JIS: The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information held a sensitisation session with critical stakeholders to discuss the upcoming merger of the National Youth Service (NYS) and Jamaican Foundation for Life Long Learning (JFLL) with the HEART Trust/NTA.

 

Addressing the session held on February 9 at the Jamaica College campus, Portfolio Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says the merger will “mainstream and integrate our training and education systems” in order to reach more persons through targeted training.

 

“What we intend to do in this merger is to look strategically at how we can pull these entities together under one umbrella so we can have more focus and more reach,” he said.

 

This, he said, will go a far way in addressing some of the social problems in the country.

 

Executive Director of HEART Trust/NTA, Dr. Wayne Wesley, noted that the merger, which is slated to take effect on April 1, comes at a time when the Government is focused on reforming the public sector to ensure greater levels of efficiency and effectiveness.

 

The move, which includes integration of the HEART Trust/NTA’s National Apprenticeship Board, will facilitate a national coordinating machinery for youth services; an integrated supply chain of education with increased access to lifelong learning opportunities; and greater access to training, certification and employment opportunities with a focus on youth and underserved communities.

 

“It is an opportune time for an event such as this as we face the choice of how best to invest resources to address the needs of current and future generations… the merger and the further integration of the apprenticeship programme is one step in that direction,” Dr. Wesley said.

 

He noted that the stakeholder group, comprised of senior managers, board members and staff, is a critical part of the merger and teams will be mobilised to work on each stage of the process, which includes the visioning exercise, the pre-merger, the due diligence and the planning and integration.

 

“With your help, the new organisation will continually assess the skills of our nation’s people with a view of ensuring they are equipped to take full advantage of the emerging opportunities,” he said.

 

“By leveraging our synergies in our programmes, policies, plans and processes, we will create an organisation that will provide skills and employment opportunities to improve the socio-economic conditions of our youth, and equip learners and employees and future entrepreneurs with the knowledge, skills and attitude for a prosperous nation,” he noted further.

 

The merger forms part of the Government’s agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

 

A key aspect of the programme is the reorientation and transformation of the public sector to reposition public resource allocation towards infrastructure, social protection and security-related spending.

 

It is anticipated that this will transform the public sector into being more efficient and delivery-focused; modernise the monetary policy framework and build the foundation for an eventual move to inflation targeting; bolster the resilience of Jamaica’s financial system; and implement initiatives that unlock Jamaica’s growth potential and promote private sector job creation.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (right), addresses staff of the National Youth Service (NYS), Jamaican Foundation for Life Long Learning (JFLL), the HEART Trust/NTA and the National Apprenticeship Board during a sensitisation session to discuss the upcoming merger of the entities, held on February 9 at Jamaica College in Kingston.

JIS: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says the $5 billion increase in budgetary support to the education sector is a true reflection of the Government’s unwavering commitment to improving the system.

 

An allocation of $98.7 billion has been made for education in the 2017-18 Estimates of Expenditure from over $95 billion in 2016-17.

 

Addressing the closing ceremony of the Early Childhood Commission’s (ECC) four-day retreat at the Iberorstar Hotel, St. James, on February 9, Senator Reid said the Government is fully cognisant that “nothing of significance can happen by way of growth without first taking education into consideration”.

 

“I have been fortunate to have been supported by the Government in terms of making additional accommodation for the funding of the education system. In fact, if you look at the budget, we have gotten one of the largest increases of any Ministry,” he noted.

 

The Minister said the onus is now on the nation’s teachers to perform, ensuring value for money and for students to make that seamless transition from early childhood to tertiary learning.

 

“What we have now is the capacity for every student to go beyond grade 11. There has now been a change of philosophy which I believe is for the better. In this modern-day industrial revolution, I don’t agree with the notion that high school should be terminated at grade 11. You need more time in school…you need higher education and training. In fact, we need more of the population to have tertiary certification,” he said.

 

The Minister said since assuming his portfolio responsibility, he has always sought to have meaningful dialogue with stakeholders before making policy decisions.

