JIS: The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information will be providing textbooks and appropriate electronic and other supplies to support the National Standards Curriculum and other curricula at grades 1 to 13, for the upcoming academic year.

 

The total cost associated with these procurements for both the primary and secondary levels will be approximately $817 million.

 

“Distribution of these resources will commence in August of this year,” Minister with responsibility for Education, Hon. Karl Samuda, said during his contribution to the 2019/20 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on July 31.

 

Meanwhile, Mr. Samuda informed that the Ministry had introduced a pilot programme for the repair of damaged and worn furniture in the 2018/19 Academic Year, and that the pilot ended this month to make way for the full roll-out of the programme.

 

Under the project, the Ministry selected two schools from each parish that have a woodwork and metalwork department. These 28 schools are known as repairer schools.

 

In addition, each school is paired with a number of neighbouring schools that have furniture to be repaired, and is given just over $1.5 million per year to complete the repairs.

 

So far, 6,868 pieces of furniture have been repaired at a cost of $19.65 million.

 

“The cost to replace the furniture would have been $28.1 million. Roughly, $9 million was saved from this project,” Mr. Samuda told the House.

 

CAPTION: Minister without Portfolio with responsibility for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Karl Samuda, addresses the House of Representatives on July 31.

JIS: Some 70,000 vulnerable students at the primary and early childhood levels will benefit from a breakfast programme, which will roll out at the start of the new school year in September.

 

Minister without Portfolio with responsibility for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Karl Samuda, said that the Ministry is in the process of securing the additional funding for the initiative.

 

He was making his contribution to the 2019/20 Sectoral debate in the House of Representatives on July 31.

 

Meanwhile, Minister Samuda informed that Nutrition Products Limited’s (NPL) Westmoreland Plant will be re-opened.

 

“Following discussions with NPL, we were advised that the plant will provide juices for selected schools and serve as the hub for distributing local produce to schools for their lunch programme,” he told the House.

 

In addition, NPL is considering the provision of lunches consisting primarily of locally-grown produce and natural fruit juices for schools located within 15 minutes of the plant.

 

CAPTION: Minister without Portfolio with responsibility for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Karl Samuda, making his contribution to the 2019/20 Sectoral debate in the House of Representatives on July 31.

JIS: The Government is moving to address human resource, infrastructure and equipment needs at primary and secondary schools across the island.

 

This comes against the background of a comprehensive audit, which showed that a number of institutions are under resourced.

 

Minister without Portfolio with responsibility for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Karl Samuda, shared the details of the audit during his contribution to the 2019/20 Sectoral debate in the House of Representatives on July 31.

 

He said that for primary schools, the greatest areas of need identified were for classroom teachers, guidance counsellors, caregivers, cooks, watchmen and janitors.

 

At the secondary level, the necessities included classroom teachers, system administrators and computer laboratory technicians.

 

“Just on the human resources level alone, it is estimated that the cost to address the shortfall is approximated $6 billion,” Mr. Samuda told the House.

 

He said that the audit also revealed significant infrastructure deficiencies in schools, some of which need to be addressed immediately, and a shortage of equipment such as desk top and laptop computers, printers and copiers.

 

“Together, this is estimated to cost over $13. 5 billion. This makes a grand total of $20 billion that is required to cover the needs of the Ministry of Education,” Mr. Samuda said.

 

He noted that the Ministry has developed an infrastructure plan, tailored to the budget that was approved by the House in March of this year.

 

“We have taken steps to ensure that all activities in this area are strictly monitored and comply with all the regulations. Strict adherence to procurement guidelines has been reinforced. No officer will be allowed to breach the guidelines,” Mr. Samuda said.

 

In addition, the Ministry has implemented a bi-monthly meeting to monitor infrastructure projects to ensure adherence to the procurement guidelines.

 

CAPTION: Minister without Portfolio with responsibility for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Karl Samuda, emphasises a point while addressing the House of Representatives on July 31.

JIS: Work is underway on the building and expansion of schools in order to eliminate the shift system and relieve overcrowding.

 

Minister with responsibility for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Karl Samuda, said there are currently 37 schools that remain on shift.

