JIS: Countries in the region are being urged to adopt a licensing system for teachers as a means of branding education and making educators globally competitive.

 

Making the call, Senior Advisor at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Robert Miller, said as is the case with several other professions, teachers need to have a body to recertify them, and that with such as system, meaningful benefits will come.

 

In Jamaica, the new Jamaica Teaching Council (JTC) Bill is seeking to recognise, regulate and promote the teaching profession and maintain professional standards for educators.

 

“Whether it be four or five years, there must be some basic criteria that govern the profession. This will allow teachers to be on the cutting edge in the field, and allow them to be more marketable locally and internationally,” Mr. Miller said.

 

The Senior Advisor was delivering the 2016 John Cumberbatch Memorial Lecture in Barbados, recently, which was organised by that country’s Union of Teachers.

 

Mr. Miller in his wide-ranging address, urged the region to address the issue of funding for education, stressing that in the delivery of quality education, preparing students for the global community must be a priority.

 

“We must boost innovation throughout our external examinations. It must be noted that education must be the vehicle out of poverty; we must strive to harness our human resources to get them competent and job-ready, to satisfy the demand of globalisation,” he said.

 

Regional educators, Mr. Miller said, must be mentors of youth, so that there can be more creators of wealth and young people seeing themselves as employers, rather than employees.

The issue of inadequate parenting must also be tackled, according to the Senior Advisor.

 

CAPTION: Senior Advisor in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Robert Miller.  

Minister of Education, Senator Ruel Reid has announced a number of safety and security initiatives as the nation tries to grapple with a spate of recent attacks on students.

 

Starting today, November 7, 2016, there will be increased patrols by a private security company along targeted corridors where students traverse during specified times. This arrangement will be in place until the end of the term, December 21, 2016.

 

The police will also be stepping up their patrols in sections of the island, with a special focus on the Papine to Half-Way Tree corridor in the Corporate Area, along which thousands of students from different institutions travel daily.

 

“We are leaving no room for criminals to prey on our students,” Senator Reid declared.

 

In addition, the Ministry of Education has assigned a special school bus service to operate on the Papine to Half-Way Tree route. This service, which went into effect today, will be exclusively for students and will operate between the hours of 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. weekdays only.

 

Senator Reid also appealed for students to use the Jamaica Urban Transit Corporation (JUTC) buses on the various routes as much as is reasonable possible.

 

“We recognize that there are other legitimate private operators. What our students must never do however, is to travel on illegal buses/taxis or those commonly referred to as ‘robots’,” he said.

 

With just over 600,000 students on record in primary and secondary schools across the island, the Ministry was obliged to respond to enhance the safety net for children, Senator said. “As a nation we must respond and we must do so decisively and without delay,” he added.

 

The Minister noted that in preparation for the start of the new school year, the Ministry had trained 1,000 school safety officers and was now training 400 persons under an apprenticeship programme to be safety and security support officers for schools.

 

“Two hundred and eighty (280) of these persons have already been trained and have been deployed to schools. Our Deans of Discipline and Schools Resource Officers also received training in the summer in preparation for the school year,” he explained.

 

The Ministry will also be calling on all school leaders to engage in a National Day of Prayer on Friday, November 11, 2016 for the country’s children. Schools will be advised of the details through schools bulletins. 

 

CAPTION: Education Minister, Senator Ruel Reid 

JIS: The Ministry of Education, Youth, and Information (MOEYI) has announced the appointment of Mr. Deanroy Bernard as Permanent Secretary effective Monday, November 7, 2016.

 

Education Minister, Senator Ruel Reid made the announcement on Friday, November 4.

 

Mr. Bernard is an attorney-at-law and a career public servant, who has served in senior positions in the Ministry of National Security, Ministry of Justice, and Ministry of Finance and Planning, and since 2010, at the Ministry of Education in the capacity of Director of Compliance and Post Audit.

 

Prior to his assignment with the Ministry of Education, Mr Bernard worked as the Deputy Director at the Caricom Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) based in Trinidad and Tobago.

 

He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Management Studies and Accounting from the University of the West Indies, a Bachelor of Laws Degree (LLB) from the University of London and a Certificate in Legal Education from the Norman Manley Law School.

 

Mr. Bernard is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants having passed the examination for Certified Accountants in 2004, giving him more than ten (10) years post certification experience in Public Accounting.

