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Education Ministry Aiming for Full Compliance with Procurement Procedures

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The Ministry of Education has said it welcomes the scrutiny of the Auditor General into how it manages public resources. In its latest annual report the Auditor General rapped the Ministry’s procurement committee for approving expenditure on two occasions when the nine-member body met without a quorum present.
 
 
In response to the Auditor General’s findings Permanent Secretary Elaine Foster-Allen admitted that the Ministry failed to follow the Procurement Guidelines on two occasions.  She said there were challenges with attendance at the approximately 44 times that the Education Ministry’s procurement committee met, which resulted in the two instances of no quorum. 
 
 
The Permanent Secretary said the Education Ministry staff were not offended by the Auditor General’s citation and will use the report as a stepping stone to achieve full compliance. “It is there to help us to be better at what we are expected to do,” she stated. 
 
 
Mrs Foster-Allen noted that, given the other calls on officers’ time, they contributed to the work of the procurement committee to the best of their ability.

Statement by Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites

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Excerpt from attachment: Good morning ladies and gentlemen of the media. Let me extend on behalf of the Ministry of Education best wishes for the New Year. Fifteen years ago, at the start of the millennium, the country set itself the goals that every boy and girl at grade four in school should be fully literate and numerate (be able to read and write and do arithmetic) by this year.

Killing of Belmont Academy Student

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THE MINISTRY of Education regrets the loss of life of another school-age youth at the hands of criminal.
 
Fourteen-year-old Demaro Gayle, a third-form student of Belmont Academy in Westmoreland, was fatally shot by armed intruders at his home in Sav-la-Mar on Sunday night.
 
Principal Rayon Simpson, who visited Gayle’s parents on Monday, said the deceased was a good student who will be sadly missed by the Belomont Academy school community. The principal indicated that trauma counsellors from the Ministry’s Mandeville Regional Office were on standby to offer support to affected family members.
 
Education Minister Ronald Thwaites has expressed condolences to Gayle’s parents, relatives and friends, and has called on the Security Forces to swiftly bring his killers to justice.

Approved Educational Resources Lists

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The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information (MoEYI) provides educational resources, free of cost, to all students from grade 1-13. Parents should not purchase educational resources which are provided by the MoEYI. Follow the link below to access the educational resources that are provisioned for students in grade 1-13.

Click here to view and download the Approved Educational Resources Lists

Education Ministry Condemns Match Fixing and Trading of Athletes

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Reports in the media indicated that a probe has been launched into two second round Group J Manning Cup football matches after 28 goals were scored and there appears to be allegations of improper conduct.  

 

In a recent letter to Education Minister Ronald Thwaites the Inter-Secondary Sports Association (ISSA) disclosed that it, too, has concerns about the recent incidents.

 

The Ministry of Education condemns match fixing and the trading of footballers and other athletes at any level of the game. This practice must be stopped forthwith. The purpose of school is to offer a good academic education and to strengthen values and attitudes which make for a good people and a great nation. Sports and extra-curricular activities play an important part in this process, but winning at all costs is contrary to everything our society holds dear.

 

While the Ministry of Education welcomes financial contribution from Corporate Jamaica towards the development of sports in schools, we advise sponsors to be careful their gestures do not have the effect of professionalising the performance of amateur athletes.

 

Since 2013 the Ministry has been meeting with representatives of the Inter-Secondary Sports Association (ISSA) in order to agree on a policy that protects students, schools and other stakeholders as well as promote a healthy school environment. We have discussed best practices, past experiences and the Ministry’s views on the role of sports in education.

The Ministry and ISSA will meet shortly to address the recent incidents and settle on a sports policy governing the transfer of students.

Education Ministry Condemns Match Fixing and Trading of Athletes

Posted on by Moey Admin

Reports in the media indicated that a probe has been launched into two second round Group J Manning Cup football matches after 28 goals were scored and there appears to be allegations of improper conduct.  

 

In a recent letter to Education Minister Ronald Thwaites the Inter-Secondary Sports Association (ISSA) disclosed that it, too, has concerns about the recent incidents.

 

The Ministry of Education condemns match fixing and the trading of footballers and other athletes at any level of the game. This practice must be stopped forthwith. The purpose of school is to offer a good academic education and to strengthen values and attitudes which make for a good people and a great nation. Sports and extra-curricular activities play an important part in this process, but winning at all costs is contrary to everything our society holds dear.

 

While the Ministry of Education welcomes financial contribution from Corporate Jamaica towards the development of sports in schools, we advise sponsors to be careful their gestures do not have the effect of professionalising the performance of amateur athletes.

 

Since 2013 the Ministry has been meeting with representatives of the Inter-Secondary Sports Association (ISSA) in order to agree on a policy that protects students, schools and other stakeholders as well as promote a healthy school environment. We have discussed best practices, past experiences and the Ministry’s views on the role of sports in education.

The Ministry and ISSA will meet shortly to address the recent incidents and settle on a sports policy governing the transfer of students.

