JIS: Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Alando Terrelonge, says the Government is committed to the training and development of the nation’s teachers.

 

“We are committed to your development, we are committed to working with you. I must underscore that the Ministry continues to provide quality training programmes for teachers and principals, through the National College of Educational Leadership (NCEL),” he stated.

 

He was addressing teachers at the Helen Stills Professional Development Day ceremony, held at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Spa in St. James recently.

 

The event was held under the theme ‘Empowering Educators: Retooling, Innovating, Networking for Sustainable Development’.

 

The State Minister noted that the Government through the NCEL, does not focus solely on the professional advancement of educators, but seeks to ensure that the training given, plays a part in building a sustainable future for the nation.

 

“The concept for educational stability highlights the importance of developing and implementing strategies for reorienting education in schools, as part of the broader process of building a sustainable future for the entire society,” Mr. Terrelonge underscored.

 

“Education for sustainable development therefore empowers people to change the way they think and work towards a sustainable future. There is no sustainable future without the teachers of Jamaica,” he added.

 

The event, which was hosted by the Jamaica Teachers’ Association, is named in recognition of former Knox College Principal, Helen Stills.

 

CAPTION: Students from Barracks Road Primary School in St. James perform during the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) Helen Stills Professional Development Day, held at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Spa in the parish recently.

JIS: Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Alando Terrelonge, is encouraging Jamaicans to be more open minded when it comes to learning Spanish as a second language.

 

“Our children are ready, our children want to learn Spanish (and) they are so excited. Our children are naturally curious. They are bright and they want it,” the State Minister told JIS News in an interview.

 

He was responding to a comment by Charge d’Affaires at the Embassy of Spain, Victoria Garcia, that more emphasis should be placed on Spanish as a second language, to increase the marketability of Jamaican students.

 

Ms. Garcia was addressing students during the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information Region Four’s biennial Day of Excellence (Dia de Excelencia) Primary School Spanish Competition, which was held at the St. John’s Methodist Church Action Centre in St. James, on May 16.

 

Mr. Terrelonge said that parents should not underestimate their children’s ability to learn the language, as they are willing and able to learn Spanish.

 

“I recognise the importance of patois as a dialect and I recognise the importance of English. We are an English speaking country and a patois speaking country as well, but we have to think beyond that. We have to start thinking that we are going to empower more of our young persons by letting them learn a foreign language,” the State Minister said.

 

Mr. Terrelonge emphasised that it is imperative for persons to learn the language, as it is the most common in the region.

 

“With Spanish, we will empower our young persons and we will increase their marketability within the region. English is not the most common language in the region, it is Spanish,” the State Minister informed.

 

“There are over 500 million persons who speak Spanish in the region, so you can imagine the opportunities for trade, scholarships and work,” he added.

 

Mr. Terrelonge said the Ministry has been in discussions with officials from Spain and Cuba and that the Government is working on a policy to address the Spanish curriculum.

 

“We have also had interactions, with the help of the Spanish government, with the Cervantes Institute in Spain and they have brought persons down who have done training programmes with our teachers as well,” he noted.

 

The State Minister said the Government is also seeking to get more educators from Cuba through the ongoing cooperation agreement, under which teachers from Cuba have been assisting the Ministry.

 

“Our Cuban neighbours are very committed. We have an ongoing programme where we get a lot of teachers from Cuba and we want to strengthen those relations to ensure that we get even more teachers, and also more teachers from Spain as well. We are also thinking of establishing greater relations with our partners in Mexico and Colombia, to ensure that we get the best of the region and get more teachers here,” Mr. Terrelonge noted.

The State Minister pointed out that the Government aims to have more Spanish teachers in primary schools by September 2020.

 

Up to August last year, 369 Cuban teachers had been recruited under the agreement, which was signed in 1997.

 

CAPTION: Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Alando Terrelonge, addresses teachers at  a function at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Spa, in St. James, recently.  

