Constitution Hill Primary and Infant School in St. Andrew has transitioned from a multigrade to a single-grade institution.

A multigrade institution is one where a single teacher instructs students from different age groups, grades and abilities in the same classroom.

According to the Ministry of Education, Skills Youth and Information, there are 238 multigrade schools in operation.

Principal, Melicia Mathison, told JIS News that the multigrade model was used due to the school’s small population.

In 2010, the school had 45 students, and that number grew to 116 at the end of the former principal’s tenure in 2017.

With only four teachers, there were always two multigrade classes – one in lower school and another in the upper school.

Ms. Mathison explained that there was a merger between grades one and two or grades two and three as well as grades four and five or grades five and six.

“So, with the growth, we lobbied, wrote to the Ministry of Education indicating that our numbers are increasing, and as a result, when the class sizes are too large, it makes it hard to give individual attention to the students. Currently, we have 155 students, and that caused us to move from being multigrade to single grade,” she explained.

An excited Ms. Mathison told JIS News that the transition has been great, sharing that since September 2024, each grade has had its own teacher.

She underscored that even though a single-grade environment is ideal for students and teachers, a multigrade school has its benefits.

“You have students that are one grade level behind, so even when the other grade is learning, whatever learning deficits they have, that can be bridged. However, on the side of the teacher, it means that you have to be teaching two classes and doing two lesson plans,” she said.

Ms. Mathison explained that there are some topics that can be merged in mathematics and language arts, using differentiated instructions.

However, in upper school – grades four to six – there is a designated curriculum for each grade that must be taught separately.

Reflecting on the transition, she said: “It really has been a journey,” noting that space was a major constraint.

“I had a conversation with the staff and I’m like, we have to make this happen. We can’t build a room right now, and we are at that point, and they said, ‘Miss, we’re going single grade. We’re going single grade, even if it means to transform a room’. So, we transformed the staff room. The staff room now houses the grade-five students,” she added.

A total of 10,000 computers have been distributed to high schools to support technology integration.

Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon, made the announcement during a statement to the Senate on May 9.

“Another 10,000 devices are being distributed to create ICT information and communications technology) labs at the primary level, and over 200 smart boards have been distributed to our schools to include our special education institutions by eLearning Jamaica,” Dr. Morris Dixon said.

Additionally, all teachers have a laptop assigned to them to enable ICT integration.

The Minister further stated that with the kind assistance of the Digicel Foundation, 21 fully equipped STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Smart Labs have been established at the primary level.

“For the new fiscal year, $108 million has been allocated to provide audiovisual equipment at the secondary level,” Dr. Morris Dixon said.

Meanwhile, $400 million has been invested in TVET (technical and vocational education and training) programmes to include upgrading of 50 labs and the establishment of five exemplary labs across the secondary schools.

For the 2025/26 fiscal year, approximately $800 million will be invested to support the delivery of TVET programmes to include lab upgrades and the establishment of future skills and technology labs in the technical high schools.

This year, the Government is investing more than $1 billion to provide breakfast for approximately 69,000 students in the Nutrition Products Limited programme in schools.

Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon, made the disclosure during a statement in the Senate today (May 9).

“This is part of a broader $9-billion programme that aims to reach 200,000 children with a nutritious breakfast, snack and/or midday meal. We know that children cannot learn if they are hungry,” Dr. Morris Dixon said.

She stressed that “no child should come to school and go through the day without a proper meal”.

Meanwhile, the Minister said the National School Nutrition Policy will strengthen and expand the Nutrition Products Limited programme and other school-based meal initiatives by improving meal quality and nutritional content, expanding breakfast offerings to reduce morning hunger and investing in kitchen infrastructure in schools where necessary.

“With this policy, we signal to every parent, every teacher, and most importantly, every student, that the Government of Jamaica sees them, hears them, and we are working for them. We are building a nation where no child is left behind because of hunger. We are building a nation where schools are not only places of learning but also environments of wellness,” Dr. Morris Dixon said.

The National School Nutrition Policy is a comprehensive, multi-sectoral framework that lays out clear principles and actions to promote healthy eating and active living in all Jamaican schools.

It will ensure all students have access to safe, nutritious foods; limit the sale and promotion of sugary drinks and ultra-processed foods within school environments; mandate nutrition education across the curriculum; strengthen the school-feeding programme; and foster partnerships among schools, families, farmers, vendors, and communities to build a culture of wellness.

Seventy-nine educators have been selected to receive the Prime Minister’s Medal of Appreciation for Service to Education.

The biennial awards ceremony, to be held on May 28 at Jamaica House, will recognise 39 educators for 2023 and 40 for 2024.

