JIS: More than 5,000 young people participated in a community workday in the parish of Manchester on Sunday (March 17).

 

The voluntary effort was organised by the Central Jamaica Conference (CJC) of Seventh-day Adventists under its Operation Save A Youth (OSAY) programme.

 

Over 80 projects were undertaken on the day, including the painting of schools and post offices, building and repair of houses for persons in need, and repainting of medians and curbs to improve road safety and aesthetics.

 

The youngsters, from Manchester, Clarendon and St. Catherine, also participated in a blood drive supervised by the Blood Bank.

 

“Young people were all over Manchester, doing acts of kindness and issuing care packages,” Director of Youth Ministries at the CJC, Pastor Kevan Barnaby, told JIS News.

 

“They enjoyed giving of themselves, giving of their time, their resources, and just being of use to those who are less fortunate,” he added.

 

He noted that the young people “are energised and want to do something positive for humanity”.

 

Principal of Mile Gully High School, Christopher Tyme, told JIS News that he was happy that the institution had benefited from the day’s activities.

 

He said that the volunteers painted buildings on the grounds, giving the school a much-needed facelift.

 

“It really improves the look of the school and it helps with motivating our students. It is nice to know that we can find partnership with other organisations to improve our school facilities,” he said.

 

Principal of Ferguson’s Basic School in the community of French Part, Claudette Forsythe Kenton, noted that the painting of her school, as well as the planting of flowers by the volunteers, has beautified the grounds.

 

“They were so warm; they did their work, and it is well appreciated,” she said.

 

The community workday was used by the HEART Trust/NTA to carry out on-site assessment of 187 persons in various skill areas.

 

At a ceremony held to culminate the day’s activities, OSAY presented scholarships totalling $1 million to 20 students, with each person receiving $50,000.

 

Scholarship recipient, Jhanelle Johnson, who is a trainee teacher, said she would use the funds to settle tuition obligations.

 

The OSAY seeks to encourage young people to extend kindness to persons in need by volunteering to participate in uplifting activities.

 

CAPTION ONE: Scholarship recipients under the Central Jamaica Conference (CJC) of Seventh-day Adventists’ Operation Save A Youth (OSAY) programme show off their cheques, which were presented during a ceremony held in Mandeville, Manchester, on Sunday (March 17) to culminate a community workday in the parish. Sharing the moment are Director of Youth Ministries at the CJC, Pastor Kevan Barnaby (9th left); and President of the CJC, Pastor Levi Johnson (right).

CAPTION TWO: A young volunteer helps to paint Ferguson’s Basic School in Manchester, during the staging of a community workday in the parish on Sunday (March 17). The day’s activities were organised by the Central Jamaica Conference (CJC) of Seventh-day Adventists’ under its Operation Save A Youth (OSAY) programmme.

 

 

JIS: The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information is working to strengthen its collaboration with training institutions and industry players to increase the talent pool of trained, competent and certified persons who are ready for employment in various sectors.

 

This is according to Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Grace McLean, who said this strong partnership is necessary, “so that our young people can obtain practical work experience”.

 

“We are encouraging and pursuing more public-private partnerships as we work collaboratively to meet the needs of industry and to support national development,” she said in a speech read by Chief Technical Director in the Ministry, Barbara Allen.

 

The speech was delivered during a forum on ‘Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Action 2019’, hosted by the Vocational Training Development Institute (VTDI), at The Knutsford Court Hotel in New Kingston, on Tuesday (March 19).

 

Dr. McLean noted that Jamaica is among the many countries that have moved to positioning TVET into the mainstream of the education system and setting it as a priority on the education agenda.

 

She said Jamaica is seeking to strengthen its policy and regulatory frameworks for TVET, while at the same time taking steps to strengthen partnerships with prospective private-sector employers

 

“By placing TVET in the mainstream of education policy, with an emphasis on practical application and extensive curriculum reform, we are effecting a significant paradigm shift,” she said.

 

The Acting Permanent Secretary noted, however, that one of the major hurdles the Ministry still faces is to re-educate the society to be more embracing of TVET as a valid career path, “and just not something that young people should fall back on in the event of underperformance in other areas”.