JIS: State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Alando Terrelonge, has reiterated the Government’s commitment to strengthening its policy and regulatory framework on technical and vocational education and training (TVET).

 

He was speaking at the Fourth International Conference on TVET in the Caribbean at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Spa in Montego Bay on May 22.

 

The Education State Minister said that Jamaica is among the many countries globally that have moved TVET into the mainstream of the education system.

 

“This paradigm shift is driven by the recognition that, over several decades, there has been a disconnect between the skills imparted by national education systems and those demanded by the workplace,” he noted.

 

He said that this disconnect “has been thrown into sharper focus in recent years, with the integration of recent technologies in almost every sphere of professional activities”.

In this regard, he said that the Government has “moved expeditiously to close the gap” on education and training and the world of work, given the potential economic and social benefits to be derived from having a skilled and flexible workforce.

 

“Employers are now demanding that workers for the 21st century must possess knowledge, technical skills, and soft skills to function effectively and be competitive in the workplace.

 

“To attain this level of competitiveness, workers must, therefore, be lifelong learners, who will continue to increase their knowledge and update their skills for upward mobility in the workplace,” Minister Terrelonge said.

 

CAPTION: State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon Alando Terrelonge (left), greets Pro Vice Chancellor and Principal of the the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Professor Dale Webber. Occasion was the Fourth International Conference on TVET in the Caribbean at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Spa, Montego Bay, on May 22.

JIS: Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, with responsibility for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Karl Samuda, says he is working to ensure that every child benefits from early-childhood education.

 

Speaking at the handover ceremony for a $14-million kitchen and canteen at the Middleton Primary School in St. Thomas on May 15, Mr. Samuda said some 100,000 children are entering primary school without exposure to offerings at the early-childhood level, and he will be taking action to stop the practice.

 

“I have given myself an undertaking to invite all the countries that have expressed an interest to assist us, to go one step further and help those students who are not attending pre-primary-level schools because of the inability of their parents to fund it, by underwriting the cost of sending those children to school,” the Minister said.

 

Imploring parents to start their children at the pre-primary level, the Minister said children who do not have the benefit of early-childhood education, for the most part, “have to play catch-up”.

 

“If you start at the basic school, you get a foundation that serves you when you go to the primary school. If you don’t get exposure at the basic school, it means that you will be forever playing catch-up, and the children who are exposed to basic education will be ahead of you,” the Minister argued.

 

Mr. Samuda said every child must have the opportunity to “maximise” his or her potential.

 

“A child’s potential depends on how early, or how intensively they start in the formal education system. There is no limit to what can be achieved, once that is done,” he said, adding that the Ministry, teachers and parents “have a responsibility to expose our infants to the discipline of education”.

 

The kitchen/canteen was constructed with funding from the Japanese government, through their Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Initiative, which provides grants for community development projects across various sectors. Support was also provided by the Government.

Mr. Samuda expressed gratitude to the government of Japan, noting that the gesture was “commendable”.

 

For his part, the Japanese Ambassador to Jamaica, His Excellency Hiromasa Yamazaki, said his country’s aim is to support sustainable human development through education and other projects “under this great assistance programme”.

 

Member of Parliament for Western St. Thomas, James Robertson, and Principal of the school, Jennifer Crawford, also expressed their appreciation for the facility.

 

The National Education Trust (NET) coordinated the project.

 

CAPTION: Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, with responsibility for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Karl Samuda (right), unveils plaque to mark the handover of the $14-million kitchen and canteen at the Middleton Primary School, in St. Thomas, on May 15. The facility was constructed with funding from the Japanese government, through their Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security initiative, which provides grants for community development projects across various sectors. Support was also provided by the Government. Sharing the moment (from left) are Principal of the school, Jennifer Crawford; Member of Parliament for Western St. Thomas, James Robertson; and Japanese Ambassador to Jamaica, His Excellency Hiromasa Yamazaki.

