JIS:  Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says the Ministry will be working with the National Parent-Teacher Association of Jamaica (NPTAJ) to ensure that there is a functional PTA in every school.

 

He informed that the establishment of PTAs is a recommendation of the National Task Force on Education and forms part of the Government’s educational policy.

 

Addressing the 5th Biennial General Meeting of the NPTAJ held at the St. Elizabeth Technical High School in Santa Cruz on Saturday (July 23), Senator Reid noted that the bodies play a major role in the effective management of educational institutions.

 

He said PTAs should be an important voice on behalf of the Ministry in all institutions.

 

Senator Reid said the Biennial General Meeting of the NPTAJ serves to underscore the importance of partnership between parents and teachers in the education process.

 

“The relationship between home and school is important because each reinforces the other. Parents need to know that their job does not end with just sending the child to school, but they need to be involved in every aspect of the child’s growth,” he pointed out.

 

The Education, Youth and Information Minister added that through the National  Parenting Support Commission (NPSC), a number of programmes will be rolled out to assist parents in rearing their children.

 

He said these programmes include educational and support services and are designed to promote the well-being and safety of children, using the family as the base.

 

CAPTION: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, addresses the 5th Biennial General Meeting of the National Parent-Teacher Association of Jamaica (NPTAJ), held at the St. Elizabeth Technical High School in Santa Cruz on Saturday, July 23

JIS: Education Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, is urging training institutions to ensure that more teachers are certified in special education.

 

He said that the Ministry is placing increased focus on inclusive education for students with special needs.

 

“We are trying to mainstream more inclusive education and require that teachers are far more adept at differentiated instructional techniques,” he said.

 

Senator Reid was addressing the opening ceremony of the International Council on Education for Teaching’s (ICET) 60th World Assembly on July 18 at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.

 

ICET is an international association of policy and decision-makers in education, government and business, dedicated to improving educational experiences and outcomes in all parts of the world.

 

The conference, being held from July 18-21 has attracted 300 participants from around the world and aims to engender a cross-disciplinary focus on developing teacher capacity through quality teacher education in the Caribbean region.

 

During the ceremony, Professor Emeritus, the Hon. Errol Miller was presented with ICET’s Frank H. Klassen Award in recognition of his outstanding leadership and contributions in education.

 

Professor Miller, who delivered the Frank H. Klassen Lecture, said he was honoured to be a recipient of the prestigious award.

 

Dr. Frank Klassen was a long-standing ICET President who led the transformation of association into the global voice of the teacher-education community and the implementation of major educational reforms.

 

Senator Reid congratulated Professor Miller on this notable achievement and thanked him for his invaluable contribution to the education sector.

 

The ICET conference is being hosted by the University of the West Indies’ (UWI) Mona Campus School of Education in partnership with the Teachers’ Colleges of Jamaica under the theme ‘Teachers for a Better World: Creating Conditions for Quality Education – Pedagogy, Policy and Professionalism’.

 

A special feature of this year’s conference is the inauguration of the Darrell Bloom Award for sustained services to the promotion of educator preparation.

 

Darrel Bloom is an active leader within the ICET and the immediate past president for the period 1998 to 2012.

 

Founded in 1953, ICET aims to emphasise international cooperation to improve the quality of teacher education.

 

Since 1953, ICET has convened seven World Assemblies in the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region. This will be the third time Jamaica has hosted the assembly since 1971.

 

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

JIS: The Mico University College is hosting a five-day training camp to introduce Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) based methodologies to address teaching and learning challenges within the education sector.

 

This is being done in partnership with IBM Canada and IBM World Trade Corporation (Jamaica).

 

The workshop, to be attended by teachers and students, is being held from July 18-22 and is in response to gaps identified in the National Education Inspectorate (NEI) Report of 2015.

 

In his remarks at the opening ceremony, held at The Mico University College today (July 18), General Manager, IBM World Corporation, Jamaica, Gordon Foote, said he hopes the training camp will help transform the education sector.

 

“Our technology camps are designed to generate an awareness of science and technology in general. These camps also offer volunteers the opportunity to share their professional and personal experience as role models, which fosters a positive environment conducive to learning,” Mr. Foote said.

