The Ministry of Education, in collaboration with teacher-training institutions, will embark on a vigorous recruitment drive to identify potential candidates from the secondary school cohort for its Mathematics and Science scholarship programmes.
Continue reading “Ministry To Provide 400 Math, Science Teachers Scholarships”

Remarks by Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites, Minister of Education

Launch of Jamaica Day Celebrations, February 16, 2016

 

Salutations and Acknowledgements

 

TEXT

Jamaica Day is an important point of reflection, particularly in schools. This is when we identify and celebrate excellence among the Jamaican people.

 

The Ministry of Education takes seriously our responsibility to instil moral and social values in our children. This includes giving and reinforcing a positive view of self.

 

We do this in a variety of ways: through the Health and Family Life Education curriculum, the Valuable Pathways programme and the teaching of Civics among other initiatives.

 

In this regard, we have produced a series of textbooks exploring the lifestyles of several of our national heroes including the most internationally known among them, the Rt Excellent Marcus Mosiah Garvey.

 

Our hope and intention are for the education system to produce students who respect and love God, country and compatriots.

 

We who are in the education system need to consistently lift the spirits of our children and youth  –so much negativity is around them via the popular culture.

 

This presents a challenge to educators to be role models and mentors that inspire greatness in our children.

 

One of the areas in which Jamaicans excel is the arts -more so in the performing arts. We love to dance, sing, recite poems deejay, as well as write lyrics for songs and poems.

 

When we combine our skills in both the fine and performing arts what stands out is our creativity as a people. This creativity is now showing itself in our ability to be animators [Expand on earning potential].

 

And creative skills can be applied to other areas such as design for a multiplicity of media platforms including websites and digital gaming technology.

 

This is why it is important for us to integrate our artistic skills with competencies in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths to get STEAM.

 

So for Jamaica Day, 2016 let us celebrate the artist or artiste in us for we are a creative and expressive people.

 

 

It is my pleasure to launch Jamaica Day Celebrations which will be observed in our schools on Friday, March 4, 2016.

Statement by
Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites
Minister of Education

Press Conference, January 15, 2016

ACHIVEMENTS IN 2015
Last year the education enterprise made some outstanding gains.
•    We surpassed the literacy target of 85 per cent mastery at grade four
•    The numeracy rate moved from 49 per cent in 2011 to 67 per cent in 2015
•    The largest number of students recorded perfect scores in GSAT
•    CSEC math passes increased significantly three years in a row
•    30 primary and high schools received additional classrooms totaling more than 200 since 2012
•    More than 20 schools were removed from the shift system totaling 50 since 2012

The Ministry’s focus this year is to ensure that the gains from last year are exceeded and that the momentum is accelerated.

REGISTRATION FOR EXAMINATIONS
We start by appealing to parents and school administrators to ensure that children are registered to sit the relevant examinations.

GSAT: Schools are asked to ensure that all candidates eligible to sit the GSAT are duly registered. Those requesting Special Accommodations should submit psycho educational assessment to the Student Assessment Unit by Monday January 17, 2016.
The syllabus for GSAT remains the same as last year. There are no adjustments.

The Grade Four Literacy and Numeracy Test will be held on June 28 & 29, 2016 in all primary level institutions. Private candidates are to be registered at the nearest regional offices
Grade eleven exit exams: Although the deadline closed yesterday to register for the National Vocational Qualification Jamaica (NVQJ), Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ) and City & Guilds examinations, the Ministry is willing to assist anyone who was unable to do so because of unaffordability.

INCENTIVISING MATH AND SCIENCE TEACHERS
If the positive trend in mathematics outcomes is to be maintained and the decline in CSEC examination passes in the sciences is to be arrested, then the Ministry has to move with alacrity to address the chronic shortage of these subject teachers.

The situation has been aggravated by the loss of close to 500 teachers of Math and Science at the secondary level to local/overseas employers between the 2014 and 2015 academic years.

To address this urgent situation the Ministry of Education has developed some proposals. They are as follows:
?    Revision and reactivation of protocol for regulating the recruitment of Jamaican teachers by foreign entities.

?    Develop programmes for the delivery of the specialised subjects through media and ICTs, with support from recruiting countries where possible.

?    The Jamaica Teaching Council, with support from other relevant entities, is to undertake a 5-year forecasting of teachers needed in the system.