Instituted in 2005, the Prime Minister’s Medal of Appreciation is given to an educator who has served for a minimum of 15 years, displayed exceptional service in the teaching profession and has shown evidence of community involvement, innovation and creativity in service.

Among the 2024 recipients are Managing Director of the HEART/NSTA Trust, Dr. Taniesha Ingleton, and former President of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association and Principal of Golden Spring Primary, Winston Smith.

National Mathematics Coordinator in the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Dr. Lorna Thompson, and Professor Disraeli Hutton of the University of the West Indies, Mona, are among the 2023 cohort.

A posthumous award will be presented to the late Marsha Allen-Russell of Porus High School in Manchester, who was the second runner-up LASCO Teacher of the Year 2019/20.

The awardees from teacher training institutions are Sylvia Bryan and Dr. Claudette Barrett-March of Shortwood Teachers’ College; Dr. Sadie Harris-Mortley, Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College; Dr. Darien Henry, Montego Bay Community College; Professor Carol Hunter Clarke and Dr. Maureen Mullings-Nelson, The Mico University College; Anthony Norman and Dr. Monica Williams-Dempster, Church Teachers’ College; Dr. Jacqueline Thames of Moneague College; and Isaac Onywere of Bethlehem Moravian College.

Awardees were selected by a committee comprising officials from across the sector. Points were awarded to nominees based on predetermined criteria.

The persons receiving the highest number of points were selected for the prestigious award.

Award recipients are citizens of Jamaica, but in exceptional circumstances a non-citizen may be recommended for the honour.

The number of medals awarded in any year shall not exceed 40.

As the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information intensifies its efforts to improve literacy, parents are being encouraged to nurture a love for reading in their children.

Portfolio Minister, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon, emphasised that reading is essential to children’s development.

“Take them to the bookstore. Let them choose the books for themselves and let them see you reading too, because that’s an important thing. If they see the parent reading, then that gives them interest, too, in reading. I think it’s very important and, as parents, we have to do everything we can to instil reading in our children,” she said in a JIS News interview.

In observance of Read Across Jamaica Day on Tuesday (May 6), the Minister read to students at Constitution Hill Primary and Infant School in St. Andrew and Randolph Lopez School of Hope in Kingston.

Senator Morris Dixon also suggested that children be provided with a variety of books.

“We don’t always have to do the regular books… there are graphic novels. We know a lot of boys, especially, they like to see the pictures and see the comics. [Let’s do] whatever we can do to make it fun. So they don’t have to read the book with all the words, to start with. Give them something that’s interesting, that’s exciting,” she proposed.

Meanwhile, Dr. Morris Dixon reiterated that timetabled reading for grades one to three students at the primary level will commence in September 2025.

“We have said literacy is a commitment of ours, and we feel very strongly about it…; that is why we are doing that. We’re going to be doing more training with our teachers. Of course, our teachers want the same thing as us – they want their students to love reading, and so we’re going to be working with the teachers, giving them the resources,” she said.

Senator Morris Dixon added that Permanent Secretary, Dr. Kasan Troupe, and a Ministry team are actively preparing reading materials for distribution to all schools.

“They will be working with the teachers to make sure we are ready for September, because we’re not leaving any child behind at all,” the Minister said.

Ministry of Education, Skills Youth & Information Community Relations Education Officer for Region Five, Anieta Bailey, delivers remarks during Sunday’s (May 4) National Child Month Church Service at Northern Caribbean University (NCU) in Mandeville, Manchester. The service marked the beginning of activities under the theme, ‘Act Now! Stand Against Child Abuse and Exploitation.’

Grades one to three students at the primary level will soon begin to benefit from at least two hours of timetabled reading each week.

Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon, said literacy and numeracy are foundational and she is pleased that reading will now be a timetabled subject.

“That’s a big thing. Many people wouldn’t even realise that it wasn’t timetabled, but now it is timetabled, because we are serious about stemming this literacy challenge that we have in our schools,” Dr. Morris Dixon said.

She was addressing Friday’s (April 25) Education Transformation Oversight Committee (ETOC) Press Conference, held at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Regional Headquarters in St. Andrew.

Meanwhile, Permanent Secretary, Dr. Kasan Troupe, underscored that it is critical to institute the teaching of reading.

“We understand the issue of literacy in our country and rather than relying on an integrated approach, in this new framework reading will be taught. Every single class will be timetabled for reading, and that will mean that all our teachers will be teaching reading,” Dr. Troupe said.

She advised that the Ministry will be rolling out a massive training programme during this quarter to build the skill sets of teachers and to retool them to deliver the reading curriculum.

“We’ll be focusing on literacy, reading for fluency, reading for vocabulary building and we will be looking at reading for enjoyment and word recognition,” Dr. Troupe added.