 

A graduate of the Jamaica Constabulary Force Staff College with certification in Police Management, he has also pursued courses at the Caribbean Regional Drug Law Enforcement Training Centre with a Certificate in Advanced Financial Investigation. He also holds certification in leadership and Strategic Management from the Crown Agents Institute in the United Kingdom, as well as certifications from the Asset Recovery Agency in the United Kingdom, Linquist Avery McDonald Baskerville in Canada and the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Department of Treasury – USA.

 

Since 2004 to the present, Mr. Bernard has been an Adjunct Lecturer at the Justice Training Institute. Between 2012 and March 2016, he served as Chairman of the Audit Committee of the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce and holds membership on the Ministry of Education’s Audit Committee and Bond Policy Committee.

 

He has also been serving as Chairman – Audit Committee of the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation since March 2016.

 

Mr. Bernard is a Board Member of the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority. He is also a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica and the Jamaican Bar Association.

 

CAPTION: The Ministry of Education’s main office, 2 National Heroes Circle.

JIS: The National Education Trust (NET) is inviting donor support to fund the construction and maintenance of Jamaica’s education infrastructure.

 

The Trust, established in 2010, is a registered charitable organisation within the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, and is mandated to provide the material and financial resources needed for the development of the country’s education system.

 

The objective is to ensure equitable access to a safe and secure physical learning environment for all Jamaican children.

 

“Our aim is to be a credible institution, which mobilises and channels resources to the education sector in an effective, timely, efficient and transparent manner,” said Managing Director of NET, Marcia Phillips-Dawkins.

 

She was addressing a JIS Think Tank on November 3.

 

Mrs. Phillips-Dawkins noted that the work of the Trust is focused on four primary areas: education support and coordination, construction management, investment management, and garnering endowments.

 

She explained that NET effectively and efficiently facilitates investment to the education sector through partnership with the private and public sectors, civil society, communities and the Jamaican diaspora.

 

Mrs. Phillips-Dawkins said the Trust addresses the challenge of coordinating donor assistance by liaising with schools, agencies, government ministries, and departments of the Ministry of Education.

 

This, she said ensures that donor expectations are met and that children benefit from the support, there is accountability to donors, needs are met through streamlining the system of accepting donations, and that the interventions carried out are targeted and measurable.

 

“We want an education system that is well resourced and internationally recognised, which produces critical thinkers, lifelong learners who are productive, successful and able to effectively contribute to an improved quality of life at the personal, national and global levels,” she noted.

 

CAPTION: Managing Director at the National Education Trust, Marcia Phillips-Dawkins, addressing a JIS Think Tank on November 3.

JIS: The Government will be increasing support for primary schools in the next financial year.

 

Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, said that subvention to schools will be increased from an average of $800 per student to $2,500.

 

In addition, $15 million will be provided per parish, to ensure that a reliable maintenance programme is in place for primary schools.

 

‘This is so that there is some amount of resources to aid with critical repairs and maintenance,” he said.

 

Senator Reid was speaking at the launch of the Pledge 2 Build Campaign, held on (November 1) at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.

 

Pledge 2 Build is an initiative of the Jamaica Diaspora Education Task Force (JDETF), which seeks to mobilise some three million Jamaicans living overseas, to invest in the development of education, and educational infrastructure in the country annually, starting with early childhood and teacher empowerment.

 

The group is seeking to raise some US$2 million over the next three months, which will go towards upgrading the infrastructure of early-childhood and primary schools in Jamaica.

 

A portion of the funds will also be used for professional development and training of teachers.

 

Minister Reid, in hailing the initiative, said it will support Government’s efforts in boosting offerings at the early-childhood and primary levels.

 

For her part, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith, urged Jamaicans in the diaspora to contribute to the campaign.

 

‘Support for early-childhood education and teacher development are two of the most worthy causes that you can stand behind,” she said.

 

Since its inception in 2013, the JDETF has become a model for diaspora engagement in the area of education, facilitating the training of teachers and providing scholarships and laptops to students.

 

The Pledge 2 Build Campaign involves collaboration with I Support Jamaica, which is a crowd-funding platform that seeks to provide a simple, creative and secure avenue for Jamaicans residing locally and overseas, as well as friends of the island, to provide financial support to microenterprises and not-for-profit projects and programmes.

 

For further information on the campaign, persons can visit the website: pledge2build.com, or email info@ pledge2build.com.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (3rd left), is in light discussion with Chairman of the Jamaica Diaspora Education Task Force (JDETF), Leo Gilling (left), at the launch of the Pledge 2 Build Campaign on November 1 at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel, New Kingston. Chairman of the National Education Trust (NET), Nicholas Scott (2nd left), and Executive Director of the Jamaica Diaspora Institute, Neville Ying, shared in the conversation.

