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.

JIS: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, has assured that adequate funds have been disbursed to support the operations of high schools islandwide for the 2016/17 academic year.

 

He was speaking during a post-Cabinet media briefing at Jamaica House on Wednesday (October 26), where he provided an update on the Government’s tuition policy.

 

Senator Reid said two tranches of the $3.9 billion of budgeted tuition support, totalling more than $1 billion, were paid in June and September and advised that a third, scheduled for December, will be paid in the next couple of days.

 

He said the funding has provided support for 761 academic and 153 non-academic staff members across the Ministry’s six educational regions. He indicated that the overall budget for the remainder of the year was $502.5 million.

 

“So, the secondary system is well funded this year. Even where schools were (initially) concerned … we made sure to give them additional funding for key staffing that they required and that also bolstered their overall funding availability,” the Minister said.

 

The Government’s overall funding support for the education sector has increased from $2.5 billion to $5.5 billion for the current academic year.

 

This is consequent on the abolition of compulsory auxiliary fee payments in high schools. Parents are encouraged to make voluntary contributions to the institutions.

 

“We think it was a very successful campaign and we are going to be holding (school administrators) to account in terms of raising standards and performance,” Senator Reid said.

 

Meanwhile, Senator Reid advised that an announcement regarding a comprehensive programme of transformation for the early-childhood sector and the attendant funding support will be made at the start of the 2017/18 fiscal year, next April.

 

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

JIS: The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information will be reviewing student councils across the island to ensure that these bodies are actively engaged and functioning at an optimal level.

 

State Minister, Hon. Floyd Green, in making the disclosure, said it has come to the attention of the Ministry that some councils are not as active as they should be in representing the interests of the student body.

 

He noted that student councils play an important role in the effective operation of secondary schools.

 

“You have a position to play by law. It is enshrined in the Education Act and as such, we expect that every single secondary school will have a student council president, a student council body, and that the president will sit on the Board of the institution and participate in the governance of the school,” he said.

 

“It is important that students have a say in how their schools are run. Schools are set up to serve you the students,” he stressed.

 

Mr. Green was addressing the installation ceremony for executive members of the National Secondary Students’ Council (NSSC) held on Wednesday (October 12) at the Institute of Jamaica in Kingston.

 

Under the Education Act of 1980, all public secondary institutions must have a student council, which consists of elected representatives from the student body, with at least one staff advisor also selected by the students.

 

The council has the right to democratically elect their own representatives; have representation on the school board; meet with the principal and staff on any matter affecting students’ interests; and hold regular meetings to conduct business on the students’ behalf, with due regard to the smooth functioning of the institution.

 

The 20-member NSSC, which will serve from September 2016 to August 2017, is comprised of representatives of schools spanning the six education regions.

 

These are The Queens’ School, Wolmer’s Boys’, Camperdown High, Campion College, Denham Town High, and St. Hugh’s High in Kingston and St. Andrew; Morant Bay High and Paul Bogle High, St. Thomas; Ferncourt High, St. Ann; Mt. Alvernia High, St. James; Belmont Academy and Frome Technical High, Westmoreland; DeCarteret College, Belair High, and Manchester High, Manchester; Clarendon College, Clarendon; St. Jago High and Cedar Grove Academy, St. Catherine.

 

Mr. Green commended the outgoing members of the NSSC and encouraged the newly installed members to work collaboratively with the Ministry to address challenges.

 

“I want to commend you on new initiatives that help our students. The NSSC has an exceptional legacy… . It has created countless leaders… a number of them started their leadership development as student councillors,” he noted.

 

Executive Director, National Integrity Action, Professor Trevor Munroe, who was the guest speaker at the function, encouraged the students to continue the legacy of activism that encourages positive social change.

 

“The empowerment of students at the school level is an important apprenticeship in democracy. Such preparation for participation in democracy at the school level is absolutely essential if our young people are to fulfil their role in enhancing Jamaica’s democracy,” Professor Munroe pointed out.

 

The NSSC is the umbrella organisation for all student councils in Jamaica. It aims to give students the opportunity to voice their opinions on matters that affect them.

 

The NSSC represents more than 160 secondary schools and over 30,000 students, advocating on their behalf and providing representation in the decision-making process of schools at all levels.

 

CAPTION: Members of the National Secondary Students’ Council (NSSC) for 2016-2017, share a photographic moment at the installation ceremony held on October 12 at the Institute of Jamaica in Kingston.

JIS: The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information will, this year, be offering Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) subsidies for an additional subject to wards of the State and students on the Programme of Advancement through Health and Education (PATH).

 

This was noted by Portfolio Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, at a post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House, today (October 12).

 

The Ministry will continue to offer subsidies, valued at $450 million, on four subjects – Mathematics, English Language, Information Technology, and a science subject. The additional subsidy is estimated to cost $50 million.

 

Senator Reid said subsidies are also being provided for three units for the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE), as well as for the Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ), the National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) and the City and Guilds examinations.

 

Students are required to have an average of 55 per cent to qualify for subsidies.

 

The Minister also announced that the Ministry, through the Overseas Examinations Commission, will provide full payment for registration and examination fees for students sitting the City and Guilds Mathematics and English Language Stage Two and Three examinations.