 

In the meantime, Managing Director, HEART Trust/NTA, Dr. Janet Dyer, stressed that TVET is the driving force for economic development.

 

“It is, therefore, very important for us to host such a function of this nature. It is expected that TVET in Action as a national imperative, will reveal the quality outcomes needed for the changing technological workforce,” she said, in a speech delivered by Senior Director, National Council on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (NCTVET), Nicole Manning.

 

Themed ‘Fostering National Development Through Partnerships’, the event aimed to promote the VTDI as the premier tertiary arm of the Heart Trust/NTA, which seeks to offer unique TVET programmes at the higher level, with a view to making a meaningful contribution to the Jamaican economy.

 

It also sought to develop greater awareness of the importance of TVET to national and regional development, promote the TVET programmes of the VTDI to a wider cross-section of employers and industries, create partnerships with employers for internships and employment opportunities for students, and strengthen students’ opportunities for employment.

 

CAPTION ONE: Fourth-year student at the Vocational Training Development Institute (VTDI), Felisha Rose (right), explains the concept behind a model for a smart house design to (from left) Chief of Party, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Advance Programme, Alejandro Paredes; Senior Director, National Council on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (NCTVET), Nicole Manning; and Chief Technical Director in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Barbara Allen. Occasion was a forum on ‘Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Action 2019’, hosted by the VTDI at The Knutsford Court Hotel in New Kingston, on Tuesday (March 19).

 

CAPTION TWO: Lecturer in the Construction and Engineering Technology Department at the Vocational Training Development Institute (VTDI), Trecha Bennett-Miller (left), provides details on the creation of a 3D model of a house design done by first-year students of the institute to (from second left) Chief of Party, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Advance Programme, Alejandro Paredes; Senior Director, National Council on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (NCTVET), Nicole Manning; and Chief Technical Director in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Barbara Allen. Occasion was a forum on ‘Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Action 2019’, hosted by the VTDI, at The Knutsford Court Hotel in New Kingston, on Tuesday (March 19).

JIS: Ninety-one unattached young people from several communities in Kingston and St. James are to benefit from skills training under a $50-million Youth Empowerment Training Initiative (YETI).

 

The initiative, being implemented by the Ministry of National Security and the Citizen Security and Justice Programme (CSJP) III, will engage the youngsters in intensive training over a 12-month period in the areas of mechatronics, heavy-duty equipment operation, and landscape design and construction.

 

The training will be carried out by the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU) through its Faculty of Advanced Skills and Professional Development.

 

National Security Minister, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, who brought greetings at the orientation exercise held on Thursday (March 14) at the CMU campus in Kingston, said that the initiative is part of the Government’s crime-prevention strategy.

 

“This high-quality intervention… is in keeping with the Ministry’s strategic framework, which is pinned to crime prevention through social development,” he said.

 

He noted that the initiative will equip the participants with globally marketable skills and certification.

 

“As our logistics and port sectors expand, these young people will be able to find work in value-added businesses, nearshore operations and a variety of industrial fields,” he said.

 

President of CMU, Professor Fritz Pinnock, said that the programme is targeted at young people, aged 20 to 29, most of whom are males.

 

“It is about developing strong men… . We have chosen areas that are linked to specialised skills. These areas are skills that are in demand and we have employers who are waiting for these graduates at the end of the programme. We are integrating them into a programme that is certified and has currency globally,” he said.

 

Programme participant, Shannon Morrison, an apprentice engineer from the Waterhouse community in lower St. Andrew, told JIS News that he is hoping to matriculate to the CMU’s engineering programme following completion of the YEP.

 

“What I am looking to get out of the programme is to improve the set of skills I have now… . It is important to us young men because it opens opportunities… . There are brilliant minds in the Waterhouse community. We just need the opportunity to go out there, develop our skills and better ourselves. My advice to my peers is to take the opportunities as they come,” he encouraged.

 

YEP is a CMU certificate programme aimed at increasing the number of young people benefiting from employment and professional development.

 

Meanwhile, a sum of $60 million is being invested to procure simulation equipment for the establishment of a CMU off-campus training site in St. James.

 

This will assist in increasing training opportunities for unattached youth in the western section of the island.

