JIS: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says he is satisfied with the Ministry’s achievements during his first 100 days in office and the support he has received from various stakeholders.

 

The Minister, who was addressing a JIS ‘Think Tank’ on June 21, said that among the successes over the period is the implementation of the Government’s tuition-free policy for secondary schools.

 

This, he said, has facilitated the reorganisation of contributions to schools and the provision of an additional $7,500 per student, while still allowing parents to make their contribution.

 

Over $1.4 billion in tuition support has already been given to schools, enabling their early preparation for the 2016/17 academic year.

 

Other initiatives at the secondary level include the launch of the Alternative Pathway for Secondary Level Education (ASPE), which will provide for additional and improved teaching programmes, including extension of the school year up to seven years.

 

The Career Advancement Programme (CAP) was also re-branded, with over 10,000 students ages 16-18 to be afforded the opportunity to complete their education with the necessary competencies and skills to pursue tertiary training or enter the world of work.

 

During the period, a decision was taken to implement a book rental scheme for students at sixth form, commencing in September 2016.

 

Senator Reid noted that at the pre-primary and primary levels a structure was established to revitalise the Early Stimulation Programme (ESP), which provides support for children from birth to age three.

 

In addition, there was a 15 per cent increase in subsidy for approved teachers at the early-childhood level; and a 100 per cent increase in janitorial grant to primary schools.

 

At the tertiary level, Senator Reid informed that allocation to support students through the Jamaica Values and Attitude Programme (JAMVAT) was doubled and now stands at $233 million.

 

Senator Reid noted that safety and security of students is a priority of the Ministry and over $70 million has been provided for Behaviour Management, and Safety and Security programmes.

The allocation, he said, facilitated the staging of the first security and ethics conference in Jamaica earlier this month, and will support the establishment of more uniformed groups in schools and youth clubs, and the training of security liaison officers.

 

The National Values and Attitude campaign was also relaunched, with the Minister and Rev. Ronald Thwaites as co-chairs.

 

Turning to achievements under the youth portfolio, Senator Reid noted that a National Youth Policy is being finalised with support from the Commonwealth Secretariat.

 

He said there are ongoing discussions regarding support for the establishment of Jamaica Professional Youth Workers Association to ensure standardisation of work being done in the youth sector.

 

In addition, Youth Information Centres (YIC) have been re-branded to focus on innovation and entrepreneurship; the National Youth Advisory Council was re-established; and the National Youth Service (NYS) summer programmes were extended to cater for more young people.

 

The New Employment Opportunities for Youth in Jamaica (NEO-Jamaica) project was also launched in June to engage 10,000 unattached youth.

 

It is being spearheaded under the Youth Upliftment Through Employment (YUTE) initiative of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ), and involves partnership with the Ministries of Education, Labour and Social Security, and Science, Energy and Technology.

 

CAP has also been extended to the 19-29 cohort through partnerships with the Jamaica Foundation for Lifelong Learning, HEART Trust/NTA and the NYS.

 

In outlining some of the achievements under children services, the Minister said the residential childcare system is being reviewed to determine and document programme options and the types and classification of institutions operating within the sector.

 

There is also strengthening of the Office of the Children’s Registry’s ‘Break the Silence’ campaign and the establishment of a Transitional Living Programme for Children Living in State Care Project to provide accommodation and other support for children exiting the system.

 

Also, during the period under review, 14 Ministry Papers were tabled in the Houses of Parliament.

 

They are the proposed new assessments for various levels of the education system; the removal of pit latrines; update on the safe schools programme and uniformed groups; increase in tuition fees at the secondary level; Education System Transformation Programme (ESTP); Career Advancement Programme (CAP); National Standard Curriculum (NSC); Re-branding of the Youth Information Centres; Re-convening of the National Youth Parliament; Youth and Adolescent Policy; Infrastructure Development; Strategic Review of Residential Care for Children in State Care; Establishment of a National Youth Advisory Council; and strengthening and expanding the Break the Silence Campaign.

 

Minister Reid said the Government is committed to communicating regularly with the public; therefore Ministers are encouraged to hold monthly press briefings.

 

CAPTION:

 

Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid addresses a JIS ‘Think Tank’ on June 21.

Senator Ruel Reid, Minister of Education Youth and Information, has restated that Government will increase funding to high schools during the coming academic year.

He explains that the Ministry supports parents making contributions that have received its approval and that of the School Board and PTA. 

The Education Minister, who has been addressing a series of parents’ consultations across the island, says the new tuition-free policy prevents schools from barring access to students who cannot make contributions.  The Government, he says, is also providing more funding for more needy and vulnerable students. 