 

This waiver of the fees is projected to cost some $23 million.

 

The Minister further reported that Jamaica Public Service (JPS) Foundation will be paying the CSEC fees for students sitting electrical and electronic technology subjects. Schools should have a pass rate of more than 60 per cent for the past two academic years in the subject areas to qualify.

 

Schools entering those subjects for the first time must have an overall CSEC sit rate of 90 per cent over the past two years. Individual students must also have an average of 60 per cent or higher.

 

The NCB Foundation will also continue to provide subsidy for Principles of Business and Principles of Accounts. The qualifying grade is 70 per cent.

 

Senator Reid said registration to sit the CSEC must be done through the Ministry’s regional offices for subsidies to apply.

 

Meanwhile, the Minister is reminding school administrators that all students in grades 11 are to be registered to sit examinations in keeping with their career pathways, interests and abilities. He said students entering fourth form should also be settled into a course of study leading up to their exams.

 

“Our focus at the Ministry is to ensure that all students exiting the secondary level must do so with at least five subjects, including Mathematics, English Language and a marketable Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) skill. This is to ensure that we have young people ready for viable and legitimate economic activity,” he said.

 

The Minister emphasised that starting next year, all students should leave secondary school with passes in those subject areas.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, addresses a post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House on October 12.

JIS: Human trafficking is now being taught in the nation’s schools.

 

The curriculum was rolled out in more than 500 primary and secondary institutions at the start of the new academic year in September, following the success of the pilot introduced in 49 schools across the island in September 2015.

 

It was developed by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, in collaboration with the National Task Force Against Trafficking in Persons.

 

Director of Safety and Security in Schools, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Coleridge Minto, said the introduction of the curriculum will promote greater awareness among students and teachers of human trafficking and prevent them from becoming victims.

 

He was speaking at a Ministry of Justice Sensitisation Seminar on Justice Services held recently in Montego Bay.

 

He informed that 1,000 school officials and deans of discipline have been sensitised on matters relating to human trafficking, and more than 400 safety and security officers are to be trained.

 

ASP Minto said information on human trafficking has also been included in the safety and security programme of the Ministry to ensure that all school administrators are empowered on the issue.

 

Meanwhile, ASP Minto is urging parents to monitor their children online, as predators often use social media to lure their victims.

 

“We have to understand the space that our children enter and who they are communicating with. These human traffickers prey on persons, but they are not putting up their real faces… so students, teenagers, young ladies using the Internet, they have to be careful because they never know who is on the other end,” he noted.

 

He pointed out that persons involved in human trafficking will also use online sources and the print media to advertise attractive-paying non-existent jobs in order to lure persons into their trap.

 

“As you seek to apply for jobs online or you see these jobs in the newspapers, you may want to do some research on them before you actually apply and agree to meet someone,” ASP Minto advised.

 

“We have had cases where persons would have been recruited under the guise that they were going to be employed and, thereafter, became a victim of human trafficking,” he said.

 

CAPTION: Director of Safety and Security in Schools in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Coleridge Minto, addresses a Ministry of Justice sensitisation seminar on justice services held recently in Montego Bay.

JIS: World Teachers’ Day is an opportunity to acknowledge our teachers and say thanks for the significant contributions they make in our classrooms and communities.

 

Celebrated in more than 100 countries world-wide, including Jamaica, the day which is observed annually on October 5, commemorates teachers’ organizations worldwide.

 

We thank God for sparing our nation and teachers from the ravages of Hurricane Matthew.

 

In welcoming the observance of World Teachers’ Day, being recognized under the theme,” Valuing Teachers, Improving their Status”, let me assure Jamaicans of this administration’s continued support for our teachers who continue to build the nation through their resilience, creativity, commitment, tremendous work and untiring service.

 

Teachers are the cornerstone of the education system and a major influence on the development of our children.

 

Teachers along with the home, and church, are one of the first avenues through which knowledge is introduced.

 

As important agents of socialisation and role models for children, our teachers are powerful agents of change in our society, which is in need of radical social change to become a more wholesome, gentler, and more caring society.

 

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information (MOEY) through the Jamaica Teaching Council (JTC), has opened new avenues for sustained professional development and improved competencies for all educators.

 

This will inure to the continuous endeavour for excellence, the raising of aspirations and achievements that will result in beneficial outcomes for all learners.

 

I urge all Jamaicans to show more respect and appreciation for our teachers. Their task is not an easy one, but one that is necessary and often undertaken under challenging circumstances and with limited resources, even as we expect spectacular results.

 

Our teachers must see us all as their partners in building an educated nation. On behalf of this grateful nation, the Ministry salutes you on this day of appreciation.

 

Best wishes for a happy World Teachers’ Day. God Bless You All.

 

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

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, on the advice of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, has ordered that schools remain closed on Tuesday, October 4, 2016. 

 

This is in response to the impending arrival of Hurricane Matthew, which is expected within the next 12 to 24 hours.

 

“We encourage school administrators to stay tuned to the media in order to receive regular updates from the ministry as the situation unfolds over the next two days,” a news release from the ministry read.

 

“Due to the unpredictable nature of this massive system, a tropical storm warning is still in effect for the island, despite the fair weather conditions at the moment,” stated portfolio Minister Ruel Reid.