 

He added that at the camp, children will be able to explore science and technology through team-based learning and hands-on activities.

 

“This camp will focus on engaging teachers and children from eight schools in the inner cities of Kingston to discover the reality of science, technology, engineering and maths,” Mr. Foote noted.

 

For her part, Chief Education Officer at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Dr. Grace McLean, said the camp is a response to the needs of the education system.

 

“We are grateful that this university has taken the lead in building capacity in our teachers and prospective teachers as you continue to utilise the National Education Inspectorate recommendations to improve the system,” Dr. McLean said.

 

The training camp is the first of its kind in the Caribbean that will train both Mico Faculty members and students from surrounding schools using STEM methodology.

 

It will consist of very practical topics, which will include learning-based challenges, robotics, a field trip and bridge building with a twist.

 

CAPTION:

Chief Education Officer at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Dr. Grace McLean (second left) shares a light moment with (from left) Pro-Chancellor, The Mico University College, Neville Ying; Director, Communications and Public Relations, IBM Canada, Joanne Fortin, and General Manager, IBM World Corporation, Jamaica, Gordon Foote. Occasion was the official opening of a five-day training camp to introduce Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) based methodologies to address teaching and learning challenges within the education sector. The ceremony was held at The Mico University College on July 18.

JIS: Several of the island’s teachers are being trained in preparation for the roll-out of the new National Standard Curriculum in September.

 

This was disclosed by Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, during the opening ceremony for the Excellence in Science Experiential Education (ExSEED) Jamaica 2016 workshop, at The Mico University College in Kingston, on July 12.

 

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

 

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

 

Senator Reid said the new curriculum will enable all students from the primary to the secondary level to be better equipped with the knowledge and skills needed for the 21st Century work environment.

 

He emphasised that in a rapidly changing social and technological environment, it is important that teaching is kept abreast of current and effective trends in education.

 

“Having demonstrated in other jurisdictions the ability to bring together the competencies and skills that make for a more efficient school product, the STEM methodology is expected to spawn in Jamaica a new type of school, different from and more efficient than our current educational institutions,” the Minister said.

 

Senator Reid noted that several high schools have been transformed into STEM academies, “so that parents and students can select those schools specifically, because they want to focus on those areas”.

 

The STEM academies are Kingston, St. Andrew, Herbert Morrison, St. Mary, Dinthill, Dunoon and Vere technical high schools, Manchester High and Sydney Pagon High.

 

The Minister said every effort is being made to ensure that the country’s education system is customised and specifically targeted to meet the country’s labour market needs.

 

He urged teachers at the workshop to acquire as much knowledge as possible, so they will be more adept in their areas of specialisation.

 

In the meantime, the Minister said technology will have to be used to address the shortage of teachers, particularly in the areas of Mathematics and Science.

 

“It means, therefore, we are going to organise the delivery of these contents across the school system, so that they are delivered at the same time,” he said.

 

At the workshop, the Ministry provided the teachers with computer tablets.

 

The ExSEED programme is designed to enhance integrated STEM education in schools. A team from Loma Linda University visited the island to engage the teachers who attended the workshop.

 

CAPTION:

Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, addresses opening ceremony for the ExSEED Jamaica 2016 workshop at The Mico University College in Kingston, on July 12. The ExSEED programme is designed to enhance Integrated Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in schools.

JIS: State Minister for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, says the target set by the Ministry for mastery in literacy among grade 4 primary school students has been surpassed.

 

Addressing the annual graduation exercise at the Parottee Primary School in St. Elizabeth recently, Mr. Green said there is an 86 per cent literacy mastery among the students.

 

The State Minister explained that the target was surpassed for this year as the Ministry had set it at 85 per cent, adding that the aim is to get more schools achieving 100 per cent mastery.

 

He said the Ministry remains confident that every student at the grade 4 level should be able to master literacy skills.

 

Meanwhile, the State Minister pointed out that performance in mathematics continues to lag among grade 4 students and efforts are being made to improve the 60 per cent mastery which now obtains.

 

Mr. Green said the Ministry is willing to provide specialists to work with the children. “At the end of the day, I want all my children leaving grade 4 to be masters in literacy and numeracy skills,” he said.