JIS: Jamaican educators have been commended for their Spanish language teaching methods, which are being employed in schools across the island, by Charge d’Affaires at the Embassy of Spain, Victoria Garcia.

 

Ms. Garcia was addressing students at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information Region Four’s biennial Day of Excellence (Dia de Excelencia) Primary School Spanish Competition, which was held at the St. John’s Methodist Church Action Centre in St. James on May 16.

 

“I would like to specially commend the work of the Jamaican teachers. I cannot think of a more noble profession than education… . Teachers are the brick and mortar of a society – the key to its success,” Ms. Garcia said.

 

“You are a part of one of the most beautiful and demanding professions since you have in your hands the most precious raw material that there is, for you to mold and shape,” she added.

 

Meanwhile, Ms. Garcia has underscored that the Spanish Embassy is committed to assisting the Jamaican Government in its thrust to make Spanish the foreign language of choice in the island.

 

“The embassy of Spain is willing and ready to help the Jamaican Government, and particularly the Education Ministry, in its endeavour to make Spanish the number-one foreign language in Jamaica. We commend those efforts, and you can count on us to help you achieve your goals,” Ms. Garcia assured.

 

The event saw primary schools from across Western Jamaica competing in the categories of poetry, drama, song and dance, as well as a booth contest, for which students showcased the cultures of various Spanish-speaking countries.

 

CAPTION: Students from Lucea Primary School, in Hanover perform during the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information Region Four’s Day of Excellence (Dia de Excelencia) Primary School Spanish Competition, which was held at the St. John’s Methodist Church Action Centre in St. James on May 16.

The overall winner of the performing aspect of the competition was Chetwood Memorial Primary School from St. James, while Savanna-la-Mar Primary School, from Westmoreland, won for best booth.

JIS: The curricula for community colleges islandwide have been expanded to incorporate four new industry-relevant programmes.

 

These are the Bachelor of Science in Nursing; Bachelor of Science in Social Work; Associate of Applied Science in Agro-Processing and Business Management; and Associate of Applied Science in Health and Wellness Tourism.

 

The courses are being developed by the Council of Community Colleges of Jamaica (CCCJ) in collaboration with the Nursing Council of Jamaica (NCJ) and international development partner, FHI 360.

 

The programmes were launched during a ceremony at The Knutsford Court Hotel in New Kingston on May 22.

 

Executive Director of the CCCJ, Dr. Donna Powell Wilson, said the courses will provide additional options for persons pursuing higher education.

 

“This is a monumental moment for CCCJ and tertiary education in Jamaica. We are proud to rise to the occasion to improve the standard of the Jamaican workforce, as well as create opportunities for disadvantaged youth in our society,” she said.

 

Keynote speaker, Assistant Chief Executive Officer, Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Dr. Phylicia Marshall, said the expanded programme offerings are consistent with the CCCJ’s mandate to provide educational options that satisfy market demand.

 

“Today’s launch of four new programmes underscores the commitment of leadership in the CCCJ and colleges to provide relevant and practical programmes fitted to Jamaica’s needs,” she noted.

 

Dr. Marshall said recent statistics indicate that 13 per cent of tertiary-level students attend community colleges, thereby affirming the CCCJ’s relevance on the educational landscape.

 

“These four programmes being launched today will complement seven bachelors and 22 associate degree programmes currently being offered by CCCJ. So relevant are these programmes that three Caribbean islands – Turks and Caicos, Anguilla and The Bahamas – have begun to offer CCCJ programmes,” she pointed out.

 

Dr. Marshall further noted that successful negotiations between the CCCJ and the University of Technology (UTech), the University of the West Indies (UWI), and United States- based Monroe College, have resulted in an agreement that will facilitate graduates of CCCJ-affiliate tertiary institutions being accepted into the latter school’s undergraduate and graduate programmes.

 

Additionally, CCCJ-affiliated colleges will be inducted into the prestigious international honour society, Phi Theta Kappa.

