JIS: Six Principals who have demonstrated exemplary leadership qualities have been chosen as the second batch to be officially inducted into the National College for Educational Leadership (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 EPL is a vehicle through which its members will share best practices and innovative ideas whilst serving as ambassadors for the College. League members also provide guidance to NCEL concerning its programmes, so as to ensure their continued relevance to the local educational landscape.

 

It serves as a catalyst for the advancement of the College’s mandate, which is the development and sustenance of excellent leadership in the educational sector and the strengthening and promulgation of national morals and values.

 

Speaking at the recent announcement ceremony, Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, encouraged the principals to continue making a positive impact that will redound to the benefit of the sector.

 

“The recognition that you are getting is not a monetary recognition, it’s a validation of your excellence that money can’t even buy,” he said.

 

The Minister reminded that much is expected of them, and encouraged them to mentor and inspire the new principals.

 

“As leaders of this great league, we have to be transformational leaders, but part of the greater message is that not only the excellence that you have achieved must become a habit, but you have to infect the rest of the principals throughout the length the breath of Jamaica,” he said.

 

Senator Reid said that although they may be faced with social challenges while carrying out the operations at their various institutions, they should remain focused in their pursuit of greatness.

 

The Minister noted that the training NCEL provides will assist them in being effective in human resource management, financial management and implementing curriculum.

 

Responding on behalf of the inductees, Principal, Allman Town Primary, Mrs. Crooks-Smith said they were honoured and humbled to serve.

 

“Through coaching and mentorship we will continue to offer our support and encouragement to our colleagues. We will intensify the campaign to respect and protect our children,” she said.

 

Mrs. Crooks-Smith noted that this is another avenue for them to pool their knowledge, skills, resources and talents to activate a regional and national conversation on the thinking and doing of leadership.

 

“My colleagues and I will renew our commitment to utilise effective traditional and alternative solutions to address our challenges. Indeed, we will continue to challenge the norms that are non-productive,” she said.

 

The six principals were presented with Executive Principals’ League emblazoned blazers as well as lapel pins.

 

The league was developed by the NCEL as a means of promoting excellence and quality leadership.

 

It highlights 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.

 

Membership to the EPL is determined by the College. Individuals become eligible if they receive a rating of ‘Exceeds Expectation’ in round one of the ‘Effective Principals’ Training Programme.

 

Prospective members should also be in the post for at least two or three years prior to their institution receiving a rating of good or exceptionally high by the National Education Inspectorate and are registered, tenured and licensed for a minimum of three years.

 

The final requirement is that individuals have to provide evidence of ongoing professional development, mentorship and community involvement.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (left), with newly inducted members of the National College for Educational Leadership (NCEL) Executive Principals’ League (EPL), Kandi Lee Crooks-Smith, during a ceremony at The Marriott Hotel Courtyard, in Kingston.

JIS: The National Youth Parliament of Jamaica (NYPJ) reconvened yesterday  (November 14) with more than 70 young people debating issues that impact their development.

 

The youngsters, drawn from various areas of national life, made contributions on youth unemployment, climate change and the psychosocial care of students in schools.

 

They advocated for the creation of policies to enable more well-trained and skilled persons with disabilities to gain employment; for greater use of technology and innovation to create jobs; deepening involvement of women in agriculture to improve their position in society; and the use of technology to better promote the image of agriculture.

 

Other matters included establishment of a climate-change council to aid in raising awareness about the issue; and putting systems in place to prevent students from lapsing into deviant behaviour, especially at the secondary-school level.

 

In addressing the Youth Parliament, Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator, the Hon. Ruel Reid, said the sitting is intended to introduce the participants to the legislative process and the tenets of good governance. Mr. Reid urged them to use the lessons learnt to advance Jamaica.

 

“This experience must not be a one-off experience. It must be a call to action that you will be inspired… to ask not what your country can do for us, but what we can do for our country, if we want Jamaica to be great,” he said.

 

State Minister in the Ministry, Hon. Floyd Green, told the young people that they were not only representing their own views but those of their peers, and they should be proud of the opportunity.

 

Mr. Green also expressed elation at the reconvening of the Youth Parliament.

 

He said he expected the members to advance solutions for the betterment of youth throughout Jamaica.

 

“This is a call to action. Whatever cause you are championing, I want you to effect real change. We’re giving you the platform to create a new Jamaica,” he said.

 

Meanwhile, Speaker of the House, Hon. Pearnel Charles, urged the young parliamentarians to take their role seriously.

 

He said they must become advocates to ensure the holistic development and growth of Jamaica.

 

Started in November 2003, the NYPJ is a non-partisan initiative aimed at providing youths from across Jamaica with a forum to express their views, network and debate issues of concern in the House of Representatives. The most recent sitting of the NYPJ was in 2009.

 

This year’s sitting is in keeping with the Youth Month theme ‘E=MC 2 : Energising Youth”.

 

CAPTION: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (right) makes an address to the National Youth Parliament, held at Gordon House in Kingston on November 14.

 

JIS: Cabinet is to consider a proposal to engage 25 District Constables for the maintenance of public order, particularly at the Half-Way-Tree Transport Centre.

 

Director of Safety and Security in Schools, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Coleridge Minto, said Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, will take the proposal to Cabinet.

 

Mr. Minto, who was addressing a sensitization session on Justice Services, at the Ministry of Justice, on November 10, said the proposal was developed by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).

 

Meanwhile, he told the gathering that there is a move to deal effectively with children who are dropping out of school, as there is a correlation with this and crime.

 

He said Cabinet has already approved a plan to develop a research programme to identify and place them in the education system through the Career Advancement Programme (CAP), Caribbean Maritime Institute (CMI), and the Jamaica Foundation for Lifelong Learning (JFLL).

 

Mr. Minto said persons who know of children who have been expelled from school, should contact the Ministry, so they can be given assistance.

 

He emphasised that the students should be helped and given another chance to acquire an education and skills, because once they are left to uncertainty, they might end up in criminal activities.

 

Mr. Minto also appealed to School Resource Officers (SROs) to look out for drugs being peddled near educational institutions, as it has been found that some students obtain the substance not far from their schools.

JIS: The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information is looking to start a Staff Wellness Programme for teachers and school administrators, following preliminary discussions with the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA).

 

Portfolio Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, said the programme is being considered against the background of the recent sudden death of Spanish Town High teacher, Shanorayo Hemmings-Neil, as well as other potential stress factors, including financial stressors, family issues and serious health conditions.

 

“With conditions such as these, a staff-wellness programme becomes an essential need. A teachers’ wellness programme, therefore, means support for their physical, emotional and professional well-being,” he said.

 

The Minister was speaking at a post-Cabinet press briefing, held today (November 9), at the Office of the Prime Minister.

 

Senator Reid said supporting the well-being of school employees by promoting healthy behaviours at school and at home will foster a culture of health among staff.

 

Meanwhile, the Minister extended condolences to the family and colleagues of Mrs. Hemmings-Neil, who collapsed at a National Standards Curriculum Workshop at Central High School in Clarendon and later died at hospital.

 

He also extended condolences to the families of two students who died while participating in sporting activities over the past months.

 

The Minister said the Ministry has responded by agreeing to promote the policy of screening of student athletes before they participate in sporting activities. He said this is already a feature of the Ministry’s Safety and Security Policy.

 

Senator Reid said he will also be meeting with the school administrators and Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) to have further discussion on the matter.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid

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’