JIS: Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, has called on Jamaicans to be more sensitive to the needs of young persons and to protect them from harm.

 

Citing the recent killing of a student on a bus in Kingston, the State Minister said that “too many of us turn a blind eye to our young people when we see them in difficult situations.”

 

“This young man did nothing wrong. What did the bus load of people do to protect that young man in distress? Too many of us say those are not our children, so we are just minding our own business,” added.

 

Mr. Green was speaking at a church service to launch National Youth Month (November), which was held at the Steer Town New Testament Church of God, in St. Ann, on October 30.

 

The Minister of State said adults must be more mindful of the youth in society and the critical role they can play in seeking to guide, encourage and support them in developing all the requisite skills and abilities to enable them to become responsible and focused citizens in the future.

 

“We need to do more collectively to protect our young people. As such, I hope that such an unfortunate death will be a rallying call for us all to endeavour to do more for our young people,” Mr. Green emphasised.

 

For her part, Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Shahine Robinson, said the theme for the Month, ‘Energizing Youth’, is an important call for the entire nation to do what is necessary to empower and energize young people to become responsible and noble citizens.

 

“We must lay the right foundation, so they can actualise their true potential. As government, we are committed to creating the right environment for our young people to excel and so build the Jamaica we all want to see,” Mrs. Robinson said.

 

CAPTION: Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green (right), interacts with children from St. Christopher School for the Deaf, during the church service to launch National Youth Month (November), at the Steer Town New Testament Church of God, in St. Ann., on Sunday, October 30. The Month will be observed under the theme: ‘Energizing Youth’ 

JIS: Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, is inviting the church to partner with the Ministry to expand its role in the development of young people.

 

Addressing a church service to launch National Youth Month (November), on Sunday (October 30), at the Steer Town New Testament Church of God, in St. Ann, Mr. Green said the youth must be energized and equipped with the requisite skills to be productive citizens.

 

“What is critical in all of this is the role of the church. For a very long time the church has been an agent of youth development. I think that the church must recognize that now, more than ever, she must seek to expand on that programme,” he informed.

 

The Minister of State said that churches oftentimes remain closed for the greater part of the week, and the Ministry would be looking at ways to change this.

 

“We need our churches to be reaching out into the communities and bringing in our young people, to help with training, to help them to learn Christian principles. There is nothing wrong with learning kindness, respect and loving your neighbour as yourself,” Mr. Green said.

 

“I am saying to the church, join with us at the Ministry of Youth in a very real way. Let us partner in a real sense where we are running youth programmes through the churches. We have to do this now, because if we don’t, we are going to lose the Jamaica that we love,” he added.

 

Youth Month will be observed under the theme: ‘Energizing Youth’, and the activities will be anchored on the exploration of economic and personal advancement opportunities through Science, Technology and Telecommunications, and the creative industries.

 

CAPTION: Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, addresses church service to launch National Youth Month (November) on Sunday (October 30) at the Steer Town New Testament Church of God, in St. Ann. The Month will be observed under the theme: ‘Energizing Youth’.

 

JIS: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, is encouraging educators in Jamaica to employ more technology in the teaching and learning process.

 

Delivering the keynote address at the 2016 EduVision Awards Banquet at the Moon Palace Jamaica Grande Resort in Ocho Rios, St. Ann, on October 27, Minister Reid said the push for the use of more technology in education forms part of the Government’s quest to deliver quality education in every school.

 

“Quality education at every rung of the education ladder is a key ingredient of our national development plan. Quality education, however, is hardly possible in the 21st Century unless it is supported and grounded in access to, and productive use of information communication technologies (ICTs). No country can walk into the 21st Century confidently without mastering the integration of ICTs in education,” the Minister said.

 

He pointed out that the Ministry took a deliberate position to include ICT in the crafting of the new National Standards Curriculum for schools.

 

“The curriculum was piloted in 49 schools across the island during 2015. A major pillar of our new national standardised curriculum is its deliberate and elevated emphasis on the use of ICTs in the teaching and learning process,” Senator Reid said.

 

He noted that the Government has spent considerable sums of money to bring more ICT into the education system, including the Tablets in Schools programme and the supporting Internet infrastructure.

 

Meanwhile, the University of the West Indies, (UWI), Senior Education Officer, Keriff Watts; the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA), and educator Avril Crawford, were recognised for their contribution to the development and use of ICT in the education system.

 

CAPTION: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid delivering the keynote address at the 2016 EduVision awards banquet at the Moon Palace Jamaica Grande Resort in Ocho Rios, St. Ann, on October 27.

