Several staff members at the St. Catherine-based Innswood High School have been recognised for dedicated service over the last academic year.

During a function held on Tuesday (October 15) at the institution’s campus, under the theme ‘Raising the Standard Through Improved Morale’, awards were presented to outstanding teachers across various departments and support staff.

Acting Vice Principal of the school, Camella Mullings-Wilson, told JIS News that the awards ceremony, which was being held for the third year, is a means of motivating every category of staff “from the security to the person that cleans the grounds”.

It is organised by the school’s Stakeholder Morale Improvement Committee (SMIC).

“We have seen where people have come together, people are more enthused to work and students are now involved in the programme, and their morale has also improved,” she noted.

This year’s awards ceremony included a sip and paint segment, which Mrs. Mullings-Wilson said was “a nice twist. We really enjoyed ourselves”.

Language Teacher of the Year, Sarafina Bailey, was pleased to receive the award for the second year in a row.

“I put in the work. The children and I have a very beautiful relationship, and I’m happy that my hard work has paid off. It is a great feeling and Innswood is the place to be,” she told JIS News.

Mathematics Teacher of the Year, Jhavel Senior, said, “To be acknowledged in this way is a good feeling. I worked in many other professions, but the acknowledgement raises the morale. The job is fun and it (award) goes a far way.”

Senior Secretary, Janiel Gordon, who was named Ancillary Staff of the Year, told JIS News that this was the first year that she was eligible for an award as she previously served on the organising committee.

She expressed gratitude.

“Knowing that your hard work and dedication are appreciated and have not gone unnoticed will push me to do more,” she said.

Meanwhile, Coordinator of the event and conceptualiser of the award scheme, Angela Easy-Brown said it is a “God-mandated task”.

She noted that the award programme has grown from rewarding exceptional effort with tokens like phone credit to the staging of the annual awards ceremony as sponsors came on board.

“If we improve morale, we will get the standard to be high. Innswood has talent, the staff are just great, and if we get the resources we will go far,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Acting Vice Principal told JIS News that students did well in the 2024 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC).

“Our head boy got all his nine subjects and our head girl copped all eight subjects. Both are at The Mico University College studying to become teachers. We have other students who got seven subjects and we are making our mark and we intend to make this academic year, even better,” she said.

Minister of Education and Youth, Hon. Fayval Williams, has informed that almost 400 schools now have ramps installed, as efforts are made to accommodate students with physical challenges who use wheelchairs to access classes.

“Additionally, we are beginning, for those schools with multiple levels, to put in lifts so that our students have access. We’re not there yet in terms of seeing that 100 per cent of our schools have ramps, but we have a pathway to getting there and every year there’s budget for installation of ramps in schools,” Mrs. Williams said.

She was speaking in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (October 1), at Gordon House.

Regarding the provision of shadows, Mrs. Williams informed that currently almost 350 shadows are in the system, who receive a stipend, to assist those children in classes who need the help.

“We consider this a significant benefit that we are able to provide to our students.

In the school system, we do have some institutions that are dedicated to children with special needs, and so of course those classrooms and bathrooms will be so fitted out for those students,” she said.

“Where we have students with special needs that are fully integrated or mainstreamed into other classes, of course we make provisions as well for those students if they have to use wheelchair or they have other special requirements. We have an entire unit at the Ministry of Education dedicated to dealing with and ensuring that the needs of our special needs students are attended to,” Mrs. Williams added.

The Minister also informed that the Ministry uses private persons and private institutions with specialty in this area as well.

“The Ministry will pay the full fee for those students to access private schools. So, we are ensuring that special needs students have the focus that they deserve in the education system. I will admit there is always more that can be done, but so far, I think you know there is good work that we’ve been doing in that area,” Mrs. Williams said.

Students of the Seaward Primary and Infant School display their project, ‘Farm and Solar’, during the Scientific Research Council’s Annual Science Fair at Hope Zoo in Kingston on Thursday, September 26, 2024.

Education Officer for Agriculture in the Ministry of Education and Youth, Okemo Duckie, (left), with (from second left) Phenomenal Woman Representative, Michelle Sadler; Teacher, Knockalva Polytechnic College, Kareen Stewart, students from Knockalva Polytechnic College, Sandra Cummings, Kemonie Williams and Sanjea Ward; and Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), Derron Grant, during the recent launch of the JAS’s Phenomenal Clubs in four educational institutions and provision of bursaries and grants to needy students during a ceremony at JAS’s offices in downtown Kingston .

Minister of Education and Youth, Hon. Fayval Williams, is projecting that the performance of Jamaican students in Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) Mathematics will return to pre-pandemic levels next year.

Only 39 per cent of students received a passing grade in the May/June 2024 sitting.