 

CAPTION ONE: National Security Minister, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang (right), engages with Youth Empowerment Programme (YEP) participants (from left) Jonross Taylor, Nickeria Box, Ali-Kaye Daley and Kevin Shakes. Occasion was the opening ceremony and orientation exercise for the skills training programme on Thursday (March 14) at the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU) campus, Kingston.

 

CAPTION TWO: National Security Minister, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang (seated), tries out the simulation equipment for heavy-duty machine operations at the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU) campus, Kingston, on Thursday (March 14). The occasion was the opening ceremony and orientation exercise for the Youth Empowerment Programme (YEP). Looking on are Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dianne McIntosh (left); Citizen Security and Justice Programme (CSJP) Programme Manager, Simeon Robinson (centre); and President of the CMU), Professor Fritz Pinnock.

 

JIS: The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information and the United States-based charity, Christel House International (CHI), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the establishment of a tuition-free school for children in St. Catherine.

 

Speaking at the signing ceremony at the Ministry’s National Heroes Circle offices in Kingston on March 18, portfolio Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, said that the agreement, once approved by Cabinet, will pave the way for the building of a Christel House School in Jamaica that will cater to students, aged three to 19, who are living below the poverty line.

 

He noted that representatives of Christel House International have been in discussion with the Ministry for some time “about adopting the concept here that they have been using in many countries. It has established schools around the world, including in the United States, India, South Africa and Mexico, through which it delivers its programmes and services”.

 

Under the terms of the agreement, the Government will provide a long-term lease for lands located in Spanish Town for the establishment of the institution, which will accommodate students from early childhood through to the secondary level (K to 12/13).

 

The Education Ministry will provide the students with the opportunity to participate in all national standardised examinations and assessments comprising the National Assessment Programme.

 

Christel House will construct facilities on the property at its own expense. Kindergarten to grade one will be accommodated in three classrooms comprising 20 students each. The other grades will have a capacity of 30 students per classroom and 60 students per grade level, for a total built capacity of 840 students. Construction will be phased to accommodate the school’s growth over time.

 

It is expected that the primary department will open no later than August 2020 and sooner, if possible, for kindergarten to grade two. An additional kindergarten class will be added with each subsequent year, until both the primary and secondary departments/campuses reach capacity.

 

The facilities and infrastructure of the school will be designed to satisfy the requirements established by the Ministry and any other competent authority for early-childhood institutions and independent schools.

 

The quality education and ancillary services provided are intended to equip the students with the knowledge and skills to become self-sufficient and productive members of the Jamaican society, in keeping with the Christel House school model.

 

Representative, Christel House International, Sally Porteous, who signed on behalf of the entity, said the agreement has been long in the making.

She noted that Christel House targets the poorest children, “and you change their lives and when you change their lives, you change the lives of people in the community around them”.

 

She said that the school will provide good nutrition, love and guidance for children in need.

 

“We will take these children from four years old and their nourishment will start with a hot breakfast, a hot lunch and an afternoon snack every day. They will be transported to and from school, and the emphasis is not just on education, but it is on love and caring,” she pointed out.

 

Mrs. Porteous told JIS News that the school will also provide a facility for students to shower and have their uniforms washed.

 

Christel House International is a charitable organization that works to transform the lives of impoverished children through a robust education and character-development programme.

 

CAPTION ONE: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (centre), hands over a signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to Representative, Christel House International, Sally Porteous (left), for the establishment of a Christel House School in Jamaica. The signing took place on Monday (March 18) at the Ministry’s offices in Kingtson. Sharing the moment is Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Grace McLean.

 

CAPTION TWO: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (right), applauds after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the establishment of a Christel House School in Jamaica, at the Ministry in Kingston on Monday (March 18). Sharing the moment is Representative, Christel House International, Sally Porteous, who signed on behalf of the entity.

JIS: Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Dr. Grace McLean, says that school administrators are not allowed to employ temporary staff without the permission of the regional office.

 

She said that a full policy position on the hiring process for temporary personnel will be disbursed to institutions.

 

She was speaking at the National College for Education Leadership (NCEL)/National Council on Education (NCE) training session for principals and Board chairpersons, held recently at the Melia Braco Village in Trelawny.