 

“As a former Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) President, I know the importance of having dialogue, of engaging the stakeholders,” he said.

 

“It is very important to get persons to the table…to get them to see whatever it is you are trying to do and to arrive at a consensus. It is impossible to agree on everything but it is very important to have a conversation,” he added.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (right), attends the closing ceremony of the Early Childhood Commission’s (ECC) four-day retreat at the Iberostar Hotel, St. James, on February 9. At left is Sector Planner for the ECC, Maria Myers Hamilton.

JIS: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says the Government will be looking at bringing the emoluments of early childhood educators on par with personnel in similar positions in the Ministry.

 

“I know we have to take care of the financial needs and issues of those who have been doing a great job and laying the foundation in early childhood education. The good news is that as an agency of the Ministry of Education we are committed to doing so,” he pointed out.

 

“We have to recognise that at the end of the day, these are wonderful people that we must look out for. We have to treat them properly…we have to treat them special. We have to do a good job in transforming the early childhood sector and to do so we have to ensure that the people are properly taken care of and where they are motivated to do their best,” he added.

 

The stipend paid to early childhood education teachers have increased by 15 per cent per year since 2014.

 

Senator Reid, who was addressing the closing ceremony of the Early Childhood Commission’s (ECC) four-day retreat at the Iberostar Hotel in St. James on February 9, noted the Government’s commitment to the development of the sector, as it is the foundation for all learning.

 

“If we can get it right at early childhood, then that is going to provide a strong foundation for a very productive and prosperous country,” he noted.

 

“We have to get the early childhood institutions to be fully certified…we really should insist that we operate at the highest standard. Persons who are serving at any level, much less in early childhood, should be properly trained and have their facilities in exceptional conditions,” he pointed out.

 

The Minister said that by promoting and maintaining certain standards, this will prevent persons from putting up an early childhood institution “at the back of their yard.”

 

“I am signalling that this ought not to be tolerated,” he said.

 

“Persons who want to start an early childhood institution, even before they get permission to start, they should meet some basic standards before they are allowed to operate,” he stressed.

 

Senator Reid said he is aware of the growing sentiments that Government should simply take over early childhood, considering its importance and the fact that it needs to have the necessary resources for it to function properly.

 

“That is a discussion that we have to have,” he said. “I am waiting for the ECC board to put together a task force to advise me as to what this is going to cost. It will be really helpful knowing what it will require to bring these institutions up to the certifiable standards and how the Government can assist them in doing so,” he said.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, receives a gift of appreciation from Early Childhood Commission (ECC) Acting Executive Director, Karlene Degrass-Deslandes, after addressing the closing ceremony of the ECC Retreat at the Iberostar Hotel, St. James, on February 9.

JIS: The Government will be spending $641 million in its continued thrust to end the shift system in schools by providing additional classrooms over the next financial year.

 

From the money allocated in the 2017-18 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House, $100 million will also be spent to procure equipment for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) academies.

 

The ongoing $5 billion Education Transformation Programme, being implemented by the National Education Trust (NET), is enabling the construction of new classrooms to end the overcrowding in the schools.

 

Expansion projects will take place at five primary schools, seven high schools, and continued work on five high schools; completion of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information and the Mount St. Joseph High School.

 

Projects carried forward from the last budget, and are set for completion are those at Norman Manley High School, Papine High, Cedric Titus, Sydney Pagon, and Bellevue High.

 

Expansion work will take place at Exchange Primary, Bryce Primary, Campbell’s Castle Primary, Dias Primary and Infant, and Mandeville Primary and Junior High Schools.

 

Construction of classrooms will also take place during the new financial year at: Innswood High, Muschett High, Pembroke Hall, Spanish Town High, and Eltham High Schools.

 

CAPTION: Additional classrooms constructed at the Discovery Bay All-Age School, to remove the institution from the shift system. They were built through the Jamaica Social Investment Fund’s (JSIF) Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF) programme. (File)

JIS: Students are being encouraged to utilize the National Security Ministry’s ‘Stay Alert’ mobile application, among other measures, if their safety is threatened.