 

He noted that 13 institutions will require expansion, while 17 new schools (10 high and seven primary) are recommended to remove the shift system and tackle overcrowding.

 

“Work has already begun on some of the schools in this year’s budget, namely: Cedric Titus High; Exchange All-age; Muschett High; Albert Town High; Old Harbour High and Friendship Primary. It is our intention to eliminate the shift system entirely by 2024,” he said.

 

He was making his contribution to the 2019/20 Sectoral debate in the House of Representatives on July 31.

 

Minister Samuda said that 87 schools have been eliminated from the shift system since 2007, under a plan of action to meet the demand for school places.

 

He said the strategy includes: implementation of the extended day modality; conversion of primary and junior high schools to full high or primary institutions; expansion, retrofitting and refurbishing of some schools; and the construction of 17 new schools on a phased basis.

 

CAPTION: Minister without Portfolio with responsibility for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Karl Samuda, making his contribution to the 2019/20 Sectoral debate in the House of Representatives on July 31.

JIS: The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information’s Special Education Unit has received funding of more than $1.2 billion for the 2019/20 fiscal year as the Government continues to meet its commitment to students with special needs.

 

The unit makes special provisions for students with hearing and visual impairments, physical disabilities, mental retardation, learning disabilities and those who are gifted and talented.

 

Portfolio Minister, Hon. Karl Samuda, in highlighting the work of the unit in his Sectoral Debate presentation on July 31, said that it operates a Braille and large-print programme, which reproduces material for persons who are blind or visually impaired.

 

“Large print services are also available for students with low vision who are in regular schools,” he noted.

 

Students with special needs are educated in the general school setting, or in public, grant-aided, or independent special education schools.

 

Minister Samuda said that the Ministry provides support to community-based organisations offering early-intervention and community-based rehabilitation to students with disabilities.

 

He noted that the Ministry has opened two diagnostic centres, which assist in identifying students with special needs as well as providing short-term intervention.

 

“Across the system, there are 424 trained special education teachers employed to give support to students with special needs. Additional special education teachers are also being recruited,” he told the House.

 

CAPTION: Minister without Portfolio with responsibility for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Karl Samuda, addresses the House of Representatives on July 31.

JIS: Minister without Portfolio with responsibility for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Karl Samuda, says that students who did not perform up to par in the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) will benefit from interventions in grade seven.

 

“Upon entering high school, the students on Pathways two and three will be assigned to Pathway coaches – a literacy coach, mathematics coach or special education teacher, depending on what the assessment has revealed,” he said.

 

Minister Samuda was making his contribution to the 2019/20 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on July 31.

 

Of the 40,426 students who sat all papers of PEP, 13,695 or 34 per cent were proficient and/or highly proficient in all subjects.

 

Students on Pathways two and three demonstrated partial, limited or no evidence of the required competence necessary at the grade level as specified in the National Standards Curriculum (NSC) and will need intensive, targeted or ongoing academic support at grade seven.

 

Minister Samuda noted that the coaches will guide and provide adequate support in the targeted areas to help the students reach their true potential.

 

He said that students on Pathway three will undergo psycho-educational assessment to determine their ability in various areas of cognition as well as their achievement levels in all areas of literacy and numeracy.

 

“Information from this assessment will be used by the coaches to develop individual intervention plans, which will be used to guide their instruction. These coaches will collaborate with the assigned teachers in planning and developing appropriate curricula for each student,” he noted.

 

Minister Samuda said that the 2019 PEP results show that a significant number of students are struggling with maths, and consider it to be the most difficult subject.

 

“By September, we will have close to 100 maths coaches across all regions. Literacy also requires additional work. By September, we expect to have 20 literacy specialists in the system as we continue the efforts to improve student performance in this area,” he said.

 

A detailed subject report was sent to parents and schools three weeks ago, which provided a profile of performance within each subject area. It also outlined how the student performed in the sub areas tested in each subject.

 

CAPTION: Minister without Portfolio with responsibility for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Karl Samuda, making his contribution to the 2019/20 Sectoral debate in the House of Representatives on July 31.