 

Dr. McLean noted that the Government is supporting all temporary members of staff in schools as part of a framework to bolster the educational system.

 

As such, she said that institutions “no longer have to collect funds from parents to pay an additional maths teacher or to pay an additional secretary and clerical officer, because the Ministry has a budget to support that”.

 

“So any approval that is given, the Ministry will pay for that person. So it means, therefore, that the schools do not need funds to pay for temporary staff, because the Ministry is supporting that,” she added.

 

Dr. McLean said that the Government has been making the necessary investment in the nation’s children.

 

“So [for] our primary schools, which used to be provided with $850 per child, this went up to $2,500 per year, per child. For all-age and junior high schools, we moved you from the $1,100 to $17,000,” she noted.

 

“We also provided $2,000 for students on the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) to buy their badges and epaulettes and any school items they require,” Dr. McLean outlined.

 

CAPTION: Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Dr. Grace McLean, addresses the National College for Education Leadership (NCEL)/National Council on Education (NCE) training session for principals and Board chairpersons held recently at the Melia Braco Village in Trelawny. Seated (l-r) are Director and Principal of NCEL, Dr. Taneisha Ingleton; Chairman of the Teachers’ Services Commission and Custos of St. James, Conrad Pitkin; and Executive Director of the NCE, Merris Murray.

JIS: The University Council of Jamaica (UCJ) has officially presented formal certificates of Institutional Accreditation to the Northern Caribbean University (NCU) and the University of Technology Jamaica (UTech).

 

Both universities were presented with the certification at an awards ceremony held during the UCJ symposium on quality assurance in higher education on March 12 at the Iberostar Hotel in Montego Bay, St. James.

 

Institutional Accreditation is the status granted to an institution that has been found to meet or exceed established standards for educational quality.

 

In addition, the Caribbean Maritime University, The Mico University College, the University College of the Caribbean, and Excelsior Community College have been presented with certificates of candidacy for institutional accreditation by the UCJ.

 

Director of Accreditation at the University Council of Jamaica Dr. Dottlyn Minot, stated that “these institutions have signalled their intention to apply for institutional accreditation’ in fact, they have submitted the requirements to become eligible for institutional accreditation”.

 

The Excelsior Community College in Kingston also received programme accreditation status for five of its existing courses, while eight programmes offered by The Mico University College received accreditation from the UCJ.

 

Also, a number of other colleges received accreditation for several Bachelor’s and Associate Degree programmes.

 

Bethlehem Moravian College in St. Elizabeth received accreditation for its Associate of Science in Business Administration, and Hospitality and Tourism Management programmes; while the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts in the Corporate Area received accreditation for five programmes, including its Bachelor of Arts in Education and Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Arts.

 

The UCJ has also given the stamp of approval to the Moneague College in St. Ann by awarding accreditation status to seven of its programmes, while the Montego Bay Community College received accreditation for eight programme offerings.

 

The Jamaica Stock Exchange, through its eCampus, received certificate of accreditation for its post-graduate Diploma in Financial Service Management; and the Jamaica Theology Seminary received accreditation for its Bachelor of Arts in Applied Behaviour Analysis and Bachelor of Arts in Applied Social and Professional Transformation.

 

Vector Technology Institute also received programme accreditation for three of its courses, including the Bachelor of Science in Technology Management.

 

CAPTION: Chairman of the University Council of Jamaica (UCJ), Dr. Carolyn Hayle (left), presents Deputy President of the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU), who is also Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs at the institution, Professor Ibrahim Ajagunna (second left), with a certificate of candidacy for institutional accreditation at an awards ceremony held during the UCJ’s Symposium on Quality Assurance in Higher Education on March 12, at the Iberostar Hotel in Montego Bay, St. James. Sharing in the moment (from third left) are Executive/Research Assistant to Professor Ibrahim Ajagunna, Lanna-Gaye Franklyn Green; Administrative Assistant to the Dean of General Studies at the CMU, Carlene McKinson; and CMU Consultant, Sonia Warmington.

JIS: The HEART Trust/NTA will be expanding its presence in St. Elizabeth in order to provide increased access to training and certification for residents of the parish and surrounding areas.

