JIS: Several teachers and education officials are lauding the Education Partnership for Improved Reading Outcomes, for equipping the education system with the tools for steady progress in literacy.

 

Under the three-year project, which ended in March, the Education Ministry,  in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID),  provided capacity building and technical assistance to the National Literacy Programme, implemented in 2010, through a comprehensive reading programme in 450 schools.

 

It provided ninety Reading Coaches in all 450 schools in the first year; and provided support in literacy strategies to teachers at Grades 1-3, enabling them to more effectively support the students in the system, reaching over 100,000 students.

 

“It is an awesome programme. Not only did Grades 1-3 benefit, but also Grade 4,” says Principal of the St. Andrew based Cockburn Gardens Primary and Junior High School, Patricia Findlay, in an interview with JIS News.

 

She adds that her school was able to employ a Reading Coach who received a top award for outstanding work on the project, while another teacher at the institution was able to get valuable experience from it. “I expect our grades to go up, and we will do better in the future,” she says.

 

Teacher at Port Henderson Primary School, in St. Catherine, Andréa Bryan, says the experience was insightful. “I learnt many strategies to help our children, and also to work with other teachers,” she tells JIS News.         

                                                                                                                

For Kimberly McKenzie Morris, who worked as a Reading Coach on the project, it was fulfilling.  “Teachers gained a lot from the experience. The techniques that we have shared are still being maintained, and that is very rewarding,” she says.

 

Reading Advisor on the project, Dr. Maureen Byfield, who represented Project Director, Claudette Carter, at the recent closing out ceremony for the project,  says “special attention” was given to gender sensitive instructions, “as it is important to understand issues related to instruction for boys and girls.”

 

“To this end, a Gender Specialist developed a gender manual, which is of tremendous value to the system,” she adds.

 

Dr. Byfield notes that Grade 3 children who benefited from the various interventions were among those who “surpassed expectations in the recent Grade 4 Literacy Test.”

 

“We look forward to teachers and principals continuing to use the various strategies to which they have been introduced, so that the benefits will be sustained,” she tells JIS News.

 

A Parenting Specialist was engaged to spearhead the establishment of Parents’ Places in several schools across the island.

 

 “The Specialist worked with the team to promote good parenting strategies; to educate parents in ways to support their children’s literacy development;  and also imparted ways to support the schools where their children attend,” Dr. Byfield notes.  

 

Principal of the Schoolfield Primary School, in St. Elizabeth, Prim Lewis, says it was a successful venture.

 

“I was a beneficiary of the project, and the Jamaican students are the winners. We promise to use the materials effectively to sustain the programme,” she tells JIS News.

To complete the printing of Literacy 123 material for Grade 3, conduct final audit assessment, compensate  employees, and pay for goods and services under the project, the Government has set aside more than  $53 million in the  2016/2017 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives.

 

For his part, Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator  the Hon. Ruel Reid, says  he is  delighted that the partnership had included “very critical components,” including the establishment of parents’ places, and the development of special manuals relating to gender, parenting and lesson planning.

 

“Studies have shown that where parents have access to the school compound and are integrally involved in the education and development of their children, the learning process is enhanced,” the Minister  says.

 

Mr. Reid says he is pleased that a great deal of time and resources were spent in the hosting of workshops, to develop the gender manual to guide stakeholders.

 

“The student-parent-school bond is one which works and the positive results are there to show it,” he notes, adding that  teachers, coaches and principals who worked and embraced the project must be commended.

 

“This is an initiative which we must continue, and find ways to make our system more conducive to learning and development. I urge the school leaders and teachers to ensure that these gender manuals are utilised to their fullest effect. This hard work by the project team must not be in vain,” the Minister emphasises.

 

“Our children deserve only the best and everything must be done to cater for the efficient instruction of our boys and girls at the early grade level of the system,” he adds.

 

Mission Director with USAID, Denise Herbol, highlights that the Parents’ Places which offer avenues at the educational institutions for educators and parents to engage in promoting reading for children, are part of the most critical components of the project.

 

Deputy Chief Education Officer, Dorset Campbell, says the project provided rich resources in learning materials for the students.

 

“The coaching support was excellent, and some elements of the programme have been incorporated into the new curriculum,” she informs.

 

CAPTION:

Photo: Mark Bell

 

Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (at podium), addresses the recent closing ceremony for the Education Partnership for Improved Reading Outcomes project, held at the Knutsford Court Hotel, in New Kingston. At right is Mission Director with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Denise Herbol.