JIS: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says more funding and support will be provided to the early-childhood sector next year.

 

He said that an announcement regarding “a comprehensive programme of transformation for the sector” will be made at the start of the 2017/18 fiscal year, next April.

 

“We have to do some re-engineering and reallocation within the Ministry so that we can focus our resources on the areas that are most critical, because we have to have a solid foundation,” he said.

 

The Minister was speaking at the Executive Principals’ League induction ceremony at The Marriott Hotel Courtyard in New Kingston on October 27.

 

Senator Reid said the increased focus on early childhood is to ensure that students are provided with the fundamentals they will need to take them to the higher levels of the education system.

 

“My vision is that 80 per cent of all our children by age 30 should have a degree, if not a master’s degree… we take you right through a lifelong learning paradigm, we are not just going to end with the minimum, we need to raise standards because that is what is going to position the country into the knowledge era,” he said.

 

Meanwhile, Senator Reid said representatives from the Community Colleges of Jamaica have expressed a willingness to assist with the administration of the Career Advancement Programme (CAP).

 

“Frankly (they) want to take over the CAP because the capacity exists (there). The community colleges have a lot of space and they want… to be able to take many more students and move them from where they are, right up to the degree level,” he said.

 

He said the ultimate aim of the Ministry is to ensure that students reach their full potential before they exit the system.

 

Senator Reid said the Government will continue to provide technical support and additional funding in order to ensure that the educational system provides opportunities for all students.

 

“If we work together… we can make a difference, we can begin to reap the harvest of success, we can begin to see through education, a transformation of this nation,” he said.

 

During the ceremony, six principals, who head secondary, primary and pre-primary institutions across Jamaica, were inducted into the National College for Educational Leadership’s (NCEL) Executive Principals’ League (EPL).

 

They are Principal of Allman Town Primary, Kandi-Lee Alexandria Crooks-Smith; Principal of Manchester High, Jasford Gabriel; Principal of Ardenne High, Nadine Molloy; Principal of Petersfield Primary and Infant, Susan Rattray-Hammond; Principal of York Castle High, Raymon Treasure; and Principal of Belmont Academy, Rayon Simpson.

 

The six principals were presented with an Executive Principals’ League emblazoned blazer as well as a lapel pin.

 

The league was developed by the National College for Educational Leadership as a means of promoting excellence and quality leadership.

 

It also seeks to highlight principals, who have demonstrated exemplary leadership qualities, as well as sustained acceptable levels of academic performance within their respective schools, and have been models of excellence for their colleagues.

 

CAPTION: The Ministry of Education’s main office, 2 National Heroes Circle

JIS: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says a programme is to be announced shortly to facilitate the establishment of an information communication technology (ICT) infrastructure in primary institutions.

 

“This will result in the Ministry providing laptops, projectors and WIFI capabilities to facilitate effective teaching and learning. We are going to provide resources to make sure that every school … has those capabilities,” he said.

 

Senator Reid was addressing a Mathematics and Literacy Education Forum for board chairpersons and principals of schools in regions five and six, at the Kendal Conference Centre in Mandeville on October 26.

 

He said the Ministry will be making greater use of technology in the teaching and learning processes, as well as to keep track of students, improve school management, among other things.

 

“We have to leverage technology to drive greater productivity and achievement of our students in the system,” he said.

 

The Minister, in the meantime, is encouraging teachers at the primary- and secondary-school levels to embrace the new National Standards Curriculum (NSC).

 

He noted that the recently completed training of teachers and principals in the NSC will result in improved outcomes for the country’s children due to the inclusivity of the curriculum.

 

He said that with the new curriculum, all children, regardless of their needs, will be given an opportunity to do well.

 

“The Ministry is confident that the National Standards Curriculum will be effective in preparing Jamaica’s children for life in the 21st century and beyond,” the Minister said.

 

The NSC, for the grades one to nine levels, seeks 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.

 

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.

 

The approaches will allow the learners to have hands-on experiences that are similar to real-world situations, making the learning experience less abstract and more concrete.

 

Other matters discussed at the function included budgetary provisions for repairs and refurbishment of school furniture; three years for the removal of schools from the shift system; the proposed increase in primary-school general grants to $2,500 per student; and elimination of pit latrines by the end of 2016.

 

CAPTION: Restorative Justice 1: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (left), is in discussion with National Mathematics Coordinator at the Education Ministry, Dr.Tamika Benjamin. Occasion was a Mathematics and Literacy Education Forum for Board Chairpersons and Principals in regions five and six at the Kendal Conference Centre in Mandeville on October 25.