 

“We have acquired additional space in Junction to expand the offerings there,” said Managing Director of the agency, Dr. Janet Dyer.

 

“Junction is bursting at the seams, so we have now got that space, and we are seeking to expand the training there,” she added.

 

Dr. Dyer was speaking with JIS News at the agency’s ‘HEART in the Heart of Accompong’ event held at the Accompong Community Centre in St. Elizabeth on Tuesday (March 12).

 

The event served as both an assessment and registration exercise, and saw several residents taking advantage of the opportunity to be trained and certified by the agency.

 

“As the national training agency, we realised that we really do not have a presence in this area,” Dr. Dyer told JIS News.

 

“Through our HEART in the Heart of Communities programme and our mobile assessment team, we decided that we would come to Accompong to inform residents about the opportunities that are there. At the same time, we will do some assessments of persons, who might have been trained and not yet certified, or persons who have been working at a job for years and have no formal certification,” she pointed out.

 

Dr. Dyer said that the agency will be establishing a location in Accompong shortly.

“There is a space here and the owner is willing to share with the HEART Trust for us to be able to do training,” she noted.

 

For his part, Colonel of the Accompong Maroons, Ferron Williams, welcomed the initiative by HEART Trust/NTA, noting that it will ensure the certification of residents as well as promote lifelong learning.

 

“This is not only for those who want to have a trade. It is also (about) lifelong learning. Persons have been saying to me that they are too old, but I told them that the agency will still train and certify them,” Colonel Williams said.

 

The day’s activities included a diagnostic testing of residents in several skill sets, prior-learning assessment for persons in the areas of masonry and carpentry, as well as career coaching.

There were handicraft displays by community members, while the Social Development Commission (SDC) was on hand to provide information about its various programmes and activities.

 

The HEART in the Heart of Communities event has already been held in the parish of Portland, and is being staged in Stepney, St. Ann, on March 14.

 

CAPTION: Managing Director of HEART Trust/NTA, Dr. Janet Dyer (centre), greets Colonel of the Accompong Maroons, Ferron Williams (right) at the agency’s ‘HEART in the Heart of Accompong’ event held at the Accompong Community Centre in St. Elizabeth on Tuesday (March 12). At left is Director of the Educational Services Department at the HEART Trust/NTA, Rhoda Crawford.

JIS: The 2019 ‘Mathematics Teacher of the Year’ is expected to contribute to efforts by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information to raise student achievement in maths.

 

National Mathematics Coordinator, Dr. Tamika Benjamin, says the winner is required to apply the extensive knowledge and experience gained to benefit students and fellow teachers.

 

“Usually, we ask the person to help with professional development within their school and wider community,” she noted.

 

“Interestingly, two of the past recipients have become maths coaches in subsequent years, so they have actually been impacting many more schools than they probably would have before,” she added, while addressing a JIS Think Tank on Monday (March 11).

 

The Mathematics Teacher of the Year will be announced at the launch of National Mathematics Week at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in St. Andrew on March 25.

 

The winner of the competition, which is sponsored by JN Bank, will be awarded a trophy; an iPad; a week-long all-expense-paid trip to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Research Conference and Annual Meeting and Exposition in San Diego, California, in April; and one-year membership to the NCTM.

 

Conceptualised by the Ministry some five years ago, the competition aims to “highlight and celebrate excellent mathematics teaching at the primary and secondary levels of the education system,” Dr. Benjamin said.

 

Candidates are nominated by principals, their colleagues, parents or members of the Ministry staff (who work with a school). Every nomination must be approved by the relevant school principal.

 

The winner is selected after several rounds of classroom/school observations, interviews and presentations on a case study.

 

Meanwhile, Youth Marketing Officer at JN Bank, Shanna Kaye Wright, told JIS News that there are plans to increase the visibility of and public interest in the competition.

 

“In terms of our participation with the teacher who wins this year, we will ensure that they get placed more in the media… so next year, there will be way more people applying to be part of the competition and more people being influenced by current participants,” she noted.

 

“We really want to showcase to even persons who are attending [teachers’ colleges] now, so that they can say next year or years after, ‘I would want to be a part of this competition to showcase to Jamaicans that teaching is cool and maths does count’,” she added.