Education Ministry Says No to Screening Students for CSEC

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The Ministry of Education has taken steps to halt the screening of students in public schools who sit the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination. By 2016 schools will be required to enter 100 per cent of the grade-eleven cohort to sit at least five subjects in an external examination.
 
This year 71 per cent of the grade-eleven cohort entered English language in CSEC, City & Guilds and the Caribbean Certificate for Secondary Level Competence examinations, with 68 per cent sitting and 44 per cent passing. For mathematics 66 per cent of the eligible cohort entered these three external examinations with 63 per cent sitting and 36 per cent passing.
 
The Ministry made these disclosures in response to a recent report published by the Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CaPRI), which indicated that teachers and administrators only enter for examinations students whose performance they believe will not jeopardise the overall pass rate of the school.
 
Pointing to a bulletin issued in February 2013, Chief Education Officer Dr Grace McLean has advised principals and members of staff to desist from the practice of debarring students who have not attained a minimum of 60 or 65 per cent in their mock examinations from sitting external examinations. 
 
Instead of relying on the results of mock exams, the Chief Education Officer advised schools to adhere to the current minimum requirement for the CXC programme, which is an average of 50 per cent for all tests done during the year.
 
Additionally, Dr McLean said schools must give special consideration to those students who may have been affected by extenuating circumstances and may not have met the minimum requirements, but with the necessary intervention will be able to succeed in the examinations. She noted that students register for CSEC at least six months before the sitting of the examinations and, therefore, careful analysis must be given regarding those students who do not otherwise show the potential to improve.
 
The Chief Education Officer has insisted that every student who is not recommended for CSEC MUST be provided with an alternative that is in line with his/her career pathway, subject choices and examinations available. She said this would allow students to be more focused and will help them to complete their secondary level education with the competencies required.
 
Dr McLean said that Education Officers have been assigned the responsibility to ensure that school administrators and teachers follow the policy guidelines prohibiting the screening of grade-eleven students to sit external examinations.

SJF Spanish Teacher of the Year

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The Spanish-Jamaican Foundation (SJF) is pleased to announce the winner of its inaugural SJF Spanish Teacher of the Year Award – Mrs. Kadia Hylton-Fraser of St. Jago High School. Mrs. Hylton-Fraser, a Jamaican Native, is a graduate of the University of the West Indies and The Shortwood Teachers’ College. She also holds a Masters 
Degree from the University of Technology. She has been teaching Spanish for 15 years. 
 
The SJF in collaboration with the Jamaica Teaching Council and the Ministry of Education launched this award during Education Week in May, 2014. Nominees were judged based on the following criteria:
  • consistent use of effective practices to deliver high quality instruction in Spanish 
  • promotion of Spanish in his/her school in order to raise the profile of the subject
  • proven ability to work with students at varying levels
  • Student performance data
  • feedback from student interviews
  • In-class teaching observations
 
In handing over the award to Mrs. Hylton-Fraser, His Excellency, Spanish Ambassador to Jamaica and President of the SJF, Aníbal Jiménez Abascal, explained that the rationale behind the award was to not only promote the importance of studying Spanish – a foreign language fast becoming the language of business in this region- but also to 
recognize a Jamaican who has excelled at the teaching of the language.
 
According to General Manager of The SJF, Dr. Rebecca Tortello, “this year the competition was very close as all 4 nominees showed a great passion for the language and strong content and classroom management skills. We see this as a very positive development for the teaching of the Spanish language in Jamaica. 
 
Mrs. Hylton-Fraser was pleased to receive her prizes worth over JD100,000 (which include a computer tablet and a day pass to Grand Palladium for herself and a guest) from the Spanish Ambassador at a special luncheon held in honour of all SJF Spanish teacher of the Year nominees at the Ambassador’s Norbrook Residence on Wednesday 
November 5th : “I am honoured and humbled to receive this recognition,” she explained, promising to continue to do her best to make Spanish “come alive” for her students. 
 
Established in 2006 by Spanish investors The Spanish-Jamaican Foundation emphasizes educational, cultural, environmental and community development initiatives. In particular, the SJF has made support for the teaching of Spanish as a foreign language a priority. This award will be given annually. 
 
 
 
Photo 1:
Elaine Foster-Allen, Permanent Secretary, MOE, Kadia Hylton-Fraser, SJF Spanish Teacher of the Year (St. Jago High School), H.E. Aníbal Jiménez Abascal, SJF President and Dr. Rebecca Tortello, SJF General Manager
 
Photo 2:
Dr. Rebecca Tortello, SJF General Manager, Ronneka Fraser-Green, Nominee (Wolmer’s Boys School), Elaine Foster-Allen, Permanent Secretary, MOE, Lola Francis, nominee (Meadowbrook High School), Connie Reid-Neil, nominee (Campion College), Sandra Swyer-Watson, Principal (St. Jago High School), Kadia Hylton-Fraser, SJF Spanish Teacher of the Year (St. Jago High School), H.E. Aníbal Jiménez Abascal, SJF President, Martha Corbett-Baugh, Senior Education Officer, MOE, Lebert Drysdale, Education Officer, Jamaica Teaching Council, Dr. Winsome Gordon, CEO, Jamaica Teaching Council