JIS: Fifty-seven of the nation’s youth, who have made invaluable contributions in various areas of national life, were presented with the Prime Minister’s Youth Awards for Excellence during a ceremony held on the lawns of Jamaica House on Saturday (Nov. 24).

 

The award recipients, which include 2017 Miss Jamaica Universe, Davina Bennett; Olympic Gold Medalist, Omar McLeod; and Reggae Girl, Kadijah Shaw, were selected from 200 nominees in 12 categories.

 

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, praised the young people for their exemplary work, noting that their success required selflessness, hard work, sacrifice and tenacity.

 

“It is therefore only fitting that your country should single you out not only as encouragement and recognition for your perseverance, but as an example to others that they can start where they are, use what they have, harness their talents and aptitude to create something far-reaching and deeply impactful,” he said.

 

The Prime Minister said it is indisputable that Jamaica’s young people “have been blazing a trail of greatness across many platforms,” noting that the Government will continue to facilitate an environment where all youth can flourish.

 

“We want you to be your best selves and to live your best lives. We want you to take pleasure in living, working and contributing to the progress and prosperity of your country,” he added.

 

Mr. Holness said the Government values the input of young people in nation building, and would continue to draw on the expertise of the youth in the Governance of the country.

 

“We want to work with you. We consider your views and ideas important. We want to involve you in charting the direction of our country,” he noted.

 

Awards were presented in the categories of Academics, Agriculture, Arts and Culture, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Protection, Innovation in Science and Technology, International Achievement, Journalism, Leadership, Sports, Youth Development and Nation Builder.

 

The Nation Builder category, which was added this year, recognises youth, who have dedicated unwavering service to volunteerism and the development of communities.

 

A total of 224 individuals have received the Prime Minister’s Youth Awards for Excellence since the programme was introduced in 1998.

 

It is open to persons ages 15 to 29, who are living in Jamaica and the diaspora, who have attained excellence and world-class achievement.

The awards form part of Youth Month 2018 celebrations under the theme: ‘Level Up’.

 

CAPTION: Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, addresses the Youth Awards for Excellence ceremony held on Saturday (Nov. 24), on the lawns of Jamaica House.

JIS: Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, says the Parenting Education Project will be expanded to reach more parents across the island.

 

The initiative, which is currently in six parishes, aims to promote positive parenting practices and family management skills among parents and caregivers of children, ages two to six, who are beneficiaries under the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH).

 

Mr. Green, in a speech delivered by Education Officer for Region Four, Patricia Mumby Lalor, at the graduation ceremony for project participants in St. James on November 22, said that “come 2019 we will be expanding the intervention into seven new parishes.”

 

“We will continue to work with our stakeholders to provide information and support to parents including those with children with special needs,” he noted.

 

Mr. Green hailed the initiative, being undertaken through funding from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), for putting the spotlight on the need for good parenting in the nation’s homes.

 

He encouraged the beneficiaries to use the training to instill positive habits in their children and “spread the learning you have gained to your communities.”

 

“You now have the social skills to help others to be better parents. If you spread the word, all the children in the communities will be helped and the communities will be transformed,” he pointed out.

 

“You have been given this opportunity to participate in a very worthwhile initiative. The home is the first place where children learn good values, attitudes and behaviour. Parents play a vital role in their children’s development and we encourage you to use the knowledge gained from the parenting education programme to guide how you raise and care for your children,” he added.

 

Mr. Green further appealed for more fathers to participate in their children’s lives, noting that the quality of interaction will go a long way in making the home a safer and happier place.

 

“What is important is to build strong bonds with our children…even something as simple as changing a diaper. Simple acts like these can develop a great relationship between child and parents,” he said.

 

Approximately 96 households in 10 communities in St. James were engaged under the Parenting Education Project, which involved collaboration with the National Parenting Support Commission (NPSC).

 

Graduates hailed from Anchovy, Garlands, Glendevon, Hopeton, Roehampton, Rose Heights, Sunderland, Norwood, Montpelier and Lottery.

 

Over the six-month training period the participants attended workshops focused on nutrition, discipline, safety, learning, and health needs. The information shared at the workshops will be reinforced through home visits.

 

More than 900 families across the six targeted parishes have benefited from the intervention, which started in 2016.

 

CAPTION: Parents in St. James, who participated in the Parenting Education Project, at the graduation ceremony held recently at Fresh Bread Ministries, Montego Bay.