?    Provide scholarships for the specific subjects, that are tenable at the universities or teacher training institutions
?    Increase teachers’ colleges intake and enter into a payment arrangement with these students such as providing  bursaries and/or scholarships
 Discussions have started with The Mico University College, Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College and the University of Technology to train 600 teachers in mathematics, science and emerging TVET areas, starting September 2016. Fifty two scholarships and bursaries have been awarded already. VTDI will also be involved in this arrangement.

?    Institute bonding arrangements commensurate with the support received from the Government

The Ministry has shared these proposals with  the leadership of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association who have agreed to serve on a joint working committee to refine them for Cabinet approval and implementation.

NEW CURRICULUM
This year the Ministry will roll out on a phased basis the new National Standards Curriculum for grades one to nine starting in September. For 2016/2017 the implementation will be in grades 1, 3,5,7,9 and in grades 2,4,6,8 at the beginning of the 2017/2018 academic year.

The goal of the National Standard Curriculum is to improve the general academic performance, attitude and behaviours of students which will redound to the positive shaping of the national social and economic fabric.
Features
The National Standard Curriculum has several features including:
1. Standard-based: Standards are now provided for students to develop competencies (thinking and personal skills, and understanding/appreciation of Jamaica’s rich heritage)

2. New teaching and learning approaches including
?    Increased emphasis on project-based and problem-solving learning with STEM/STEAM integrated at all levels. These approaches will allow the learner to have hands-on experiences that are similar to real-world situations. Thus, the learning experience will be less abstract and more concrete.
?    Greater emphasis on deep/high order thinking (depth of knowledge)
?    Allowing students to utilize their own talents and experiences in the teaching learning process.
?    Increased use of ICT as a tool for teaching and learning, but not to the detriment of the student using real objects and exploring inside and outside the classroom setting.
3. Changes to Subjects
?    Civics will return to be a discrete discipline
?    TVET and Spanish will be formally introduced at the primary level
?    Geography and History have been separated from Social Studies and will be offered separately starting at Grade 7.
?    Chemistry, Biology and Physics have been separated from Integrated Science and will be offered separately starting at Grade 9. These changes aim to ensure that the requisite foundation for the CSEC level in these disciplines is laid during the lower secondary years.

4. Assessments and Examinations
?    An Age-four assessment will be done at the Early Childhood level
?    The Grade 1 evaluation for readiness -GOILP – will be revised
?    The Grade 3 diagnostic test will be shifted to Grade 2
?    The Grade 4 Literacy and Numeracy tests remain but will be modified as one examination
?    At Grade 6, the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) will replace the GSAT. The PEP will comprise three components. PEP will be introduced in 2018, so the public will be provided with more information in due course
?    At Grade 9 there will be a diagnostic assessment. The current external exit examinations at Grade 11 will remain. Additionally, there will be a National School Leaving Certificate.

WORK-READY EDUCATION AND TRAINING
One of the outcomes of the problem-based instruction under the new curriculum is that it acquaints students with work ethics and employability skills that will be advantageous to them when they enter the world of work.

Preparing students for industry is also a focus of the education enterprise for this year. The HEART Trust/NTA is the agency under the Ministry of Education charged with the mandate to link people with   employment.

Commendations are due to the Board and Management of the agency for their efforts in this regard last year and for their willingness to increase the momentum going forward.

Announcement of MSME Support Programme
I wish to announce that the HEART Trust/NTA will be launching an initiative to assist Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in keeping with its mandate to create employment opportunities for its trainees while also providing financing for employment programmes.

The MSME Support Programme will have three distinct components which will provide assistance for Trainee Starts-ups, Export-Based Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and General MSMEs.

Eligible entrepreneurs can access a grant of up to $3 million depending on the support category. SMEs will receive up to $3 million to boost exports through the Export Max initiative being spearheaded by Jamaica Promotions (JAMPRO).

Other selected MSMEs will receive a grant of up to $3 million and participate in a business development programme. Additionally, a select group of HEART Trainee Start-ups will receive a grant of up to $100, 000 to purchase tools and equipment. They will also receive business development training for 18 months.

Other initiatives to support entrepreneurs include Specific Industry Intervention, the HEART SmartTraq Training Programme, Entrepreneurship Clubs and Customized Training.

Expansion of Training for Tourism and Hospitality
In response to the recent announcements of significant local and foreign direct investments in the tourism and hospitality industry, the HEART Trust will expand the College of Hospitality Services  to significantly increase its capacity.  The Trust will also increase emphasis on higher level training programmes, equipping candidates to become supervisors, managers and entrepreneurs. 