Minister Reid held parent forums this week at Jamaica College in St Andrew and St Elizabeth Technical High School. This followed consultation with parents at Montego Bay High School a week ago. 

The consultations, which are being held in collaboration with the National Parent Teachers Association of Jamaica, are scheduled to be held next at Brown’s Town Community College in St Ann on June 15 and at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Annotto Bay, St Mary on June 16. 

 

Senator Ruel Reid, Minister of Education, Youth and Information has charged the new board of the HEART Trust/National Training Agency to provide training opportunities especially for marginalised groups.

 

 Speaking on Wednesday at the first meeting of the Maxine Wilson-chaired board, Minister Reid advised the agency to give special focus to males from crime hot spots.He said there was need for an expansion of programmes for inter-city youth including apprenticeship and paramilitary training.This is to be implemented in collaboration with the Caribbean Maritime Institute, the Career Advancement Programme and the Youth Division of the ministry.

 

The Education Minster also advised the HEART Trust board to provide more social support for learners experiencing financial challenges by ensuring giving them a stipend to assist with the costs of attending training programmes.

 

 In welcoming the new board members, Minister Reid pointed out that the HEART Trust/NTA must be seen as an integral part of the wider Ministry of Education, Youth and Information. In that regard, the agency must support theagenda of the ministry to mainstream technical education.This includes providing financial support to all institutions affiliated to the ministry that are offering technical education programmes.

 

All workers, the Education Minister noted, now required technical education, which must no longer be seen as second-class but as first-class in quality.He underscored the ministry’s policy that all students are required to graduate with a technical skill from high schools.

 

 This, Minister Reid stated, was necessary to prepare the Jamaican work force to increase productivity levels and to take advantage of the millions of potential job openings in the local and regional economies within the next 10 years, as the post-World War II generation reach retirement age.  

 

He pointed to job opportunities in the areas of Information Communication Technology, Logistics, Business Processing Outsourcing, Tourism and Animation. Noting that the HEART Trust/NTA has been providing training for more than 30 years, the Education Minister called on the agency to partner with the Statistical Institute of Jamaica to get accurate statistics about the state of the country’s trained workforce.

 

 In his remarks to the new HEART Trust board, Minister Reid implored the agency to continue to be frugal and to meet all the standards of good management accountability. He expressed confidence that the new board wouldachieve the mandate presented to them.

National Child Month Broadcast by Hon. Floyd Green
State Minister, Ministry of Education, Youth & Information
for National Child Month Celebrations May 2016

Fellow Jamaicans,

All children deserve to grow up in a caring and loving environment — yet, across Jamaica, thousands of children are neglected or abused each year, often causing lasting consequences. Although effectively intervening in the lives of these children and their families is an important responsibility at all levels of government, preventing abuse and neglect is a shared obligation.

During Child Month, we recommit to working towards giving every child a chance to succeed and to ensure that every child grows up in a safe, stable, and nurturing environment that is free from abuse and neglect.

In 2014, the Office of the Children’s Registry received 8450 reports of sexual, emotional and physical abuse combined with 5818 cases of neglect. A 10% increase from the preceding year. However we are quite aware that there is still a high percentage of unreported cases. This is a prevailing culture of silence that must be broken. We must begin to fundamentally look at evolving the culture of caring for our children.

In reality, the various impacts of child abuse and neglect are impossible to separate, often causing long lasting psychological implications which in turn can manifest as high-risk behaviors.

With increasingly more reports of child abuse, neglect, trafficking and child labour, rehabilitation, protection and care are becoming even more relevant and necessary . This is why this Government will be embarking on a multi faceted approach.

We intend to strengthen the Living in Family Environments (L.I.F.E.) Programme, which has been employed by the CDA in an effort to overcome these challenge. Research shows that children do better when they live in loving families that can help to support their growth and development.

The main components of the L.I.F.E. programme are Family Care, Reintegration and Adoption. Unfortunately, fewer persons are opening homes and hearts to participate in the foster care programme and this has slowed the pace on the number of children being placed in a family environment. The Ministry will be meeting with our foster parents to assess how we can strengthen the program. Through public awareness we hope to increase promotion and recruitment of families to participate in Foster Care.
As we strengthen our residential care system, I use this medium to announce that the Ministry will be conducting a Strategic Review of the Operations and Programmatic Options of the Residential Child Protection Sector to identify enablers that will seek to effectively transform the service delivery mechanism of the sector benchmarked against national, regional and international best practices in residential care and in conformance with human rights principles.