JIS: The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information will be saving more than $9 million annually on its electricity bill, from a $136-million energy efficiency project.

 

Under the project, which was undertaken at the Ministry’s head office by the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ), through its Energy Efficiency and Conservation Programme (EECP), the buildings were retrofitted with a solar system that will result in a 34 per cent saving on electricity consumption.

 

“The system works extremely well, it is very efficient, and makes you work more productively,” said Minister with responsibility for the Ministry, Hon. Karl Samuda, at the handover ceremony held at his Heroes Circle offices in Kingston today (July 30).

 

“With these kinds of facilities, we are able to work in an environment that offers comfort, to increase productivity,” Mr. Samuda added, while lauding the PCJ and detailing the benefits that staff and stakeholders will now enjoy.

 

It is anticipated that the modifications will enhance the environment and improve staff’s well-being, and promote increased productivity and comfort for users of the building.

 

For her part, Minister of Science, Energy and Technology, Hon. Fayval Williams, said the new system will be impactful, and the investment will be safeguarded for the citizens of Jamaica.

 

“We are financing a five-year service and maintenance contract to ensure the preservation of the equipment,” the Mrs. Williams said.

 

The EECP was established in 2011 to promote cost-saving measures in the public sector through the design and implementation of energy efficiency and conservation interventions and equipment.

 

Since then, more than 40 entities from the health, finance, education, and security sectors have been retrofitted with energy-efficient air-conditioning systems.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Science, Energy and Technology, Hon. Fayval Williams (right); and Minister without Portfolio with responsibility for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Karl Samuda (second right), celebrate the unveiling of a plaque for the $136-million energy-saving project at the Ministry, undertaken by the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ), which was handed over today (July 30). Sharing the moment (from left) are Project Manager at the PCJ, Jody Grizzle; Acting Permanent Secretary at the Education Ministry, Dr. Grace McLean, and Acting Group General Manager at the PCJ, Robert Clarke.

JIS: Some 4,000 students from 17 primary schools across the island will benefit from initiatives to boost literacy and numeracy under the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) Youth Education and Recreation Cycle 3 Project.

 

The $38-million project involves partnership with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information and is being implemented in the parishes of St. James, Kingston, St. Andrew, St. Catherine, Clarendon and St. Ann.

 

It is aimed at improving academic performance and general youth development by providing support for educational and recreational activities and programmes.

 

JSIF Social Development Officer, Shunelle Nevers, told JIS News that a sum of $12 million has been allocated to this tranche of the project, which is focused on improving quality educational outcomes in literacy and numeracy. It is scheduled to run until May 2020.

 

“We are providing learning and teaching aids and equipment to help the children in these schools to learn in different ways. We are also training 51 teachers –three from each school – to incorporate the new materials in their daily classroom activities,” she noted.

 

Miss Nevers told JIS News that already, schools in Kingston and St. Andrew have been equipped with the necessary materials.

 

All schools should be provided with the required equipment by the end of August, to commence activities for the new school year.

 

In addition, maths and literacy coaches in the selected schools have participated in workshops as part of a ‘train the trainer’ exercise and are now mandated to impart the knowledge gained to their colleagues.

 

Miss Nevers said that the trainers will have up to December 2019 to provide the schedule for JSIF and the Education Ministry personnel to go into the schools and monitor the training activities.

 

The Ministry and JSIF will also monitor how the equipment is being utilised in the classrooms to enhance learning.

 

CAPTION: Managing Director of Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), Omar Sweeney (third left), is attentive as Education Officer and Numeracy Trainer, Dr. Lorna P. Thompson (second left), demonstrates how to integrate ‘Attribute Blocks’ into a daily mathematics lesson. Looking on (from left) are Alison McGhie of Lethe Primary and Infant School; Social Development Officer, JSIF, Shunelle Nevers; Nelesia Mclean of Steer Town Primary and Infant; Paula Christie, Barrett Town All-Age; and Robert Gordon of Bickersteth Primary and Infant School. Occasion was the JSIF/Ministry of Education, Youth and Information Numeracy and Literacy Training held on July 22 and 23 at Jewel Paradise Cove in St. Ann.