THE Ministry of Education says it plans to rationalise 168 more basic schools during this fiscal year in order to strengthen the early childhood sector.

 

The rationalisation process involves merging clusters of basic schools, as well as subsuming some into infant departments of primary schools. This is done according to factors such as the numbers of students at each institution, and the needs of the geographical areas, among other considerations.

 

Speaking at yesterday’s sitting of the Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC) at Gordon House, Chief Education Officer Dr Grace McLean said there was still an issue with some infant departments not following the ministry’s guidelines.

 

“We have seen some not very good achievements as it relates to some of our infant departments over the last two to three years. We found that in some instances — especially the ones that existed before (and) are already under government — there is a tendency not to want to ensure that they are following all the guidelines as stipulated by the early childhood commission,” she explained.

 

The chief education officer said these schools have been cautioned that there must be 100 per cent compliance with the early childhood standards. She pointed out that there have been cases of some children who are just over the age of three who are being grouped with those over four years old in the infant departments of some schools, with no co-ordinator to support the early childhood department.

 

“The principals had overall responsibility. So we made some changes (and) we took the decision to engage a co-ordinator to provide support directly at the early childhood level. We are expecting that, within this coming year, we should see some amount of improvement,” Dr McLean stated.

 

Meanwhile, she said the ministry now has data from the national students registration programme on the general performance of students up to grade 10 under. She said that, in another two years, the information should be accessible to other relevant agencies in order to make the appropriate intervention for students who have challenges.

 

Committee member Mikael Phillips argued that the government should move to have children admitted into the formal school system from as early as age two. He said there is a gap by the time they enter the system at age three, and that these students are falling behind in their early school years, as a result.

 

“You start at age three and there is a challenge for parents out there in finding a place for the children at age two,” he said, highlighting that private basic schools such as those built by churches and communities often are unable to fulfil the ministry’s standards for certification, cover insurance costs, and other requirements.

 

Phillips said he has found that the curriculum is often deficient. “In many instances, they just become a glorified day-care centre. It bothers me, because when they get to grade one, the teachers pay so much attention to get the majority of the students to catch up. It has been a long-standing problem, where we are paying a lot of attention to our secondary, tertiary and primary and we have left the early childhood institutions behind. By the time they catch up, it’s GSAT (Grade six Achievement Test) time. I would love to see us getting back to the stimulation starting at age two,” he said.

 

According to the Early Childhood Commission, there are currently 2,600 basic schools across the island, with just under 200 certified, and another 1,500 having permits to operate while inspections are periodically carried out leading to certification.

 

 CAPTION: Chief Education Officer Dr Grace McLean

JIS: The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information is reporting steady pass rates in the number of students who sat Mathematics and English in the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) over the past four years.

 

Senior Advisor/Consultant to the Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Robert Miller, said that for mathematics the pass rates were: 61 per cent in 2013; 60 per cent in 2014; 56 per cent in 2015, and 58 per cent in 2016.

 

He noted that in English the pass rates were 63 per cent in 2013; 62 per cent in 2014; 64 per cent in 2015, and 68 per cent in 2016.

 

Mr. Miller was addressing a meeting of the Rotary Club of Spanish Town on September 27, at the Police Officers’ Club on Hope Road, in Kingston.

 

The Senior Advisor also pointed to improvement in the number of students achieving mastery in literacy and numeracy at the primary level.

 

For literacy, 69 per cent of students achieved mastery in 2012; 74 per cent in 2013; 76.2 per cent in 2014, and 86.5 per cent in 2015.

 

Mr. Miller  noted that for  numeracy, 54 per  cent of  students  achieved mastery  in 2012;  59 per cent in 2013;  58 per cent in  2014,  and 65.7 per cent in  2015.

 

“Jamaica has done well in the provision of basic education. Today we have universal access at the early-childhood, primary and secondary levels of our education system. This is no flimsy achievement,” he emphasised.

 

Mr. Miller encouraged the Rotarians to redouble their efforts to help create a world-class education system, “which enables every Jamaican who wishes to achieve his or her potential”.

 

The achievements by the students are in line with the focus of Rotary International, which is celebrating the month of September under the theme ‘Basic Education and Literacy’.

 

President of the Rotary Club of Spanish Town, Desmond Hutchinson, said that as part of activities being undertaken in September, the club donated books, school bags, pencils and crayons to the National Basic School in Spanish Town.

 

They will also be establishing a reading room/computer room at the Spanish Town High School at an estimated cost of $4 million. It is expected that the facility will be completed by the end of the year.

 

CAPTION: President of the Rotary Club of Spanish Town, Mr. Desmond Hutchinson (left), presents a plaque to Senior Advisor to the Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Mr. Robert Miller, after he addressed the club’s meeting on September 27 at the Police Officers’ Club in Kingston.

JIS: The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information has established a Corporate Finance Committee to improve its financial management system.