This revision will provide clear distinctions of the types of services being offered across the sector and clearly standardize efficient, effective and professional management, operations and maintenance of each institution. The intention is that there will be improved institutional monitoring and evaluation frameworks and systems of indicators through which performance and outcomes can be measured at a sector, institution and individual child level.

This overhaul will also enhance systems that have caused inefficiencies and backlogs for adoption and foster care programming.

As a Government, it is our desire to increase public presence through greater participation in public fora at the parish and community levels, with a high focus on parenting workshops. The National Parenting Support Commission (NPSC) will be strengthened to continue to design awareness campaigns and intervention programmes to inform parents about their responsibilities to their children.
Our ministry will be paying special attention to helping parents and teachers identify children with special needs. It is for that reason that the ministry will introduce a assessment for our four year olds to ascertain if they have any special needs. This we believe is a critical component in catering to the needs of all our children and will go a far way in strengthening our early childhood educational model.
This year the theme for child month is “Healthy Children Build a Stronger Nation”.

We urge parents and caregivers to educate their children about healthy lifestyles and eating practices. This can be a fun experience for children as parents can empower their to get involved in the selection of their own meals that have a balanced nutritional value.

A child who develops a holistic approach to life and focuses on their nutrition, overall fitness and getting enough rest will develop sharper minds and increased energy. This healthy and dynamic lifestyle will facilitate children growing into healthy and confident adults.

This child month’, The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information will launch and embark on a national public education campaign entitled, “OUR CHILDREN JA”.

The purpose of the campaign is to solidify in the minds of the general public, that every Jamaican child is our collective responsibility and must be treated as a national asset.

We want to provide all Jamaicans, with knowledge on the best practices and principles of taking a holistic approach, to the raising and wellbeing of our children.

With this campaign, the Ministry intends to usher in a new era of public-private sector collaboration and broadly spread messages that can improve citizens’ knowledge about the education, health, protection and parenting of children, while encouraging that “it takes a village” to raise a child.

The success of this Child Month program depends to a large extent on the participation of persons and organizations across the island. We urge you to actively participate and get involved! We invite you to not only engage us on social media through our hashtag #ourchildrenja but also, by placing the wellbeing of our children at the forefront of your responsibilities.

Protecting our children is an effort that we must undertake as one family, and in our schools, neighborhoods, and communities, we must look after every child as if they are our own.
You can begin to be on the look out at this very moment for signs of child abuse. Children who are being abused or neglected may display constant alertness, sudden changes in behavior and school performance. Break the culture of silence, make reports to the Office of the Children’s Registry, contact the CDA or the Office of the Children’s Advocate.
There can be no sterner litmus test of the values of a society than the way in which it treats our children. Interventions and policy choices made today will determine whether millions of children and youth are able to reach their full potential, or are left to face a future of worsening inequity and marginalization.

Our Nation’s enduring commitment to prevent child abuse and neglect demands that individuals and communities partner together to provide safe and nurturing environments for all of Jamaica’s sons and daughters.

I have been able to meet and speak with many members of staff from children agencies, residential care facilities, non-governmental organizations including our international partners who are doing extremely good work in helping to address a broad range of issues facing our children. I want to commend you and your work ethic that is rooted in a passion for our children.

As a Ministry we seek to strengthen and enhance those areas of partnership. We must all join in the work of uplifting and safeguarding our children to ensure they are limited by nothing but the size of their dreams and the range of their aspirations.

I call upon all Jamaicans to observe this month and National Children Day which is the 13 of May with programs and activities that help prevent child abuse and provide for children’s physical, emotional, and developmental needs as we aim to ensure our healthier children will be able to build a stronger nation. Let us secure a future for our children that is bright and full of hope, opportunity, and security.

Minister of Education, Youth and Information Ruel Reid (centre) participates in the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Jamaica-based Caribbean Maritime Institute (CMI) and GAT Cluster Caribes in Martinique last week. CMI is to provide regional capacity building services. Other participants from left are Dr. Ibrahim Ajagunna, Director of the School of Academics, CMI; Ms Sandra Casanova, President GAT Cluster Caribes; Dr Fritz Pinnock, Executive Director, CMI and Mr Balfour Peart, CEO Tycarbal Associates, USA. The signing took place during the First Caribbean Transport and Logistics Trade Fair (SCTL) held in Martinique on May 11 to 13, 2016.