“That’s a very low number. It was low in the Caribbean as well, and as we look across the globe, we are seeing other countries bemoan their maths results as well. Not an excuse, but we are still recovering from COVID,” she said.

Minister Williams was delivering the keynote address during Thursday’s (September 26) Rotary Club of Kingston luncheon meeting, held at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston, under the theme ‘Basic Education and Literacy’.

She pointed out that the students who recently sat CSEC were the cohort that missed face-to-face teaching in grades seven and eight.

“We have hope, though, because when we look at the results pre-pandemic, in 2019, 54 per cent of the students then passed mathematics. We are targeting to get back to that level by next year and then work on taking it even higher,” she said.

Minister Williams said education is a sector on which all Jamaicans are depending to carry the nation forward, and the Ministry is committed to making improvements by implementing the 365 recommendations of the Jamaica Education Transformation Commission.

“If we significantly improve the educational outcomes from the system, our future will be significantly brighter because of the quality of jobs that we will be able to attract in Jamaica,” she stated.

The Buff Bay Primary School in Portland is using farming technologies to generate the interest of students in agriculture and to boost food production for their canteen and for the market.

Vice Principal at the institution, Keisha Braimbridge, told JIS News that last year they won a school garden prize at a 4-H Clubs event in the parish, and from that they upgraded their semi-greenhouse with the installation of tanks and irrigation drippers, to automate the operation.

“We are promoting sustainable agriculture, using hydroponic and aeroponic methods, and those are the technologies that we are teaching,” she said.

Ms. Braimbridge pointed out that the aim is for the students to take the technology into their homes and communities and promote sustainable framing.

The Vice Principal noted that the school is very competitive in 4-H Clubs competitions, and over the years they have won a number of medals.

She said they teach the students, from early in their schooling, the love of agriculture, with many of them making careers in farming.

“It is important for them to know that agriculture is not the old man riding a donkey and the various sustainable ways that they can do agriculture within their own environs,” Ms. Braimbridge said.

“The things that we grow, we use them in the canteen, and when we have a surplus, parents support the 4-H Clubs by buying the produce,” she said.

Meanwhile, Principal of the school, Jacqueline Edwards, said an objective of the enterprise is to use it to train students from other schools.

“They would come in, look at what we are doing, and model whatever we are doing at their schools,” she said.

Students at the Swallowfield Primary and Infant School now have access to a therapeutic space at their institution, where they can also learn ways to promote peace, well-being, and conflict resolution.

A peace garden was formally handed over at a ceremony at the school, located at 11 Whitehall Avenue in Kingston, on September 13.

Nineteen entities collaborated with the National Education Trust (NET) to create the peace garden, which is designed as the space where students can manage emotions, de-escalate conflicts and develop critical conflict-resolution skills.

The project, valued at more than $1.7 million, not only provides a safe space for students but also enhances the school infrastructure. The reinforced perimeter fence has been decorated with an inspiring mural.

The new concrete drain will divert rainwater runoff from flooding neighbouring classrooms, and the calming resources, including water fountain, a wellness bench and landscaping will enhance the practical use and aesthetics of the peace garden, which the school will also use for training peace ambassadors.

In a message read by Director, Donor and Partnership Management, National Education Trust (NET), Keisha Johnson, at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Executive Director, NET, Latoya Harris Ghartey, said the peace garden is not just a physical space but also a sanctuary, a place where students can manage their emotions, practise mindfulness and work through conflicts in a safe and supportive environment.

She said it is designed to help them find the tools within themselves to resolve their differences, calm their minds and build stronger emotional resilience.

Mrs. Harris Ghartey added that the garden offers them a space to express their feelings, work through their frustrations and develop their conflict resolution skills that will serve them not only at school but in life.

“Use it to find peace, to calm your mind, to work through your problems. Know that you are surrounded by the invested village of us here and so many others who care about your well-being and your success. Let us all continue to work together to create more space like this – spaces where every child can thrive emotionally, mentally and academically,” she said.

For her part, Guidance Counsellor at the institution, Kathandra Reid, said the concept for the space was launched during the school’s Peace Day initiative, which was held in March.

She noted, too, that the institution had projected one year for the completion of the project and lauded the partners for collaborating with the school for the undertaking.

“This has been a dream for a very long time… our schoolwide behaviour modification programme has been struggling to get our behaviour modification on the road and we had so many challenges with conflict resolution,” she said.

Other speakers included Brigade Executive Officer, Jamaica Defence Force, Lt. Col. Alicia Cooper Nelson; Programme Administrator, NCB Foundation, Jamilia Crooks-Brown; Director of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Ministry of Health and Wellness, Dr. Judith Leiba; President, Rotary Club of New Kingston, Dorett Campbell; and District Governor, Rotary International, District 7020, Dominique Bazin.

The handover marked the culmination of a Labour Day project, aimed at reducing conflict among students.