 

He commended the students and teachers for their performance at Parottee Primary.

 

“Parottee has been doing well and I think it is our responsibility to spread the good news. Very few schools can boast that they have ever gotten one hundred per cent in the grade 4 literacy examination and Parottee has achieved that,” the State Minister said.

 

In recognition of the performance of students in the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT), Mr. Green announced that he will be presenting bursaries to the top male and female student at the school.

 

This bursary, he added, will also be presented to the top male and female GSAT student at every primary school in South West St. Elizabeth, which he represents in Parliament.

 

Mr. Green also noted that the top GSAT teachers in the constituency will also be rewarded.

 

CAPTION: 

Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green

JIS: Graduates of the Career Advancement Programme (CAP) are being encouraged to use the skills learnt for employment or to access higher education.

 

Director of CAP in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Kenesha Campbell, made the call during her address at the Caribbean Maritime Institute’s (CMI) CAP graduation ceremony at the Institute of Jamaica (IoJ), downtown Kingston, on July 7.

 

She told the youngsters, who participated in the programme at CMI over the past two years that they are now empowered to make meaningful contributions to the country’s advancement.

 

Ms. Campbell said the Ministry is committed to administering the programme “because of the promise that it offers our young people,” and “in fulfilling its mandate that no young person should be left behind in the education system.”

 

“I congratulate you…and look forward to your contribution to productive nation building,” she told the graduates.

 

CMI’s Executive Director, Dr. Fritz Pinnock, noted that 60 per cent of the “best available jobs” will be created over the next 10 years and the institute stands ready to  train persons in preparation for these opportunities.

 

Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ) Vice President and CMI Board Director, David Powell, who was the guest speaker, encouraged the graduates to strive for excellence in their endeavours, pointing out that “there is a world out there waiting to see what you can do.”

 

A total of 152 young people, comprising 96 males and 56 females, participated in the programme through the CMI.

 

Courses were conducted at the Institute’s main campus at Palisadoes Park in Kingston, as well as partner institutions, Kingston High School, and Foga Road High School in Clarendon.

 

CAP, which started in 2010, provides technical, vocational and educational training and certification for young people, ages 16 to 18, who have graduated from high school.

 

A total of 43 skills components are provided. They include welding, plumbing, food preparation, turf management, and allied health care. City and Guilds vocational programmes are also offered.

 

CAPTION: 

Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ) Vice President, David Powell (left), offers advice to Career Advancement Programme (CAP) participants during the Caribbean Maritime Institute’s (CMI) graduation ceremony at the Institute of Jamaica (IoJ), downtown Kingston on July 7. Mr. Powell, who is a CMI Board Director, was the guest speaker.

 

Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, is urging school principals to review the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) student profiles that accompany the results, and make the necessary adjustments in order to address challenges.

 

Every student, who sits GSAT, receives a profile, which outlines how they performed in each of the areas in which they were examined.

 

Senator Reid said the Ministry is prepared to assist schools through the provision of resource teachers or coaches where required, as well as making the relevant teaching materials available.

 

“The Ministry of Education is committed to ensuring our teachers are adequately prepared and are given the tools to succeed,” he pointed out.

 

Senator Reid was addressing a graduation ceremony at the John Rollins Success Primary School in Rose Hall, St. James recently.

 

Minister Reid praised the graduates for their hard work and dedication to their studies, telling them that they have a bright future.

 

“This school has made a mark and significant contribution to the education sector during its 12 years of existence. For this achievement, successive management and staff of the school deserve commendation,” he said.

 

“The challenge for you going forward is to raise the performance of every student to create a rising tide of academic excellence throughout the entire school,” he noted.

 

The Minister encouraged the graduates, who will be going on to high school to make the best use of their secondary education.

 

“Start thinking along with your parents about choosing an occupation or profession that will increase your chances of gaining employment when you leave high school or complete your tertiary education,” he advised.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (right), and Minister of Tourism and Member of Parliament for East Central St. James, Hon. Edmund Bartlett (left), present a trophy to the top girl and boy at John Rollins Success Primary School, Kesenia Lyttle (2nd left); and Christopher Lee. Occasion was the school’s graduation ceremony held recently, at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in Rose Hall, St. James

JIS: The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information indicates that it has received applications from over 70 training institutions that are interested in accommodating students for the expanded Career Advancement Programme (CAP).