JIS: Applications are invited for theSir Patrick & Lady Allen 40th Anniversary Scholarshipfor study at the University of Technology leading to a Bachelor of Science in either of the following fields: Medical Technology, Applied Science or Mathematics and Education.

 

The scholarship covers tuition and ancillary fees for the selected degree programme which should begin in the 2016/2017 academic year.

 

Applicants should either be successful first year university students or secondary school students who exceed UTECH’s minimum requirement for acceptance in the selected programmes. Priority consideration will be given to bright, financially challenged students.

 

Applications should be submitted to The Office of The Governor-General, King’s House, Kingston 6, on the prescribed form, no later than June 20, 2016 via email[email protected].

 

The winner will be required to render at least three weeks of voluntary service each year and on successful completion of the degree programme, will be bonded to work in Jamaica for four years.

 

Application Form for the Sir Patrick & Lady Allen 40th Anniversary Scholarship

 

CAPTION:

Photo: FILE

 

Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen.

The Gleaner: IN A RECENT ARTICLE, ‘The CAP doesn’t fit’, published in the In Focus section last Sunday, co-authors Franklin Johnston and Radley Reid appeared oblivious to the fact that 5,000 students currently benefit from the additional two years of secondary schooling under the Career Advancement Programme (CAP).

 

These students are seizing the opportunity to gain the necessary competencies and skills so they can move on to the world of work or to higher studies. The NVQ-J skills certification rate among CAP participants moved from 37 per cent in 2013 to 54 per cent in 2015.

 

Johnston and Reid argued that resources should, preferably, be spent on improving education outcomes at the early childhood, primary and secondary levels, including the provision of equipment and laboratory facilities. While the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information acknowledges that this is the ideal situation, the reality is that, annually, some 20,000 students exit the secondary-school system at grade 11 without adequate certification to gain employment or pursue further studies.

 

While this demographic may include students who were not effectively instructed during their earlier period of schooling, others are late bloomers or have special-learning needs that require them to be exposed to six or seven years of schooling up to age 18.

 

So, yes, the ministry will seek to reduce the number of underachieving students by providing the necessary resources, including the allocation of more than $243 million to upgrade equipment during this financial year. Furthermore, it is anticipated that the phased implementation of the New Standards Curriculum and the Alternative Pathways to Secondary Education approach this September will reduce, over time, the number of students who require mediation.

 

However, we underscore the point that there will always be students, based on the pace of their development, who will need an extended period of schooling at the secondary level. This is a policy emphasis of the new administration in accordance with best practices in other jurisdictions.

 

ADEQUATE SPACE AND RESOURCES

Johnston and Reid questioned if the ministry would find the space and adequate resources to properly deliver the programme during grades 12 and 13. The answer is yes. A total of $850 million has been allotted to CAP for the new financial year, and we will find space.

 

We currently have 53 institutions that are running CAP successfully. Since my announcement of the additional two years of secondary schooling, the ministry has received more than 60 additional expressions of interest. Other institutions are calling to be a part of the programme.

 

We should note that the enrolment at secondary level is declining and, therefore, more than 40 of these schools are operating with smaller numbers than what they had three years ago, thereby providing space for utilisation in implementing the expanded CAP. In addition, the combination of the youth and education portfolios provides additional facilities for education and training.

 

This means there is no need to be “forcing the shift system with all its weaknesses and failures on the already weak students,” as Johnston and Reid fear. In fact, the programme to remove schools off shift continues with six high schools and several all-age and junior high schools slated to be taken off during this financial year.

 

Johnston and Reid asked: “What will participants learn during the two additional years? Is it repeating, remaining static, or advancing to prosperity?”

 

The CAP is designed with the following features that will allow students to progress:

• Building skills through education:

• Continuing education: through grades 12 and 13.

• Apprenticeship Programme.

• Customised education and training relevant to career choices.

• Elective training in technical vocational specialisations.

• Personal development: training in life-coping skills and personal development.

• Career development: orientation to careers and selective career counselling.

• National service/corps.

 

It is a testament to the maturity of the political system that three different administrations have sought to incrementally improve a particular programme. Following its introduction in 2010, the Career Advancement Programme showed deficiencies. The programme was significantly improved by the succeeding administration, and now a third administration is taking it to another level. The new policy shift involves the mainstreaming of CAP as the premier TVET programme of study for the 16-18 age cohort. The ministry will be targeting more than 10,000 participants for the 2016-2017 academic year, almost doubling the number of participants during each of the last two years.

Our youth still need a CAP.

 

• Senator Ruel Reid is the minister of education, youth and information.