 

Jamaica will be the third Caribbean country to have members inducted into Phi Theta Kappa.

 

The CCCJ, in partnership with Phi Theta Kappa, will be providing scholarships to needy students enrolled in community colleges, who are deemed high achievers.

 

Founded in 1918, Phi Theta Kappa has inducted more than 3.5 million members and established nearly 1,300 chapters in 10 countries.

 

National accrediting body, the University Council of Jamaica (UCJ), accredits CCCJ certificates and associate and bachelor degrees.

 

CAPTION ONE: Executive Director, Council of Community Colleges of Jamaica (CCCJ), Dr. Donna Powell Wilson (left), converses with Bethlehem Moravian College student, Suwannie Johnson (centre), and Chief Nursing Officer, Ministry of Health and Wellness, Patricia Ingram-Martin, during Wednesday’s (May 22) launch of four new CCCJ programmes for community colleges, at The Knutsford Court Hotel in Kingston.

 

CAPTION TWO: Assistant Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Dr. Phylicia Marshall (left), converses with Executive Director, Council of Community Colleges of Jamaica (CCCJ), Dr. Donna Powell Wilson (centre), and Chief Nursing Officer, Ministry of Health and Wellness, Patricia Ingram-Martin, during Wednesday’s (May 22) launch of four new CCCJ programmes for community colleges, at the Knutsford Court Hotel in Kingston.

JIS: Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Alando Terrelonge, says that more early-childhood institutions and infant departments will be developed under the Brain Builders Programme.

 

He was addressing the opening ceremony of the Early Childhood Commission’s (ECC) first annual Professional Development Institute, held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St. James on Tuesday (May 21).

 

The Brain Builders Programme aims to reduce cognitive learning challenges among infants in the country. It is a framework for action in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, which starts from conception to age two.

 

Under this initiative, the ECC will be responsible for establishing 126 Brain Builders centres across the island, with two in each constituency.

 

Mr. Terrelonge lauded the ECC for the work being done to improve Jamaica’s early-childhood sector.

 

“I want to say a special thank you to the ECC for everything they have done to revamp early-childhood education in Jamaica. It is… one of the best elements of our education system. The first 1,000 days (of a child’s life) matter, and the work of the Commission matters so much [and] they recognise this,” he noted.

 

The Education State Minister underscored the Government’s commitment to ensuring that early-childhood institutions are certified.

 

“As an Administration, we are serious about the certification of early-childhood institutions. Currently, there are 167 certified early-childhood institutions, which is an important accomplishment,” he noted.

 

“The ECC; the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr. Grace McClean; and the entire staff at the Ministry must be lauded,” he said.

 

The EEC’s Professional Development Institute, under the theme ‘Creating quality learning environments for strong foundations’, brings together stakeholders from around the world to share best practices that shape early childhood development.

 

Tuesday’s opening ceremony included tributes to former Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Edward Seaga; former Minister of Education, Hon. Maxine Henry-Wilson; and former Chairman of the ECC, Professor Maureen Samms-Vaughn for their contribution to early-childhood development.

 

The three-day event concludes on Thursday (May 23).

 

CAPTION: Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Alando Terrelonge ( centre); and Senior Advisor on Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC), Finnish National Agency of Education, Kati Costiander ( right), listen attentively to Chairman of the Early Childhood Commission (ECC), Tricia Williams-Singh. Occasion was the opening ceremony of the ECC’s Professional Development Institute at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St. James on Tuesday (May 21).

JIS: Fifty-eight female wards of the Granville Child Care Facility in Trelawny and their families participated in a family reintegration intervention session at the home on Wednesday (May 16), in observance of International Day for Families.

 

The event, dubbed ‘Family Reintegration Day’, was hosted by the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA), under the theme ‘Stronger Families, Stronger Society’.

 

Family reintegration is the process of a separated child making what is anticipated to be a permanent transition back to his or her family and community, in order to receive protection and care.