 

This urging comes from Director of Safety and Security in Schools, Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Coleridge Minto, consequent on an upsurge in violence against the nation’s children.

 

He was speaking with JIS News last week during a visit to Green Pond High School in St. James, which recently lost one of its students, 15-year-old Shineka Gray, to violence.

 

Noting that the app has been endorsed by the Education Ministry, ASP Minto assured that “once you have downloaded it if, thereafter, you are in any form of difficulty, you can send a panic signal to our police control and a response will be made.”

 

He also encourages parents, teachers and other civic-minded members of the society to utilize the app.

 

Meanwhile, ASP Minto has lauded the Jamaica Constabulary Force‘s (JCF) implementation of the “buddy” system, citing it as “another very good security measure.”

 

He said the initiative which encourages persons to, among other things, travel in groups to minimize the risk of violent attacks, should be adopted, particularly by students.

 

Additionally, he said, out of an abundance of caution, students and members of the wider public should secure as much information as is possible about the public passenger vehicles transporting them and the drivers, in the event of an undesirable incident.

 

Meanwhile, ASP Minto said there has been a reduction in the number of violent incidents among students in schools. He, however, is concerned that these have been transferred to the streets and public spaces where there has been notable upsurge.

 

He said the provision of transportation for students and the posting of security officers along certain routes are among the measures which have been implemented to good effect to protect the youngsters while travelling to and from school.

 

CAPTION: Director of Safety and Security in Schools, Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Assistant Superintendent of Police Coleridge Minto.

JIS: Principal of the Herbert Morrison Technical High School in St. James, Paul Patrick Adams, is the Jamaica Teaching Council’s (JTC) Outstanding Principal for 2016.

 

Mr. Adams, who has been at the helm of the Bogue-based institution since 2002, was presented with the award by Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, during a ceremony at the school on Wednesday (February 8).

 

He is the sixth Principal to have copped the award since it was established in 2011.

 

Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Senator Reid commended Mr. Adams on his hard work and vision, which have placed the institution among the elite group of high-achieving schools in Jamaica.

 

He noted that Mr. Adams has not only served well as a Principal, but as head of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA).

 

“We need radical thinking and transformation and Mr. Adams has been a visionary and what we see now is an expansion of opportunities beyond grade 11 to having students in grades 12 and 13,” he pointed out.

 

He added that the work of Mr. Adams and his team at Herbert Morrison has ensured that students are prepared for the fourth industrial revolution, which will place greater focus on technology and will require a highly trained, skilled and certified labour force.

 

“What is happening here at Herbert Morrison is very instructive of what we want to see happening across the education system and our country in transforming the education system for our children.

 

“What I have said in simple terms is that we want all our students now to have education extended to at least age 18…Herbert Morrison is very much in sync with the global trends for the fourth industrial revolution,” Senator Reid said.

 

Meanwhile, Mr. Adams dedicated the award to his academic and ancillary staff as well as the 1,200 students.

 

“You would have recognised that the details of the reasons for the award are not encompassed within the leadership only of the Principal, but the individuals who make the team happen in their particular ways,” he said.

 

Mr. Adams said the award adds value to the school, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

 

The Outstanding Principal’s Award was introduced in collaboration with the National Commission to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) with the main objective of showcasing the approaches, strategies and outcomes of effective school leadership.

 

CAPTION: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (2nd right), shares a photo opportunity with Principal of Herbert Morrison Technical High School, Paul Adams (3rd right), who is the Jamaica Teaching Council’s (JTC) Outstanding Principal for 2016. The presentation ceremony was held at the institution in Bogue, St. James, on February 8. Sharing in the occasion (from left) are: Western Regional Director in the Ministry, Dr. Michelle Pinnock; Chief Education Officer, Dr. Grace McLean; Chairman of the Herbert Morrison Technical High School Board of Governors, Veronica Morris Lynch; and Chief Executive Director of the JTC, Dr. Winsome Gordon.