JIS: The Office of Children’s Registry (OCR) is inviting primary and high school students to apply to become child ambassadors for the period 2016 to 2018.

 

Applications must be submitted by May 15, 2016 and students must be between  10 and 16 years  of year years, in order to apply for the two-year programme.

 

Speaking at a JIS ‘Think Tank’ on April 27, Registrar at the OCR, Greig Smith, said the agency is inviting applications from all parishes, except St. Mary and St. James, as the last two child ambassadors came from those parishes.

 

He noted that the students will sit an interview,  following which  the successful candidates will be selected.

 

“Each ambassador will be formally appointed by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, before they take up the two-year post, which ends in 2018,” Mr. Smith explained. 

 

The Registrar noted that the child ambassador programme has been helping the ORC  with the ‘Break the Silence’ and ‘Enough is Enough’ campaigns.

 

“Having a child ambassador will give youngsters the confidence to talk to their peers and open up, since many abuse takes place at home or by a relative,” he said.

 

Mr. Smith pointed out that statistics show that only one in every 10 adult Jamaicans report child abuse, but there has been an increase in children making reports, especially to their respective child ambassadors.

 

He said appointed students will be asked to assist with the OCR’s public education activities, such as the creation of flyers and public service announcements as well as educating their peers about what they can do to protect themselves and what they need to do if they suspect or know of cases of child abuse. 

 

“The ambassadors will also form school clubs to deliver the OCR messages from one child to another and participate in decision making and other public education initiatives,” he added.

 

The Child Ambassador Programme, which was launched by the OCR in 2012, aims to get more children involved in the fight against child abuse, as well as increase their awareness of the agency’s role and functions. 

 

Interested persons can download application forms from the OCR’s website at www.ocr.gov.jm, or they can visit the agency’s headquarters at 12 Carlton Crescent, Kingston 10, or any of its parish offices. The completed forms should be returned to the agency’s head office or parish offices.

 

CAPTION:

Photo: Mark Bell

Registrar at the Office of the Children’s Registry (OCR), Greig Smith, speaks at a JIS ‘Think Tank’, on April 27. Listening (from second left) are: Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at the Child Development Agency (CDA), Rosalee Gage-Grey.

Dr Maurice Smith, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information on Monday (May 2) welcomed a delegation of educators and officials from the Turks and Caicos Islands at his National Heroes Circle office in Kingston. The delegation, which is being hosted by the Early Childhood Commission (ECC), is on a fact-finding tour of Jamaica’s early childhood sector. 

They will visit early childhood institutions and institutions that train teachers for the sector. The Turks and Caicos Islands’ representatives from the immediate left of Dr Smith to the extreme right are Juliet Thelwell, Kerry Ann Mason (back row), Heidy Williams, Monique Lightbourne and Candice Malcolm. From the extreme left are Michelle Campbell, ECC director; Dr Clover Hamilton-Flowers, assistant chief education officer and Dr Lorna Thompson, education officer in the Ministry’s Core Curriculum Unit; and Dr Joan Reid, Executive Director of the ECC.

 

 

All primary schools across the island will now have access to the ‘Calculation Time’ Mathematics application (app), which is designed to improve students’ knowledge and appreciation of the subject.

 

The app, which was officially launched at the Courtleigh Hotel and Suites, in New Kingston, on April 29, is one of the methodologies used under the ‘Calculation Time’ programme, which aims to make learning Mathematics fun for students.

 

The programme, which is a collaborative effort between the Governments of Japan and Jamaica, was first introduced to the country in 2011 in seven pilot schools. It has since been extended to 65 schools. It is incorporated into the curriculum for 15 minutes for 90 days.

 

Ambassador of Japan to Jamaica, His Excellency Masanori Nakano, said the Calculation Time initiative, which also incorporates the use of songs, toys, workbooks and domino cards is a “very innovative way to make Maths fun.”

 

He said it is important that students learn to better understand the subject, “as nowadays Mathematics is gaining more and more importance to pursue any kind of study, even including humanity courses.”

 

For her part, Chief Education Officer in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Dr Grace McLean, said she is pleased with the partnership with the Japanese Government through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), “as we seek to use the collaborative approach to improve the performance of Mathematics within our country.”

 

She noted that the initiative was introduced as a response to the need for students to develop mental prowess in working with numbers.