JIS: Come January 2019, the Government will be introducing specialist science teachers in primary schools under a pilot programme.

 

This was announced by State Minister for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, who said this is being done to address the challenges of teaching the sciences in a way children can readily grasp.

 

“We are putting in our school system specialist teachers to focus on science…because we believe it needs the specific skills sets to ensure that our children get that (tutoring),” he said.

 

Mr. Green was speaking at the opening of a forum organised by the High Commission of South Africa to Jamaica in collaboration with the National Commission on Science and Technology (NCST) at the Eden Gardens Wellness Resort and Spa in Kingston on Friday (Nov. 23).

 

The State Minister opined that the inability of many students to fully embrace the sciences is partly because they have a fear of the subject area, as is the case with Mathematics.

 

This is the reason why, he said, the Education Ministry has revamped the curriculum to place greater focus on these subjects thereby opening up the minds of young people to think critically.

 

“Science is more about a way of thinking…it forces you to think in a particular manner; it forces you to identify a problem and to start coming up with a solution. We have started the process of shifting our curriculum in schools to focus much more on that type of thinking because if you are going to survive in this modern world, you have to think that way,” he said.

 

“The foundations of our new curriculum are critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and communication because that is what is important and all of those are based on scientific principles,” he added.

 

In the meantime, the High Commissioner of South Africa to Jamaica, His Excellency Ambassador Tyrone Gunnie said both countries have been benefiting from mutual agreements in areas such as science, technology and innovation.

 

“It is by far the best functioning agreement that we have and what we have been able to achieve as two Governments is phenomenal,” he said.

He noted that the three-day forum, targeting 100 youth, ages 15 to 17 is in keeping with ongoing collaboration in this area.

 

Under the theme: “See.Touch.Innovate”, the forum sought to engage youth in conversation, practical observations and provide a hands-on approach to innovation.

 

The youngsters had the opportunity of interacting with South African and Jamaican practitioners, who are utilising science technology and innovation to solve challenges facing both countries.

 

CAPTION: State Minister for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green (second right), along with High Commissioner of South Africa to Jamaica, His Excellency Ambassador Tyrone Gunnie (right); and Director General, National Commission on Science and Technology (NCST), Professor Errol Morrison (third left), interact with students at a  youth forum focusing on science technology and innovation. The event, which was held at the Eden Gardens Wellness Resort and Spa in Kingston on Friday (Nov. 23), was organised by the High Commission of South Africa in collaboration with the NCST.

JIS: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says the Government is working towards having 300 fully certified early-childhood institutions by 2019.

 

He said that the Ministry is working closely with the Early Childhood Commission (ECC) “to make this a reality”.

 

“We have 12 operating standards… . We are taking on infant schools, we are adding infant departments to existing primary schools, and we are asking the private early-childhood institutions to come sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to become part of the Government’s public early-childhood system,” Minister Reid said.

 

He was speaking at a ceremony for the presentation of stimulation resources from Japan for the Brain Builders programme at the offices of the ECC in Kingston on Wednesday (November 21).

 

Minister Reid said the Government recognises that early-childhood education “is the nucleus of the entire education system” and is committed to improving standards at this level.

 

He noted that the work of the ECC has already resulted in the certification of 134 institutions.

 

“I want to laud the work of the ECC. The certification and standardisation are top priorities of your programme of capacity-building,” he said.

 

Ten early-childhood institutions will benefit from the donation of stimulation items, which were provided at the cost of approximately US$17,000 under the Government of Japan-funded Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Technical Cooperation Grant Programme.

 

These well-needed resources are for students up to three years old and include stacking toys, soft blocks, storage bins, activity mats, shelves, bookstands, soft dolls, washable sensory balls, baby band rhythm sets, sorting bucket shapes, mirrors and rattles.

 

Ambassador of Japan to Jamaica, His Excellency Hiromasa Yamazaki, said his county is pleased to partner with the Jamaican Government on this initiative.

 

“My Government holds dear, the philosophy that investing in education at the early-childhood, primary, secondary and tertiary levels are extremely vital for the overall development of the country and its people. Indeed, children are the future of every progressive country. I hope that (the institutions) will make the best use of the resources to make steady progress every day,” he said.

 

The Brain Builders programme, launched on July 6, is a framework for action in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, which is from conception to age two.