JIS: Acting Executive Director of the Early Childhood Commission (ECC), Karlene Degrasse-Deslandes, is imploring parents, teachers and caregivers at early childhood institutions to pay greater attention to the safety and security of the children in their care.

 

“The safety of our children is our priority at the ECC and we therefore strongly urge all parents and ECI practitioners to take extra precautions in looking out for them,” she said in a statement.

 

Mrs. Degrasse-Deslandes said the ECC’s Standards for the Operation, Management and Administration of early childhood institutions makes provisions for the safety of children.

 

This is in keeping with the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of the Child for early childhood institutions to “uphold the rights of children, protect them from harm and ensure that all children have equal access to services.”

 

Mrs. Degrasse-Deslandes noted further that Section 6 (3) of the Child Care and Protection Act mandates any individual, who works closely with a child to report any situation where they have reason to believe that child is in danger.

 

“A prescribed person who, in the discharge of that person’s duties, acquires information that ought reasonably to cause that person to suspect that a child (a) has been, is being or is likely to be, abandoned, neglected or, physically or sexually ill-treated; or (b) is otherwise in need of care and protection, shall make a report to the (Office of the Children’s) Registry,” the Section says.

 

The ECC is also reminding parents that they have a responsibility to safeguard their children, and not to leave them unattended, in keeping with the provisions of Articles 6, 11, 34 and 35 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

 

CAPTION: Acting Executive Director at the Early Childhood Commission (ECC), Karlene DeGrasse-Deslandes.

JIS: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says the Government is firmly committed to putting additional measures in place to ensure the safety of the nation’s children.

 

“We are going to do all we can to make sure that our schools are safe, to make sure we put in improved security across our country,” he said.

 

He was addressing students and staff of the Green Pond High School in Cornwall Court, St. James, on Wednesday (Feb.8) when he visited the institution to offer condolences at the tragic death of 15-year-old student Shineka Gray.

 

Senator Reid said he joins those who are mourning the death of Shineka and other youth, who would have fallen victim to crime.

 

“I am very saddened, outraged and I hope that we can find those persons very quickly and bring them to justice. Let us resolve in ourselves that we will be agents of change for Jamaica. No more must we see evidence of criminality hurting our children, impacting Jamaica’s future,” he said.

 

Minister Reid also encouraged students to take an interest in their own safety and ensure that they only travel in authorised taxis, tell someone where they are going and who they are travelling with.

 

“I am encouraging us to be alert as we protect ourselves from criminals. We will have to stand together, expose them, tell what we know when we see things happening that ought not to be happening. Let the authorities know, let your principal know what is happening with you…we have to take care of you; you are Jamaica’s future,” he said.

 

The Education Minister said the time has come for Jamaica to return to the days when the whole community was involved in raising children.

 

“What we want is to go back to that stage where we cared for each other, where the village raised the children and you as students must practise these good habits. Let us work together; let us take care of each other,” he urged.

 

Senator Reid was accompanied on the visit by the Ministry’s Western Regional Director, Dr. Michelle Pinnock; and Director of Safety and Security in Schools, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Coleridge Minto.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (centre), commiserates with classmates of the late Shineka Gray when the visited St. James-based institution on February 8 to offer condolences at the tragic death of the 15-year-old student. Principal of the school, Michael Ellis (2nd left); and Director of Safety and Security in Schools, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Coleridge Minto, look on.

JIS: To continue the transformation of the education sector, the Government will fully implement the National Standard Curriculum (NSC) for grades one to nine this year.

 

The NSC has already been introduced to grades 1, 4, 7 and 9.

 

The goal of the new curriculum is to improve the general academic performance, attitude and behaviour of students, which will redound to the positive shaping of the national social and economic fabric.

 

Delivering the 2017-18 Throne Speech in Parliament on February 9, Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, said the new curriculum is geared at building competence and skills through inclusive and differentiated learning.

 

Under the new system, emphasis will be placed on project-based and problem-solving learning, with Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics/Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEM/STEAM) integrated at all levels.