 

Portfolio Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, made the disclosure at the reopening of the Jamaica College Parent-Teacher Association’s (PTA) stationery and memorabilia shop at the Old Hope Road-based institution on September 27.

 

Chief Executive Officer of Proven Management Limited, Christopher Williams, has been appointed committee head and Sagicor Chairman, R. Danny Williams is a member.

 

Mr. Reid said the committee will keep track of accounts receivables and payables and the progress of projects. He noted that the body will also ensure that there are proper budgets in place for school furniture, among other needs.

 

“Every year there are complaints because of a lack of furniture. The Ministry has not had a proper budget for furniture, for maintenance. I will now be able to look at a maintenance programme that will reach every school,” he pointed out.

 

The work of the committee will also assist the Minister in giving better evidence-based policy directions. “By doing so, I am able to programme funds more directly so we can have more impact,” Mr. Reid said, noting that the objective is to have the Ministry operate like a corporate body.

 

Meanwhile, President of the Jamaica College PTA, Errol Holmes, said the refurbished shop provides services such as research, printing and laminating.

 

“It houses eight top-of-the-line Lenovo computers and we have an area that sells supplies for the school as well as memorabilia,” he informed.

 

“The building will assist our boys with research for the timely submission of school-based assessments and internal assessments for exams and for research,” he pointed out.

 

Mr. Holmes informed that the project was undertaken over nine months at a cost of $5.2 million.  Jamaica National Foundation contributed approximately $2 million, with the remainder coming from donations and other forms of funding.

 

School Captain, Malik Morrison, said the shop is a “great addition” to the offerings of the institution. He expressed gratitude to the PTA for improving the building.

 

At the grand reopening, five past PTA presidents were recognised for their contributions to improving the school.

 

Among them is Editor-in-Chief of the Gleaner Company, Garfield Grandison, who is the immediate past president.

 

CAPTION: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (right), examines a Jamaica College branded draw-string bag, which is among items for sale inside the newly refurbished stationery and memorabilia shop, which was reopened on September 27. Others (from left) are PTA President, Errol Holmes; Group Chief Financial Officer, Jamaica National, Curtis Martin, and School Captain, Malik Morrison.

 

JIS: Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says with the addition of new classrooms in the early-childhood sector by the administration, more children will have access to education without paying fees.

 

He said that in keeping with the constitutional provision, which guarantees children access to pre-primary education, tuition free, the Government has been expanding early-childhood spaces to ensure that quality accommodation is available for children in public institutions.

 

“The students who are not able to afford it (fees), should be able to find space where they can develop their early-childhood skills without having to worry about fees,” the PM said.

 

Speaking with JIS News, following the presentation of books to students at the Four Campbell’s Academy, on Booby Drive, in his West Central St. Andrew constituency, on September 27, Mr. Holness said with the ongoing increase in early-childhood spaces, absenteeism should decrease, as parents will face less challenges in paying fees.

 

The Prime Minister said many of the early-childhood schools that are operated privately and by the community will have to find some “facilitation in a programme where the Government assists in the provision of the early-childhood service”.

 

Mr. Holness said the Palmyra Foundation, which donated the books, is providing well-placed support to the foundation of education at the early-childhood level.

 

“I want to thank the Foundation, and encourage other corporate citizens to make their contribution to education,” the Prime Minister said.

 

For her part, Principal of the school, Alicia Robinson, said books are available for all of her 80 students.

 

“I am really grateful (for the donation). This is another step to enhance the children’s reading level. The children are very happy, and I am sure they will make good use of the books,” Miss Robinson said.

 

CAPTION: Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (right), interacts with students at the Four Campbell’s Academy, on Booby Drive, in his West Central St. Andrew Constituency,on September 27. Mr. Holness presented books and other educational materials to the school, donated by the Palmyra Foundation.

JIS: The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information will be implementing its mathematics pilot project for parents in November.

 

The US$500,000 initiative, which will involve some 1,800 families in Clarendon, is aimed at helping parents develop competence in math in order to better support their children’s learning in the subject area.

 

It will target parents of children in grades one and two, who are beneficiaries of the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH).

 

The nine-month mathematics project, slated to end in July 2017, will be implemented by consultants from Southern Methodist University in Texas, Professor Dr. Leanne Caterlin Geller and Researcher Josh Geller, in collaboration with local mathematics experts.

 

The training will involve group coaching and workshops.

 

Addressing a JIS Think Tank on September 27, National Mathematics Coordinator in the Ministry, Dr. Tamika Benjamin, said that the aim of the project is to improve student outcome in mathematics.

 

She noted that “children who have parental support in the learning of mathematics will do better than those who don’t”.

 

Dr. Benjamin said the Ministry has been working assiduously over the past four to five years to improve the teaching and learning of mathematics in Jamaica.