 

CAPTION: National Mathematics Coordinator in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Dr. Tamika Benjamin, says the winner of the Mathematics Teacher of the Year competition is expected to apply the knowledge and skills gained to benefit students and fellow teachers. She was addressing a JIS Think Tank on Monday (March 11).

JIS: Assistant Chief Education Officer in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Dr. Phylicia Marshall, has underscored the importance of the University Council of Jamaica (UCJ) in creating a robust and reliable accreditation framework for higher education in Jamaica.

 

She noted the “excellent work” being done by the accreditation body in monitoring, auditing and assuring the quality of tertiary institutions and the programmes that they offer.

 

She said that the importance of the work of the UCJ “cannot be overstated, especially within the context of education and training being among the growth sectors of our society”.

 

“Employers, institutions and the general public [must] have confidence in the knowledge and competence of the graduates of our institutions for the various professions as well as for further studies,” Dr. Marshall pointed out.

 

“Students who seek to attend our institutions do so with the expectation that they will be receiving a quality educational experience, and that the certificates they obtain at the end of their programme of study will be recognised locally and internationally,” she added.

 

Dr. Marshall was representing portfolio Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, at the UCJ’s symposium on quality assurance in higher education, held on Tuesday (March 12) at the Iberostar Hotel in Montego Bay, St. James.

 

The event was part of the council’s 14th annual Quality Assurance in Higher Education Week, which is being observed from March 11 to 15.

 

A statutory body under the Education Ministry, the UCJ is the sole accreditation body in Jamaica for tertiary-level education and training.

 

The body is empowered to grant and confer degrees, diplomas or certificates for accredited programmes, register tertiary institutions that have met the required educational standards, establish equivalence and facilitate recognition of foreign qualifications, and assure the quality of programmes being offered in Jamaica by foreign institutions.

 

CAPTION: Assistant Chief Education Officer, Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Dr. Phylicia Marshall, addresses the University Council of Jamaica’s (UCJ) symposium on quality assurance in higher education, held on Tuesday (March 12) at the Iberostar Hotel in Montego Bay, St. James.

 

JIS: Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Dr. Grace McLean, says the introduction of a full seven-year secondary school programme “is a serious game changer for education in Jamaica”.

 

She explained that the programme grants sixth-form students the opportunity to leave grade 13 with an associate degree and enables them to move into a tertiary institution to complete their bachelor’s degree in another two years.

 

“What it means is that every single child, whether they are at the lowest level or the highest level, the kind of instruction that is being provided will allow them to be brought up to the required level, so that they can at least leave with an associate degree,” she noted.

 

Dr. McLean was addressing the National College for Education Leadership (NCEL)/National Council on Education (NCE) training workshop for principals and Board chairs held at the Melia Braco Village in Trelawny on Monday (March 12).

 

She noted that, traditionally, secondary students who move into grades 12 and 13 are required to do the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) and earn four units for each of the two respective grades.

 

She said that the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) is reconfiguring the units at grades 12 and 13 to enable students to attain at least 60 credits as specified by the University Council of Jamaica (UCJ) in order to earn that associate degree.

 

“So, that is a decision that has been taken and developed by the Caribbean Examinations Council. So all students that are doing CAPE can now have the opportunity to leave with an associate degree, which is two years of college education,” Dr. McLean stressed.

 

The NCE/NCEL training programme was designed to equip principals and Board chairs with the skills needed to effectively influence and guide the strategic direction of their respective schools; increase awareness of the legal and regulatory framework governing public educational institutions; and empower school Boards to effectively interrogate and navigate the various issues.

 

New handbooks for school Boards were also distributed to those in attendance.

 

CAPTION: Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Dr. Grace McLean (second left), peruses the new handbook for school Boards at a training workshop for principals and Board chairs hosted by the National College for Education Leadership (NCEL)/National Council on Education (NCE) at the Melia Braco Village in Trelawny on Monday (March 12). Others (from left) are Executive Director of the NCE, Merris Murray; Chairman of the Teachers’ Services Commission and Custos of St. James, Conrad Pitkin; and Director and Principal of NCEL, Dr. Taneisha Ingleton.