At its current capacity the HEART Trust/NTA is able to certify approximately 5,732 hospitality and tourism workers annually.  This will be increased over the next 5 years.  Since 2011, the Agency has trained 28,659 hospitality and tourism professionals.

Developments in Business Process Outsourcing
Collaborative effort was initiated between the Agency and the Business Process Industry Association of Jamaica (BPIAJ) to ensure Jamaica is able to robustly respond to the growing demand in the sector. The HEART Trust/NTA now trains BPO professional in 13 institutions eleven of which are located in the North Western region of the island, where most Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) firms are located.  Since April 2015, 774 participants have been enrolled for training.

HEART Trust/NTA is involved in other activities such as Career Development and Labour Market survey which I will ask Dr Wesley to comment on later.

Occupational Supervisory Certification
An Occupational Supervisory Certification programme is being developed by the Joint Council of Tertiary Education (JCTE), through the chairman Dr Cecil Cornwall, to provide a certification pathway for skilled professionals in industry.
We will say more about this in due course

MINISTRY MODERNISATION
The re-engineering of the Ministry of Education gained significant momentum in 2015. The creation of the Department of School Services (DSS) will allow the Ministry to separate its policy functions from its operational mandate, thereby facilitating greater levels of efficiency and emphasis on school improvement.

The re-engineering of the Ministry’s structure is in keeping with the on-going Public Sector Modernisation Programme, which in the case of the Education Ministry will result in the creation of a Central Policy Ministry and the DSS. Already, the head of the DSS along with three other officers have been named, following a mapping exercise focusing on personnel in the MoE. That exercise continues and should be well advanced by the time the DSS is launched in the first quarter of 2016.

ISSUES IN THE NEWS
Counselling of LGBTQ students
Deployment of Guidance Counsellors: 806 counsellors are deployed to approximately 564 primary and secondary schools. The majority of all counsellors are located in secondary level schools where counselling was first introduced. With few exceptions, secondary schools have been allocated two counselling posts. Not all primary schools have counsellors on staff.  However, the Regional Guidance Officer’s remit is to serve all schools within a region

Ethics and Standards: Guidance Counsellors in Jamaica are expected to adhere to international ethics and standards in field which include
a)    Ethics and principles involved in the one-to-one counselling relationship, including client confidentiality and the importance of obtaining informed consent for any intervention.
b)    Respect for the rights and dignity of the client, including freedom from discrimination and the right to privacy and respect for self-determination.
c)    The responsibility of Guidance Counsellors to act in a responsible and reputable manner, and to avoid any harm to clients. This is linked to the acceptance of a special duty of care towards children, and the importance of always acting in the best interests of the child.
d)    Integrity, honesty and fairness in the practice of Guidance and Counselling. This includes avoiding conflicts of interest and client exploitation.

Corporal Punishment
The Ministry continues to discourage the use of corporal punishment in schools. A team led by the Chief Education Officer is reviewing all matters relating to corporal punishment alongside the suite of behaviour management programmes, various legislations and conventions and will in short order give directions to boards and administrators.

The Ministry has been implementing a series of behaviour management programmes across selected schools that provide students and staff with the knowledge and skills to promote positive behaviour and change.

Last year the Ministry’s Safety and Security Unit conducted rigorous professional development sessions for all Deans of Disciplines as well as introduce new and revised safety guidelines. We appeal to schools to use the resources and tools they have been given to maintain a peaceful and harmonious environment in schools.

Thank You.

National Back-To-School Broadcast by

Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites, Minister of Education, Sep 6, 2015

 

Good evening fellow Jamaicans.

Education is the most important developmental tool. Therefore, every child between four and eighteen years of age must go to school on Monday and stay in school.

No child must be kept at home without good cause, and no school must exclude any student registered there except for cause as provided for in the Education Code.

Tomorrow, approximately 1000 public schools at the infant, primary and secondary levels will open their doors to welcome almost 500,000 students.

In addition, about two thousand six hundred early childhood institutions, operated by community-based and private entities, will extend their arms to admit thousands of energetic four to six year olds.

In Jamaica, unlike many other countries with more economic resources, there is a place in school for every child from early childhood straight through secondary education.

Also, there is a place for any adult who seriously wants to upgrade their education and skills.

The Ministry of Education has already distributed school fees and other grants totalling $1.2 billion to schools and has supplied them with most of their furniture needs totalling 40,000 pieces to date.