 

The Ministry had solicited expressions of interest as it prepares to increase enrolment in the programme to 10,000 students for the 2016/17 academic year, which starts in September.

 

This will see the number of institutions offering CAP moving from 53 to over 100.

 

Portfolio Minister, Senator Hon. Ruel Reid, said earlier this year that the increase in enrolment is aimed at enabling more students to complete their education with the necessary competencies and skills to pursue tertiary training or enter the world of work.

 

“We want every youth to be fully trained to take them from where they are and to maximise their full potential,” he noted.

 

Speaking with JIS News at the Caribbean Maritime Institute’s (CMI) CAP graduation ceremony on July, Director of CAP, Kenesha Campbell said that the applications are being analysed and by mid-July, all institutions that have applied will know whether they will be able to offer the programme.

 

She said that institutions already offering CAP will be evaluated to determine whether they will continue to do so.  She noted however, that based on the satisfactory delivery of the programme by these institutions in 2015/16, it is expected that they will be retained.

 

“If there are institutions…that need additional support, this will be provided (by) the Ministry,” she told JIS News.

 

Ms. Campbell said it is expected that each institution will accommodate an average of 75 students.

 

The Career Advancement Programme (CAP), which started in 2010, provides technical, vocational and educational training and certification for young people, ages 16 to 18, who have graduated from high school.

 

A total of 43 skills components are provided, including welding, plumbing, food preparation, turf management, allied health care, among others. City and Guilds vocational programmes are also offered.

 

Approximately 4,500 students were enrolled for CAP in 2015/16 at secondary, tertiary and private institutions across the island.

 

Meanwhile, Ms. Campbell said the Ministry is giving consideration to expanding the Registered Apprenticeship Programme (RAP), which is administered by the HEART Trust/NTA.

 

It provides on-the-job training for persons, particularly young people, who are employed to an organisation.

 

“We are looking to see how many students we can also have engaged through the apprenticeship programme,” she pointed out.

 

The graduation ceremony, held at the Institute of Jamaica (IoJ), downtown Kingston, saw certificates and other awards being presented to 152 students, who participated in the CMI CAP programme from 2014 to 2016.

 

CAPTION: Director of the Education, Youth and Information Ministry’s Career Advancement Programme (CAP), Kenesha Campbell (left), greets Caribbean Maritime Institute (CMI) Executive Director, Dr. Fritz Pinnock (right), during Thursday’s (July 7) CAP graduation ceremony at the Institute of Jamaica (IoJ) in downtown Kingston. Sharing the moment is Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ) Vice President and CMI Board member, David Powell, who was the guest speaker.

JIS: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, is urging secondary school principals to ensure that the cost of registration packages are in keeping with the Ministry’s funding guidelines.

 

Under the guidelines issued on June 26 following consultations with principals, registration fees should be kept between $1,000 and $5,000.

 

“School administrators must understand that all charges for registration packages must first be approved by the Ministry of Education before they are implemented,” Mr. Reid said.

 

“Non-payment of fees cannot affect students’ acceptance of school placement or registration to school,” he noted further.

 

Senator Reid was addressing a graduation ceremony held recently at the John Rollins Success Primary School in Rose Hall, St. James.

 

He said that board chairmen are being asked to provide guidance and ensure that school administrators follow the directive in order to minimise the cost to parents and ensure that no child is disenfranchised as they prepare for the upcoming school year.

 

The Minister informed that regional officers will be vigilant over the next few weeks in providing support for schools and to make sure that there is no deviation from the policy position of the Ministry.

 

The Government has abolished auxiliary fees for high schools and has increased the funding to institutions from $ 2.6 billion to $5.1 billion. Parents are being encouraged to make a non-obligatory contribution to schools.

 

The Ministry has stipulated that the contribution being requested by schools should not exceed $20,000.00, inclusive of registration fee.

 

For those schools whose contribution is more than this amount, the specific case must be presented to the respective Regional Director for approval to be granted.