Leading up to Labour Day in May 2024, NET partnered with the Jamaica Defence Force to lay the groundwork and bring the design to life.

The JDF constructed the drainage system and created a paved walkway and ramp and reinforced the perimeter fence to ensure the long-term durability of the garden.

All building materials for the project were donated as well as the landscaping elements. NCB Foundation sponsored the water fountain, and the Rotary Club of New Kingston contributed the shades, mural, punching bags and garden gate to the space.

There is considerable prestige that institutions can potentially derive from being named after notable figures in society.

Additionally, there are great expectations of those institutions associated with these names.

Such is the case for the Louise Bennett-Coverley Primary School, located in the hills of St. Andrew East Rural, which was named after one of Jamaica’s foremost cultural icons.

The school, which encountered several challenges during its formative years, is on a renewal journey as the administration navigates the teaching and learning experience with the dynamic approach being led by new Principal, Sheena Taylor Morgan.

Mrs. Taylor Morgan, an educator with more than 10 years’ experience, hit the ground running when she arrived at the institution in May 2023, promoting the vision of excellence and success to the teachers, students, support staff and parents.

“When I came, I observed that we had a rich legacy in terms of culture, and teachers [who] are hard-working. But I said to myself, ‘there are a few things that need to change to effect even greater development and growth for the school’,” she tells JIS News.

Among these were changes in policies regarding accountability and operations.

“The policies were geared towards a holistic approach for parents, teachers, students, all stakeholders that we encounter here daily,” Mrs. Taylor Morgan says, citing the school’s Customer Service Policy as an example.

She notes, however, that some parents still harboured lingering concerns about the extent to and level at which they were engaged when they visited the school.

The Principal points out that steps taken to ensure these concerns were addressed were pivotal in forging a symbiotic relationship between the administration and parents.

“I assured [those parents] that we will, over time, be able to serve them in a manner that is uplifting… thereby [highlighting] the school’s [focus on] customer service excellence. To [that end], we created a Customer Service Charter [which has been] placed in our offices, including the staff room, and Vice Principal and Principal’s offices,” Mrs. Taylor Morgan informs.

With this in place, the educator says interventions were also pursued for students sitting the 2024 Primary Exit Profile (PEP).

“In grade five, there were 49 ‘beginning’ profiles across the four subjects. However, when we got them to grade six, because of the interventions and the hard work from the teachers, as well as parents who were also on board, the results showed that only four beginnings were accounted for, and those were three in mathematics and one in science… that is a 91 per cent improvement,” Mrs. Taylor Morgan informs.

A ‘beginning’ on the PEP profile means the student demonstrates limited or no evidence of the required competence necessary at that grade level, as specified in the National Standards Curriculum, and requires intensive ongoing academic support in grade seven.

Consequently, the Principal initiated a literacy programme in September 2023 that catered to students in grades one to three, which was subsequently extended to youngsters in grades four to six, on the advice of her teachers.

Mrs. Taylor Morgan says additional intervention was also provided through support extended by the Ministry of Education and Youth, noting that the beneficiary students were the last batch impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Additionally, she says teachers at the school were afforded the opportunity to participate in workshops organised by the Ministry, with the aim of ensuring that parents and all other stakeholders partnered to help the students.

“I would say that is one of the main things that assisted the students… that intervention programme… just the buy-in that we got from the parents,” the Principal states.

She highlights work undertaken by Grades Four to Six Coordinator, senior teacher, Michelle Barrett Cain, who worked with the students, pointing out that “even when it was break or lunch, she worked with them; so, I believe that’s why we had the success in PEP this year”.

Mrs. Barrett Cain, an educator with over 20 years’ experience, outlines the engagements undertaken with the students.

“We had an intervention programme where we pulled them into different groups, and we adjusted the needs according to what they were, then we brought them back together as a whole class and we continued to reinforce what was needed,” the educator says, adding that “we did videos, music and drama”.

She further advises: “We collaborated with all the teachers in the Grades Four to Six Departments, allowing [them] to give their input and, together, we worked as a team.”

A woman of resolute faith, Mrs. Barrett Cain says she always places God at the helm of preparations for her students.

“God and prayers every morning, and continuous practice,” the distinguished educator adds.

The hard work paid off, as the institution placed second in PEP this year out of 16 primary schools in the area.

Former Head Boy, Shamar Coley, received an award from Speaker of the House of Representatives and Member of Parliament for St. Andrew East Rural, the Most Hon. Juliet Holness, for emerging the second highest-placed student in the constituency.

Eleven-year-old Shamar, who is now in grade seven at Wolmer’s Boys’ School, expresses gratitude for the support provided by his former teachers at Louise Bennett-Coverley Primary.

