With the establishment of a smart room, learning should improve at the Homestead Primary and Infant School in St. Catherine.

Recently, the Digicel Foundation gifted the school with the facility at a cost of US$60,000. It is equipped with 12 laptops, 12 tablets, a smart board, a printer, air-conditioning units and is furnished with desks and chairs and can accommodate 24 students at a time.

“This means that Homestead is on a new path for learning, because the students are now into technology a lot, and learning will go up. I expect reading to go up, numeracy level, literacy level – all of them will go up with this smart room. They (students) will have to treat everything in the room with care, so that generations to come will have access to the facility,” said grade-four teacher at the school, Shauna-Kaye Dehaney, in an interview with JIS News.

Reading teacher at the institution, Neisha Davis Carr, said integration of school lessons into technology has become very necessary for students since the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19), and teaching with the various devices “will help them to understand better, because they are using something that they are very familiar with”.

“I am expecting higher grades, and more exciting students,” she said, adding that attendance should also improve.

Meanwhile, Head Girl, Ainsley-Ann Wright, said it is now “easier for the teachers to teach, and I am happy because it is helping students in the school, and I want to thank Digicel for creating this smart room”.

Prefect, Analdo White, said students will learn more in the smart room, and they “need to take care of it, because the future students will need it to understand their work”.

Another student, Paris Newton, said she is overjoyed for the “smart room, because it is going to benefit us a lot”.

“Some kids learn more when they are face-to-face with a tablet or a television,” she said.

For Kevesha Dias, the benefits from the facility will be great. “I look forward to coming to school, and going into the smart room,” she said.

The smart room initiative forms part of Digicel Foundation’s Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) project, which is aimed at helping to bridge the digital divide.

Education and Youth Minister, Hon. Fayval Williams, says the Ministry is committed to exploring how Artificial Intelligence (AI) should be used to benefit the various educational institutions.

Addressing the seventh Dennis Irvine Lecture, hosted by the University Council of Jamaica (UCJ) under the theme – ‘Artificial Intelligence: A Paradigm Shift for Quality Assurance in Higher Education’, Mrs. Williams urged stakeholders to embrace the possibilities that the technology provides for the sector.

“AI introduces personalised and adaptive approaches that cater to the unique needs of each student and has revolutionised the teaching and learning landscape, as shared by many teachers at the primary and secondary levels. The issue of quality assurance in higher education is fundamental for accreditation standards. AI emerges as a potent tool [with the] potential [to make] substantial improvements in the sector,” she said.

The lecture was held on Thursday (October 19) at the University of the West Indies Regional Headquarters in St. Andrew.

Mrs. Wiliams noted that while AI could usher in a new era of an enhanced overall quality education in Jamaica, ethical considerations with the use of AI remain at the forefront.

“Considering that it is not merely about harnessing technology, but also about its responsible and ethical use, with due respect for the rights and privacy of Jamaican students and educators. We must establish comprehensive policies and regulations that guide the development and usage of AI in education,” the Minister said.

These regulations, she added, should encompass data privacy, algorithm transparency and accountability.

“Transparency should be at the core of AI deployment in education, in making Jamaican students, educators, and stakeholders aware of how AI is being deployed and how it affects their educational experiences. Additionally, we should seek to ensure that AI does not exacerbate existing educational disparities,” she emphasised.

The Minister said steps should be taken to provide equitable access to AI enhanced educational resources and opportunities for all Jamaican students.

“We are already equipping them with devices, broadband connectivity, laptops and labs, so that they have no restrictions. As educators, we must prepare our students for the ever-evolving job market, equipping them with skills knowledge they need to thrive in this new era of technology,” Mrs. Williams said.

The lecture was held in memory of Dr. Dennis Irvine, late Chairman of the UCJ, who was a distinguished educator.

Over the course of more than 50 years, Dr Irvine made significant contributions to tertiary education nationally, regionally, and internationally.

He was appointed Chairman of the UCJ in 1987 and served for an initial 11 years.

The noted educator was reappointed to the position in 1996, and served up to his passing.

Dr. Irvine guided accreditation decisions and played a key role in the transition of the University of Technology Jamaica (UTech) and Northern Caribbean University (NCU) from college to university status.

He also presided over a number of committees, including the Tertiary Articulation Committee which created the tertiary qualifications framework which now serves as the benchmark for the Jamaican tertiary education system.

A total of $28 million was spent to provide support for 4,608 students across all levels of the education system in the constituency of Manchester Central.

Member of Parliament (MP), Rhoda Moy Crawford, said the support included tuition and book grants, school uniforms, technological devices, and other school supplies.

“Additionally, we have provided education assistance to eight schools across the constituency. These endeavours reflect my commitment to the provision of access to education and training,” Ms. Crawford said.

She was making her contribution to the 2023/24 State of the Constituency Debate in the House of Representatives on Wednesday (October 25).

Meanwhile, Ms. Crawford said $5 million was spent to truck water to homes, schools and farms.

She further informed that 289 water tanks were distributed to constituents who experienced challenges harvesting water.

“We have boosted the local economy, offering employment to 528 constituents and providing 558 entrepreneurial grants to small business operators and farmers. Through our welfare programmes, over 3,000 constituents have received compassionate, funeral and medical grants,” the MP said.

Meanwhile, Ms. Crawford told the House that $170 million has been allocated under the constituency’s signature ‘Road a Fix’ programme for the rehabilitation of roadways across the constituency.

She said more road improvement initiatives are scheduled to begin as early as next week, pointing out that these “will remain a dominant feature of my stewardship”.

In the meantime, Ms. Crawford advised that the inaugural Rhoda Moy Crawford Community Football League was launched, adding that support has been provided to other community leagues and sports clubs.

The Ministry of Education and Youth is embarking on an ambitious programme that will target a minimum of 100,000 Jamaicans for parent education training.

The plan for the programme’s delivery has been formulated by the National Parenting Support Commission (NPSC).

Portfolio Minister, Hon. Fayval Williams, said the plan, which has been shared with schools across Jamaica, outlines the strategies to be employed in achieving the target.

“All public and registered private educational institutions are required to deliver parenting education training to their parent population,” she emphasised.

The Minister was addressing Wednesday’s (October 25) post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House.

Mrs. Williams said the NPSC is coordinating meetings with education officers, school administrators, guidance counsellors, deans of discipline and other help in service professionals in schools to ensure that Citizens Security Programme (CSP) guidelines are understood.

“The meetings serve as a guarantee that the quality of the education programme will not be compromised. NPSC support officers are to provide oversight by making daily contact with school personnel for the provision of technical support,” she informed.

Parent mentorship training is currently under way with trainees recommended by ministries, departments, and agencies and schools’ leaderships.

“Prospective parent mentors hail from all regions. They are exposed to intensive modules of parenting education training and, as such, form part of those served under indicator 2 of the CSP. Certified parent mentors are mapped to schools and effectively support parents across Jamaica,” Minister Williams indicated.

Parent Places have also been reactivated with an additional 10 slated to be fully revived before the end of the Christmas school term (September to December).

These were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Parent Places provide parenting education, psychosocial support, skills training, and counselling, among other interventions.

These are primarily in schools but serve the community to reach a wider cross-section of the population.

The NPSC has also been conducting roving parent places as another strategy to boost parent engagement.