 

She said that “much of the fear and dislike for the subject is learnt, with persons saying that it is hard”.

 

“We believe if we can change the dialogue that takes place between parent and child from very early, as they are beginning to formally develop their mathematical skills and competencies, we are more likely to have a lasting impact on the parent as well as the child,” she pointed out.

 

Dr. Benjamin told JIS News that the project will provide the Ministry with data that could inform decisions regarding programmes to be implemented by the Ministry.

 

The mathematics pilot is being undertaken through support from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Japanese High Commission.

 

It is part of a two-year project, which involved a feasibility study undertaken in St. Elizabeth in 2015.

 

CAPTION: National Mathematics Coordinator in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Dr. Tamika Benjamin, provides details about the mathematics pilot project for parents to be implemented in November, during a JIS Think Tank on September 27.

JIS: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, is commending the operators of the Half-Way Tree Transport Centre for the efficient and orderly movement of students who use the facility.

 

He said he is impressed with the overall improvement in the behaviour of the students, noting that there is no loitering.

 

“I am very happy on all counts. I am very appreciative for the work here and the progress,” he added.

 

Minister Reid was speaking to reporters following a tour of the transport centre on September 20, to assess the quality of service being provided to students.

 

He said the measures implemented to improve student discipline have improved conduct among all users of the facility.

 

“This provides a good platform for me to launch our Values and Attitude programme to instil greater discipline right across the society, in public spaces, and how we relate to each other. The school system must lead this way,” he contended.

 

Meanwhile, Senator Reid said consideration is being given to setting up a study area at the centre “so that we can have very productive schoolwork happening”.

 

Regarding plans to install a closed-circuit television (CCTV) system that links the transport centre with various high schools in the Corporate Area, he informed that the facility will be operational by the next school year.

 

“It will provide better monitoring of the students and the users of the centre and ensure that good discipline is taking place in this public space,” Minister Reid said.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (left), interacts with students at the Half-Way Tree Transport Centre, while on a tour of the facility on September 20. Also pictured (from 2nd left) are Administrative and Technical Operations Manager at Port Authority Management Services Limited, Laurel Robinson; and Vice President for Business Development, Edmond Marsh.

JIS: The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, continues to strengthen the systems to facilitate reports of child abuse and provide support for victims.

 

“I think we always have to constantly reassess our systems to ensure that our children, who are the victims, that they are comfortable in filing these reports and that especially the psychological needs that they have are taken care of,” said State Minister in the Ministry, Hon. Floyd Green.

 

“I have been in constant dialogue with the CDA (Child Development Agency) in terms of strengthening those systems, ensuring that when they interact with the police, that our police…understand the situation and how to treat with it,” he added.

 

Mr. Green was speaking to JIS News on Monday (September 19) at the launch of the Office of the Children’s Registry’s (OCR) ‘Break the Silence’ school tours at the Ocho Rios Primary School in St. Ann.

 

He informed that a collaborative approach is being taken, involving various state agencies, to ensure that support is given to those who are affected.

 

He said a team of first responders has been set up to make that initial contact with any child who is suspected to have been a victim of abuse.

 

“The police understands that the CDA and the OCR must be called and we are working with the Office of the Children’s Advocate to ensure that the rights of our children are taken care of,” he noted further, adding that he has asked the CDA to strengthen its monitoring and evaluation systems.

 

The ‘Break the Silence’ tours aim to sensitise students, teachers and parents about child abuse, and how to identify and report known or suspected incidents.

 

Mr. Green said the focus on schools is deliberate. “We are taking a more targeted approach. We want to go into the schools, and the plan is… to empower our children so they can self-report,” he said.

 

“If they are having problems at home, we are saying to the children that (they) can go to (their) teachers. The other aspect is that we are saying to the teachers that they have a responsibility under the law to tell what they know, and if they suspect that a child is being abused, they should let the OCR know so that the CDA can start an investigation as well as the police can get involved,” he pointed out.

 

Mr. Green noted that teachers are strategically placed to detect any changes in the behaviour of their students.

 

During the tours, school leaders will be trained on what to look for and how to address abuse.

 

Monday’s launch of the islandwide school tours was also addressed by Registrar of the OCR, Greig Smith and representatives from the CDA and the police force.

 

CAPTION:  State Minister for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, interacts with students of the Ocho Rios Primary School in St. Ann, during a visit to the institution on Monday (September 19) for the launch of the Office of the Children’s Registry (OCR) islandwide ‘Break the Silence’ school tours.

JIS: The Education, Youth and Information Ministry is endorsing the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Global Goals for Sustainable Development.

 

In observance of this initiative, dubbed the World’s Largest Lesson, Portfolio Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, said emphasis is being placed on students thinking about bigger global issues such as poverty, climate change and energy, among others.

 

“We as a country need to see how we can contribute, not only to the development of our country but to the overall sustainable development of the entire world,” the Minister said.