 

In an interview with JIS News, Acting Manager at the Granville Child Care Facility, Marcia McGibbon, said the event was aimed at building a positive relationship between the families and the female wards as well as enhancing parent/child bonding.

“Given that it is Child Month, we have a family day, and the whole objective is to have both family members and the girls in one space where some form of intervention can take place, so that at the end of it, we can look towards family reintegration,” she noted.

 

She further explained that the day marked part of the CPFSA’S reintegration process for the female wards, which seeks to help accelerate the progression of girls being reunited with their families.

 

“The programme was structured so that we have a number of partners. It’s not always CPFSA; we also point them to different stakeholders. So, we have booths that are set up with these persons. We have presenters who come in to encourage the parents, and do a little counselling with the parents, as well, and the child,” Mrs. McGibbon said.

 

“For some, this is the beginning of the process, and for some it is ongoing. So, hopefully, in two weeks or even tomorrow, the girls may be able to go home,” she added.

 

In the meantime, Counselling Psychologist at the CPFSA, Marvette Sterling, encouraged the female wards, as well as their families, to seek to develop good mental and emotional health, which are vital to building stronger family bonds and, by extension, a stronger society.

“Do you have a generally positive outlook on life? Do you say to yourself when you are faced with challenges, ‘yes, today is bad, but I can get through this’? The key to maintaining good mental health is accepting yourself – the good, the bad and the in-between; accepting other persons who you have to interact with, and dealing with life as it comes,” Mrs. Sterling said.

 

“So, let us look at children who are here at this facility and their parents. A child who is sent here would demonstrate positive self-esteem by saying, this is not what I wanted, but I can make the best of a bad situation,” she added.

 

The day also featured a presentation from a representative of HEART Trust/NTA, geared at empowering families to get skilled so that they can become employable, and an address from the National Council on Drug Abuse on the impact of drugs on the family.

 

The wards and their families also engaged in various breakout groups to help chart the way of getting help, and being ready for reintegration.

 

CAPTION: Counselling Psychologist at the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA), Marvette Sterling (right), in discussion with parent, Mavis Patterson, during the CPFSA’s ‘Family Reintegration Day’, at the Granville Child Care Facility, at Garrick Foyle, Trelawny, on Wednesday (May 15).

JIS: The Youth and Adolescent Division in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, in partnership with the Safety and Security Unit, will train youth leaders across the island to be a part of the National Safety and Security Ambassadors Programme.

 

This is part of the Ministry’s Safety and Security initiative to create safe zones in schools and their surrounding communities.

 

Addressing a recent JIS ‘Think Tank’, Acting Senior Development Specialist in the Youth and Adolescent Division, Anisa Wilson-Smith, said the programme seeks to empower students to raise awareness about safety and security issues among the student population, thereby enabling them to better protect themselves and others.

 

The youth leaders will be selected mainly from the National Secondary Students’ Council (NSSC), Peer Educators (Prefects) and the National Youth Council of Jamaica.

 

These Ambassadors will attend a series of safety and security workshops and capacity-building sessions, which are essential to the development and sustainability of an effective programme.

 

Mrs. Wilson-Smith noted that the programme will be piloted in Region Three, which covers Trelawny and St. Ann, in the summer of 2019, and implementation will begin at the start of the new school year in September.

 

Other goals of the programme are to instil positive values and attitude regarding safety and security policies and practices, to aid administrators with additional resources to deal with the issue of safety and security in schools, and to strengthen the leadership capacity of the ambassadors.

 

Mrs. Wilson-Smith explained that this is a collaborative effort with entities such as the National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA), the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), HEART Trust/NTA, the Ministry of Justice, and other stakeholders.

 

CAPTION: Acting Senior Development Specialist in the Youth and Adolescent Division, Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Anisa Wilson-Smith, addresses recent JIS ‘Think Tank’.