 

 “Children were relying too much on the use of their fingers … to solve problems that require computational skills. The programme has tremendously influenced students’ development of the skill of mental calculation,” she said.

 

Dr McLean said the programme will be important to developing the skill sets of students as Jamaica strives to take its place within a “fiercely competitive and highly globalised marketplace”.

 

“The persons who will be best equipped to provide leadership in many significant areas are those whose reasoning, problem solving and critical thinking skills are best developed,” she argued.

 

The programme, which is expected to be rolled out in all 774 primary schools, is designed to help students develop a better appreciation for mathematics; calculate more accurately and efficiently mentally; and integrate calculation skills.

 

The ‘Calculation Time’ app has been available under the Government’s $1.4 billion Tablets in School programme.

 

Links to the app are available for download to personal computers (PC) and android devices, such as tablets and phones.

 

The links are: Windows PC – https://goo.gl/aSuP71; and Android devices – https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwkP4CA5QwrEfjNkb0ROV1dRVVdNTFlGZnNyaEc2Q2VKNThlNGFWYU0yUlUwNVhPVHc4alU

 

During the ceremony, 20 laptop computers were handed over to schools to further enhance the Calculation Time programme.

 

CAPTION: Chief Education Officer in the Ministry of education, Youth and Information, Dr Grace McLean (left), in discussion with Ambassador of Japan to Jamaica, His Excellency Masanori Nakano during the launch of the ‘Calculation Time’ Mathematics  application (app), at the Courtleigh Hotel and Suites in New Kingston, on Friday.

 

Message from Senator Ruel Reid, Hon Minister of Education, Youth and Information for Education Week May 1 – 7, 2016

Education Week, observed annually May 1 to 7, offers an opportunity for all Jamaicans to celebrate the important role that education plays in promoting equity, the achievements of our students and the invaluable work of our educators in building our society.

The concept of a special week every year dedicated to education, underscores the partnership between teachers, parents and students. This period is a time that highlights education as the path that leads away from poverty and despair towards a future full of hope, promise and prosperity.

This administration, under which I serve as the portfolio Minister for Education, Youth and Information, has also made lifelong learning a priority. We are serious about providing all our children with good choices in life. We are resolute about our nation’s economic strength and must get rid of the obsolete belief that a quality education begins at age four and ends at eighteen.

The Ministry  of Education, Youth and Information applauds the Jamaica Teachers’ Association for this endeavour. I encourage every Jamaican to participate in the activities planned for this week, which I anticipate will further build a sense of community, and actively support our education system. Each week and every week, let us find ways to promote the shared mission of making sure that, “Every Child Can Learn, Every Child Must Learn!”

 

JIS: Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, says the Ministry is to launch a national campaign – ‘Our Children Jamaica’ – in May, to underscore the Government’s commitment to the protection of children.

 

“There is no doubt that for the Government, children are our number one priority.  So for Child Month (May), we will be outlining a number of programmes and initiatives which will aim to coalesce our partners, such as the National Child Month Committee (NCMC), the Child Development Agency (CDA) and the Office of the Children Registry (OCR), around that central concept that our children, health, education, parenting and protection are important,”  he said.

 

The Minister of State Green was addressing a JIS ‘Think Tank’, on  Wednesday, April 27.

 

Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer of the CDA, Rosalee Gage-Grey,  who also addressed the ‘Think Tank’, said the CDA will work with the NCMC to spearhead other  activities for Child Month, which are scheduled to start on Sunday, May 1 with a Church Service at the Emmanuel Apostolic Church, Braeton Parkway, in Portmore.

 

Mrs. Gage-Grey pointed out that the main focus of the CDA for the month will be the over 50 residential child care facilities.

 

“During the Month we will launch ‘CDA Cares’ initiative, which is a voluntary corps, where we will solicit the general public to apply,  register and get certified as a volunteer to provide their time and talent in these residential care facilities,  for example, a doctor or a counsellor,” she said.

 

There is also the ‘Mission to Motivate’ initiative, where former wards of the State and artistes will be invited to go into the facilities and give motivational talks during the month.

 

On Read Across Jamaica Day, May 3, the CDA’s Executive Management team along with other staff will read to children in State care. Other events include Sports Day; and the revitalization of the vegetable gardens at the facilities.

 

The OCR, under the leadership of the Mr. Greig Smith, will also undertake activities for the month. These include a ‘Break the Silence’ photographic competition, which is open to children 9 to 17 years old. Entries should depict photographic interpretations of neglect, child labour and child trafficking.