 

Mr. Reid was speaking with JIS News following an address to first-form students at Campion College, in St. Andrew, on September 19, to recognise the UNICEF initiative.

 

He informed that the issues which are likely to affect other countries are also likely to affect Jamaica and, therefore, must be addressed.

 

“We are not just isolated from the rest of the world. We are indeed affected by what happens globally,” the Minister said.

 

The World’s Largest Lesson consists of 17 goals, coalescing into three objectives, which include ending poverty, fighting inequality and injustice, and fixing climate change.

 

UNICEF hopes to achieve these objectives within the next 15 years. They encourage schools around the world to teach a lesson or assemble to introduce or remind students of the Global Goals and get them to think about how they can help in achieving those goals.

 

Meanwhile, Quality Education Specialist with UNICEF, Dr. Rebecca Tortello Greenland, said educating the students on the goals and objectives of the World’s Largest Lesson is important to putting an end to some of the issues faced by countries.

 

“We want to get our young people to use their brains, their ideas to campaign, advocate, design and innovate, so that we can solve some of our own issues,” she said.

 

Dr. Tortello Greenland noted that conversations about what sustainable development is and the roles we as individuals play are necessary.

 

CAPTION: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator, the Hon. Ruel Reid (left), engages first-form students of Campion College on the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) World’s Largest Lesson initiative to promote sustainable development, during a visit to their school, in St. Andrew on September 19.

JIS: The Government has realigned the education curriculum to ensure that the nation’s youth are equipped for changes in the job market, says Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green.

 

Mr. Green said the innovative curriculum is technology-based, putting students at the centre of education, so that they will be able to cope with the job drift.

 

“It is for that reason that we have outlined a new curriculum for schools, starting with our secondary and primary schools, which is infused with technology at every aspect,” the Minister noted.

 

Mr. Green was addressing the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Social Good Summit, held today (September 19), at the Spanish Court Hotel, in New Kingston.

 

Some 12,000 teachers received training during the summer break for the new system, and the Minister reasoned that with the infusion of technology in education, young people will be adequately prepared for “jobs of the present and the future”.

 

He explained that the vision is to ensure that when students are finished “with this course of study”, they are not only able to pass examinations, but are able to engage in critical thinking, assess and manipulate technology for “all our social good”.

 

Mr. Green said young people must be empowered through education for them to create, build and utilise technology education for sustainable development of not only Jamaica, but the world.

 

The Summit examined the impact of technology and new media on social initiatives around the world. It also exhibited current technology solutions and concepts that address development challenges.

 

CAPTION: Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green (left), is joined by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative, Bruno Pouezat, as they display the Development Goals of the organisation at the UNDP’s Social Good Summit, held on September 19, at the Spanish Court Hotel, in New Kingston.

JIS: The Education, Youth and Information Ministry is welcoming the findings of a recently concluded study, designed to provide solutions to improving students’ performance in mathematics at the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) level.

 

Portfolio Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, said the pilot project, undertaken by The Mico University College, represents another strategy by his Ministry to “ramp up” the teaching and learning outcomes of mathematics.

 

Addressing a press briefing at the Marescaux Road-based institution on September 13, the Minister said the project comes against the background of several initiatives from his Ministry that seek to “highlight the beauty, utility and applicability of mathematics”.

 

“It (project) dispels the myth that the subject is difficult, cold, abstract and only accessible to a few,” Mr. Reid said of the study commissioned by the Caribbean Centre of Excellence in Mathematics Teaching (CCEMaT) at The Mico.

 

The study involved a sample of 840 students and 24 teachers selected from four primary schools in Kingston, and used a mixed method of research to collate and analyse the data.

 

It revealed that building teachers’ subject knowledge and developing students’ problem-solving skills significantly impacted the performance of students in mathematics.

 

It recommends that policymakers within the education sector should ensure that all teachers of mathematics are given an opportunity to enhance their subject knowledge. It further suggested that developing the problem-solving skills in students must be mandatory in all mathematics lessons at all levels of the education system.

 

The Minister indicated that the findings from the research will guide his Ministry in addressing the noted decline in math results for the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams.

 

The study was a collaborative initiative between CCEMaT, Plymouth University in the United Kingdom and Sterling Asset Management, which provided the funding.

 

The Mico’s President, Dr. Ashburn Pinnock, said the study was a response to the Government’s concern in 2014 over students’ weaknesses in mathematics.

 

CAPTION: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (left), greets Director of the Centre of Innovation in Mathematics Teaching at the University of Plymouth in the United Kingdom, Professor David Burghes (centre). Occasion was a press briefing to present the findings of a study on improving students’ performance in mathematics at the primary school level in the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT), at The Mico University College on September 13. At right is Pro-Chancellor of The Mico University College, Professor Neville Ying.