged to apply.

The body, which comprises members aged 13 to 17, is refreshed every two years to allow older members to make way for new persons.

“Right now, so many of our members have passed the age limit and the CAP is going to shrink significantly. We’re going to need people to fill the gaps,” outgoing Chair, Jessica Russell, told JIS News.

The CAP has a core function of providing feedback to the CPFSA and ensuring that children have an input in matters that will affect them.

“If there are any new laws that need to be instated or if there are any events that are going to have children, they (CPFSA) will ask us for our opinion,” Ms. Russell informed.

The panel’s other activities include, from time to time, the formation of its own projects and plans.

It was formed 10 years ago and mostly represents wards of the State, especially since the CPFSA monitors and supports these children.

“We have the Students’ Council in place for the education sector and they cover a lot of students; so, we decided to pay special attention to those in State care,” Ms. Russell pointed out.

A major event of the CAP is the biennial National Children’s Summit, which is intended to give the wards a platform to express themselves.

This was last held on August 18 at the National Indoors Sports Centre in Kingston, under the theme: ‘Beat the Odds, Chart Your Destiny’, with hundreds of wards attending.

Persons interested in joining the CAP can visit the CPFSA’s website for the relevant contact information. A parent’s permission is required, and an interview process is involved for all potential members.

Youth in State care are especially encouraged to apply and are asked to speak to the Director at their residential care facility.

“Any child who’s willing to step up to a leadership position is welcome to join, because CAP is a chance for you to grow as a person,” Ms. Russell said.

“For me, I was shy before and then I grew into the position. It’s such a rich opportunity. I’ve gotten the chance to meet so many different people and it’s also great because it shows that you’re involved in your community,” she added.