The delivery of furniture will continue during the first month of the new school year.

The Ministry is pleased to announce that 20 schools will be removed from the shift system starting tomorrow and, at least, a further 12 targeted for removal later in this academic year.

The elimination of the shift system will improve teaching and learning by increasing teacher pupil contact time.

Every hour of class time is essential. We cannot afford to waste learning time because of lateness or indiscipline.

This year the Ministry will provide free breakfast and lunch to 125,000 students at the early childhood level.

The new academic year starts on a successful note. The results of the latest sitting of the Grade Four Literacy Test indicate that the country has achieved the target of 85 per cent of students in the grade-four age group mastering literacy by this year.

This result means 100 per cent mastery by the age cohort when we account for the 15 per cent of students with learning disabilities and who will in the future receive special attention.

This degree of achievement by the nation’s children is crucial as it equips them to perform well as they progress along the education ladder from the primary through to the tertiary level.

Our students also improved their performance in the latest Grade Four Numeracy Test [with ____ per cent achieving mastery]

A clear trend of improved student achievement has been established as indicated by the results of this year’s sitting of the Grade Four Literacy and Numeracy Tests, the Grade Six Achievement Test, the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination.

During the new school year the Ministry of Education will continue to deploy Mathematics specialists in primary schools to assist teachers to effectively deliver the subject. Remember, Maths is the gateway to Science

Maths specialists will also continue to assist teachers in several high schools as the Ministry seeks to maintain the upward trend in student performance in the CSEC Mathematics examination.

In the new school year we will seek to build on the academic achievements of the previous year.

The success of our students reflects the success of our teachers. Without their hard work and accountability for the various teaching and learning initiatives introduced by the Ministry students, could not have achieved significant improvements.

For the new school year the Ministry is providing 100 scholarships and grants for persons who want to become teachers of mathematics and the sciences. We will also grant study leave and part tuition assistance in those specialities.

We look forward to our teachers and principals leading us to greater education outcomes during the new school year.

Every principal and teacher must hold themselves responsible for adding value to each student’s life.

 

We understand this is a hard time for parents to afford all school needs. So the Ministry of Education is advising principals to exercise flexibility and discretion to ensure that every child is in school.

Parents must also make their financial contribution toward their child’s education by contributing financially to the school their child attends.

So tomorrow, whether it is their first time attending school or entering a new class, the experience should be a happy one for most children.

They look forward to greeting old friends and meeting new ones. They are eager to gain new knowledge and skills that will, eventually, equip them to take their rightful place in society.

Let us not disappoint our children

A good education is the best thing that parents and this generation can bequeath to the younger generation.

This is why the Ministry of Education encourages parents, guardians and community members to make sure that children attend school every day.

It takes a village to raise a child, so we invite all well thinking persons in the community, including the police, to ensure that all children are present when school is in session.

This year, the lunch programme in primary and secondary schools will be for the full five days to encourage students’ attendance.

We must come together to arrest the student drop-out rate, as these students tend to end up on the wrong side of the law. There is no shame in asking for help

No learning can take place if students are not orderly. This year the Ministry of Education will roll out a suite of behaviour modification programmes where needed. The Jamaica Constabulary Force will play an expanded role in the implementation of these programmes in schools.

It is the responsibility of parents and guardians to work with principals and teachers to reduce conflicts and to improve students’ behaviour. Parents must see to it that their children comply with ALL the school rules.

The just concluded athletics championship in Beijing, China demonstrates that Jamaicans are world leaders. We have the fastest runners in the world.

After ten years of institutional reform and strategic restructuring, the education system is now at the sprint phase. Our students, teachers and school leaders are ready to perform outstandingly on the academic track.

May God continue to bless you all.

God bless Jamaica, Land We Love

Minister of Education Ronald Thwaites (right), is all smiles as he browses Take Three Steps, a Vision 2030 Jamaica Reader. The book is an educational and motivational work written for younger citizens around  themes distilled from the Vision 2030 Jamaica -National Development Plan.

 

The book is written by Collette Robinson (left), who is manager of the  Social Protection  & Gender Unit at the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ). Representatives of the PIOJ, including Deputy Director General Richard Lumsden, presented printed copies of the book and audio versions of  the Vision 2030 Jamaica national development plan to the Education Minister during a recent (July 8, 2015) visit to his National Heroes Circle office. Minister Thwaites said the book could assist in educating students about Civics and Social Studies.