In the meantime, Dr. Morris Dixon reiterated that the leadership of the Ministry is seized of the problems in the education system and is committed to fixing them.

“Every single child in Jamaica matters and every single child deserves quality education like they have in Denmark, like they have in Singapore, and that’s what our commitment is to the children of Jamaica,” she said.

Government is currently undertaking the expansion and upgrade of laboratory facilities in technical high schools across Jamaica.

Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon, said this move will address years of neglect in technical education.

She was addressing day one (April 22) of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) Education Conference 2025, being held at Ocean Coral Spring in Trelawny.

“What we’ve done is to, through HEART/NSTA Trust, develop labs for our 14 schools. In fact, we are in the process of finalising what lab each school will have,” Dr. Morris Dixon outlined.

She added that these labs will be equipped with the necessary technology and tools to prepare “our youth” for a technologically driven future.

In the meantime, Dr. Morris Dixon indicated that the Ministry is partnering with Starlink to utilise satellite technology to bring high-speed internet to schools across the country, particularly those in the rural areas.

“The goal is to be able to have Wi-Fi across the entire school campus in Jamaica, and so, that’s what we’re working on during this year. So, several schools have gotten it, and more will be getting it throughout the course of this year,” the Minister pointed out.

Moreover, the Government is investing heavily in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education, the Minister said.

Senator Morris Dixon noted that six new STEM schools will be constructed and outfitted with cutting-edge laboratories and equipment, adding that these institutions will be inclusive and welcoming of students from diverse academic backgrounds and not just those who are excelling in maths or science.

“Our goal is simple – every child, every teacher, every school digitally empowered,” the Minister said.

The three-day conference is being held under the theme: ‘Innovations in Education Technology: The Imperative of Change’.

It calls on educators to embrace advancements such as artificial intelligence (AI), smart classrooms, and data-driven instructions. These tools are no longer futuristic concepts but essential components for unlocking student potential and driving Jamaica towards a knowledge-based economy.

Day one of the event included plenary discussions on AI-enhanced reading strategies and smart-board training.

The Spanish Town-based St. Jago High School is the Overall Winner for St. Catherine in the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Performing Arts Competition.

At a recent awards ceremony held at the St. Catherine High School, the institution walked away with five trophies and $50,000 in cash.

In addition to being the overall winner, St. Jago was named the Top High School, the Zone Winner for Spanish Town, and took first place in Speech and Drama.

The ceremony was held to recognise schools or groups that have performed well in the Festival of the Performing Arts in the areas of speech, music, dance and traditional folk forms during the period February to March.

Speaking with JIS News at the event, Drama Teacher at St. Jago High, Vanessa Gardner Ranor said the school community is proud of the achievement.

She said the students are involved in various extracurricular activities and “they always try to put their best forward in everything they do.

The competition helps in establishing cultural values, resilience, and helping them to be top achievers”.

Principal of the Victoria Primary School, which won the trophy for traditional folk form, Annette Steele, told JIS News that the teachers and the parents are “ecstatic”.

“We are not one of the big schools, but we have big talent, she said.

The Traditional Folk form category, the Principal noted, is important in preserving Jamaica’s cultural heritage and tradition.

It involves a variety of traditional Jamaican dances and performances such as Quadrille, Ring Games, Maypole, Revival, Ni Nite/Wake, Gerreh, Dinki Mini.

“We don’t find our children playing ring games [anymore], so, we decided that we want to continue the tradition. The parents are very supportive, the school community is happy for us. It puts us on the map; it is a good feeling overall,” Ms. Steele said.

She noted that the JCDC competition helps the students with their social development, as they get the opportunity to interact with students from other schools.

“When they go to national finals, they get to see other schools performing. It helps with their self-confidence,” she said.

In a speech delivered by Councillor for the Westchester Division, Renair Benjamin, Mayor of Spanish Town, Councillor Norman Scott, welcomed the staging of the awards ceremony in “paying tribute to the extraordinary achievements of our students”.

He hailed the JCDC for organising the Performing Arts Competition, noting that “it has showcased their indomitable spirit, unwavering commitment and unparalleled talents”.

He said the arts has the power to transform, illuminate, educate, inspire and motivate.

“The performing arts gives you a platform for which to be creative so your imaginations can soar,” he added.

Parish Manager for the JCDC, Vanessa Patterson, for her part, thanked the parents and teachers for their continued support in enabling the students to participate in the competition.

Miss St. Catherine Festival Queen 2025, Shahidah Grant, in her remarks, said that “the Jamaican culture is alive and well in our noble parish”.

“For all the talents that have been exhibited, it truly speaks to how powerful St. Catherine is. Continue to persist as the kings and queens of our nation,” she told the students.