 

The OCR will also lead a team for Read Across Jamaica Day activities at the Webster Memorial Basic School. On May 13, the OCR will join with the NCMC in Children’s Day activities in Half-Way Tree; Parade, Downtown, Kingston and the Spanish Town bus terminus. Members of the public are asked to wear bright yellow on May 13 in celebration of Children’s Day.

 

May 25 will be observed as International Day for Missing Children. The OCR will join the rest of the world in observing the day. Ananda Alert Day will be observed at the Tivoli Gardens Comprehensive High School on May 27.

 

Child Month 2016 will be observed under the theme: ‘Healthy Children Build a Stronger Nation’.

 

CAPTION: State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, addressing a JIS ‘Think Tank’ on April 27. 

 

 

 

REPORTS OF CHILD abuse to the Office of the Children’s Registry (OCR) point an “accusing finger” at the home or family as the main perpetrator, according to Minister of Education, Youth and Information Ruel Reid.

 

 Minister Reid cited statistics collected by OCR for the period 2007 to 2014, which showed the two largest categories of child abuse as “neglect” with 27,155 reported cases followed by 21,532 cases of children “in need of care and protection”. Sexual abuse is the third largest category with 16,790 reported cases. He noted that, in the case of sexual abuse, it is generally known that a significant number of incidents occur within families or households.

 

Minister Reid made these disclosures on Saturday (April 23) while addressing a gala in Florida to raise funds to protect children from abuse. The event was organised by the Nuh Go Deh Diaspora Task Force. The Education Minister argued that the abuse of children in homes often spills over into the school setting and present challenges to teachers and school administrators, as well as disrupt teaching and learning. He said as a result, the Ministry has been reaching out to parents through the work of the National Parenting Support Commission via a variety of initiatives.

 

The Commission’s flagship initiative is the Effective Parenting Intervention Programme, which seeks to develop and strengthen parental skills and self-confidence, coping and problem solving skills. This programme also aims to empower parents by connecting them to resources and support systems and build family capacity, as well as connect home, school and community.

 

Minister Reid invited members of the Jamaican Diaspora to lend their support to the critical work being carried out by the Parenting Commission. He anticipates that collaboration between this entity, the OCR and the Child Development Agency –now all in one ministry- will significantly improve the care, protection and education of children.

 

While visiting Florida Minister Reid was presented with the keys to the city of Miramar by Mayor Wayne Messam.

 

PHOTO CAPTION:

Minister of Education, Youth and Information Ruel Reid (2^nd left) socialises with guests attending a fund raising gala in aid of child abuse prevention in Margate, Florida on April 23, 206.   From left are: State Representative Hazel Rogers, Lavern Deer, First Lady of Miramar Angela Messam, Balfour Peart, Joy Crawford and Susan Davis.

 

On Friday (April 22) Minister of Education, Youth and Information Ruel Reid received the keys to the city of Miramar from Mayor Wayne Messam.

 JIS: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Senator Ruel Reid, is appealing to parents not to choose entertainment over the care and protection of their children.

Addressing a ‘Safe Children Forum’ in May Pen earlier this week, Senator Reid noted that parents have been leaving young children at home in the care of older siblings to attend popular entertainment events.

These activities, he said, often take precedence over assisting with homework, and providing general guidance.

“We have to continue to educate all adults to understand that it is not acceptable to leave a three-year-old child under the supervision of a six-year-old, while they go to dances,” Senator Reid pointed out.

Stressing that this does not only happen in poorer households, Senator Reid said he has had reports of well-to-do parents regularly abandoning their children to attend “every red-carpet event, or almost every activity that might produce a photograph for social pages of the newspapers.”

The Safe Children Forum, staged by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in collaboration with the Office of the Children’s Advocate (OCA), is part of a series aimed at strengthening parenting skills and keeping the country’s children safe.

The Education Minister commended the intervention, noting that society needs to “unlearn” many of the parenting traditions that have been cemented in the culture.

“Murderation is not the same as discipline,” he pointed out.

“Many of the culturally accepted norms that have not produced good results must give way for other customs necessary for the safety of children,” he added. 

 

CAPTION:  Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, addresses a Safe Children Forum staged by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEG), the Office of the Children’s Advocate (OCA) and other partners on April 19, at the Versalles Hotell in May Pen, Clarendon.