 

In the meantime, he said the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information will also be increasing its expenditure on upgrading and refurbishing facilities at the primary and secondary levels as well as continue its drive to eliminate the shift system. “At the same time, the Ministry will continue to provide more quality places at the early childhood level,” he said.

 

The Governor-General said the Ministry will also be providing direct support to students on the Programme of Advancement through Health and Education (PATH), who have met the criteria for five subjects or more. “Approximately 9,000 students on PATH will sit external examinations annually,” he noted.

 

He said this forms part of the Government’s policy to ensure that all students at the secondary level exit with at least five subjects as well as to ensure that the most vulnerable are not at a disadvantage.

 

Meanwhile, the Governor-General informed that the School Feeding Programme is being reorganised to ensure that more students benefit from a free meal for five days per week.

 

“All financial resources allocated by the Government for the School Feeding Programme will be utilised to provide free lunches for 70 per cent or 137,000 children of the early childhood cohort, three to eight years, including approximately 10,000 PATH beneficiaries,” he said.

 

The Governor-General added that the Ministry will provide support for the payment of cooks, especially at the primary level to ensure that trained and certified persons are preparing nutritious meals for the students.

 

The Throne Speech was delivered under the theme: ‘A Firm Foundation for Prosperity’.

 

CAPTION: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator, the Hon. Ruel Reid (left), engages first-form students of Campion College . (File Photo)

JIS: State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, is imploring Jamaicans to do more to protect the nation’s children by telling what they know about incidents of child abuse.

 

“As a society, are we doing enough?…I think we all have a greater role to play. Unless we all recognise that every child is our individual responsibility, as if that child were our own, then we will continue to have these issues (child abuse),” he said.

 

Mr. Green was addressing the media launch of the Office of the Children’s Advocate (OCA) public education campaign on child abuse at the agency’s offices in downtown Kingston on Tuesday (February 7).

 

He lamented that it is becoming too commonplace to hear of children being abused and even murdered in Jamaica, noting that many persons are aware of ongoing circumstances of child abuse but refuse to speak up.

 

“When we know what is happening, (we need to) call the authorities, (there is) the Child Development Agency (CDA), the Office of the Children’s Registry (OCR) and the OCA,” he noted.

 

Mr. Green said the Government has taken a zero tolerance approach to child abuse, pointing to several initiatives that have been undertaken in the Ministry of National Security, as well as the Youth Ministry.

 

He pointed particularly to the ongoing Break the Silence Campaign by the Ministry which encourages persons to speak up in cases of child abuse. He noted that the OCA’s campaign will help to bolster this initiative.

 

Mr. Green noted that the OCA’s campaign presents an innovative way to bring a number of issues to the fore “and to help our young people confront those issues…and also encourage our young people, when they are facing issues of abuse to speak up”.

 

Dubbed ‘Aria’s Story’, the campaign is in the form of an online animated mini-series that will be rolled out across various social media platforms.

 

The episodes, which will begin airing on Monday (February 13), define and highlight the nature and types of abuse that children experience in order to empower those in abusive situations to take preventative actions and find solutions.

 

Persons can follow ‘Arias Story’ on the website: www.ariastory.com, which will have interactive content, where feedback is invited. There is also an instagram and twitter handle: @readariastory; as well as the hashtag #ariastoryoca to encourage discussion on issues that will be raised.

 

This initiative is being undertaken with funding support from the High Commission of Canada in Jamaica.

 

CAPTION: State Minister for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green (left), speaks High Commissioner of Canada to Jamaica, His Excellency Sylvain Fabi (right), while Children’s Advocate, Diahann Gordon Harrison, looks on. Occasion was the media launch of the Office of the Children’s Advocate (OCA) public education campaign on child abuse at the agency’s offices in downtown Kingston on Tuesday (February 7). The campaign, dubbed ‘Aria’s Story’, takes the form of an online animated miniseries that will be rolled out across various social media platforms.