“I would say thank you for nurturing and disciplining me. You have been the guiding light of my educational journey, and I am eternally thankful. For other children like me, I also want to tell them to work hard, study harder and stay focused on their own life goals,” he says.

Shamar’s proud mother, Nadine Johnson Coley, says the change in the school’s focus definitely helped her son.

“I am so proud of Shamar, because he got his first choice [high school selected], he did exceptionally well. The changes at the school… created a better environment… [which] helped him to focus and be more disciplined,” she tells JIS News.

The winds of change at the institution also captivated the support staff. Night watchman, Odean Williams, says he is inspired by the students’ progress.

“I am impressed with the improvement of the school. The teachers worked together, and put so many things in place so that the students can get a better education. Our motto is ‘Aim High’, and we are definitely aiming high because the students see what the teachers are doing and are inspired,” he says.

Mrs. Taylor Morgan says she is working with her team to make the institution a primary school of choice.

“Even though the school is located where it is… they are rearing for success; they just want somebody to motivate and inspire them,” she points out.

“We are also hoping that some corporate businesses can come on board and help our students because sometimes the parents are not able to… even though they do as much as they can. We want to highlight what the students are doing here so that the school can become [an institution] of choice,” Mrs. Taylor Morgan says.

Minister of Education and Youth, Hon. Fayval Williams, says repairs are ongoing at the 300-plus schools damaged during the passage of Hurricane Beryl, to ensure their readiness for the start of the 2024/25 academic year on September 2.

“We have been meeting with our Regional Directors, with all our building officers, and if there’s a situation that they believe may not be totally ready for September 2, they’ve already put contingency plans in place, which have been discussed with Principals,” Mrs. Williams outlined.

She was addressing the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) 60th Annual Conference held recently at Ocean Coral Spring Resort in Trelawny.

The Minister assured that most of the damaged schools will be ready for reopening in the new academic year.

“There are not too many of those situations. I [can] think of one school in which the timber building that they were using collapsed, and it is impossible to put up a replacement building in eight weeks. [The] Regional Director [in that area] has already had conversations with the Principal, with parents and a church that has a hall that’s right across the street to accommodate those students. So, when I talk about contingency plans, that’s an example of what would allow schools to carry on,” Mrs. Williams stated.

She said while the Ministry is not neglecting any of the schools sustaining damage, those most adversely impacted will be prioritised.

“We are focused on priority-one schools to get those back up and running, and we commit to priority two and three schools, that your damage will also be repaired, but it will be done during the school year. So, on September 2, you can open,” Mrs. Williams said.

She reiterated that schools categorised in priority two include those where a tree may have fallen on boundary fence or where a wall might need repairs

“But will it stop your school from operating come September 2? No, it won’t… it shouldn’t. So, we’re asking for understanding as we lay out our approach to this, so that schools don’t feel as if they’ve been neglected or victimised. It’s just a reality of prioritising the severely damaged schools versus those that are moderately damaged versus those with minor damage,” the Minister explained.

Mrs. Williams also advised that previous infrastructural damage to schools that were long overdue for repairs are also being addressed.

“Hurricane Beryl accelerated some of the work that needed to have been done decades ago. Some roofs that used to leak will leak no more, because they have been replaced as a result of the work that we did to rectify the hurricane damage. But I don’t want to depend on a hurricane to do what we ought to be doing in and out of season,” she stated.

The Ministry of Education and Youth will be redoubling its efforts to curb violence in schools, using a multiplicity of strategies.

Portfolio Minister, Hon. Fayval Williams, said these interventions will be guided by the Safety and Security Policy.

“The Safety and Security Policy that is designed to prevent violence in schools spells out how to implement physical security measures, such as searches of students’ school bags and organising training programmes for school personnel to recognise warning signs and intervene effectively,” Mrs. Williams said.

She was speaking during the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) 60th Annual Conference, held recently at Ocean Coral Spring Resort in Trelawny.

The Safety and Security Policy also addresses several other areas, including counselling at-risk individuals; developing crisis and emergency plans; assigning roles for students, parents and the community; and addressing and resolving conflicts in a constructive manner.

“I know that the support that we give includes coordination of searches upon request; regular school visits; motorised patrols in the general school environment, before and after school hours; regular patrols in the transport and town centres to prevent students loitering during school hours, and safety audits and reports, upon request,” Mrs. Williams said.

The Ministry also provides additional support in the investigation of critical incidents, training session for staff and students, motivational talks, gang-prevention interventions, summer camps and mentorship programmes.

Mrs. Williams informed that another initiative being implemented is the Restorative Practice Training Programme, through the Ministry of Justice.

Under the programme, 500 schools were targeted, with more than 12,000 students participating.

“Restorative justice is an important tool in reducing violence by enabling individuals to have access to a dispute resolution process at the early stage of conflict, to avoid escalation to violent reactions,” Minister Wiliams said.