 

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

 

The main objective of the programme is to ensure that all Jamaican children get the best start in life by attending to their health, nutrition, stimulation, social protection, child protection and early-intervention needs.

 

This project forms part of efforts by the Government to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 16, which, respectively, relate to: no poverty; zero hunger; good health and well-being; quality education; and peace, justice and strong institutions.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (left); and Ambassador of Japan to Jamaica, His Excellency Hiromasa Yamazaki (2nd left), observe as children from the Elim Early Childhood Development Centre, engage with baby Tehila Gordon, who is being held by her mother Salome Bourne-Gordon (second right). Occasion was a ceremony for the presentation of stimulation items for the Brain Builders programme at the Early Childhood Commission (ECC) in Kingston on Wednesday (November 21). At right is Tehila’s father, Talbert Gordon.

 

JIS: Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, says the results of the Grade 5 pilot Performance Task test, have provided a baseline of where students are in terms of the higher-order skills essential for secondary school and for the necessary corrective interventions to be undertaken .

 

“We have sent individual profiles to every single teacher in the classroom. They can now take that profile, work with that student and raise the higher-order skills. The reality is that they would be better off than if we just turned a blind eye to it,” he said.

 

Mr. Green was responding to questions posed by Member of Parliament for Central Kingston, Rev. Ronald Thwaites, regarding the Primary Exit Profile (PEP), in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (November 20).

 

He noted that the mock test, which was administered in June 2018, assessed students’ ability to strategically think and to do extended thinking.

 

“The pilot Performance Task only represents 20 per cent of the total evaluation of the overall examination and cannot be used to determine the students’ overall performance,” Mr. Green said.

 

A total of 37,539 students sat the mock test. The results showed that 12,003 achieved mastery in Language Arts and 22,759 nearly met the standard. In Mathematics, 1,379 students met the standard, while 17,568 nearly met the standard. Additionally, 585 students met the standard in Science and 14,126 nearly met the standard. In Social Studies, 2,861 met the standard while 19,464 nearly met the standard.

 

Mr. Green told the Lower House that, overall, the results corroborate with the marks at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) level in these subject areas where the students’ level of comprehension and application, in the sciences especially, is generally weak.

 

He noted that measures are being put in place to provide additional support to teachers and students.

 

A PEP website and application (app) have been developed, which provide easily accessible information for students, parents and teachers. The website and app will allow for publishers to promote their materials and also for teachers and parents to provide feedback to the Ministry.

 

It includes the National Standards Curriculum (NSC), of which PEP is a component, and other related material, including sample items and links to other educational services. These have been available to the public as at October 5, 2018.

 

CAPTION: State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, addresses the House of Representatives on Tuesday (November 20).

JIS: The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information has been working with the Ministry of Health to develop standards for schools, to encourage healthy eating.

 

Speaking in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (November 20), State Minister, Hon. Floyd Green, said this has caused the Ministry to do a comprehensive review of the items that it provides to the school system.

 

He informed that a halt was placed on the provision of bullas and muffins in schools, as both were identified as two of the items that have significantly high sugar content.

 

Mr. Green noted that Nutrition Products Limited (NPL) was requested to explore whether the present provisions could be reformulated into healthier options, especially in the case of items that have become almost synonymous with the school-feeding programme.

 

“In the case of bullas, there has been a new formula that has been put together, and as such, that has cut the sugar content by 10 per cent, bringing it more in alignment with the Ministry of Health requirements. With that reformulation, we have started the redistribution of bullas into our school system as snacks,” he pointed out.

 

The State Minister said NPL is now working on a reformulated cheese bread option, to be rolled out in schools, fortified with the necessary protein and calcium for added nutritional value.

 

“We will continue to work with NPL and the Ministry of Health to ensure that we provide more healthy options to our students,” Mr. Green said.

 

CAPTION: State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, addresses the House of Representatives on Tuesday (November 20).

JIS: State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, says a Joint Select Committee of Parliament is considering harsher penalties for persons who commit crimes against children.

 

“Through the Joint Select Committee of Parliament, we’re moving to ensure that we send a very clear signal to the country and to those who will want to perpetrate crimes against our children, that it will not be tolerated, and as such, we will be bringing in place harsher penalties for crimes against our children,” he said.

 

The State Minister was speaking at the Child Protection and Family Services Agency’s (CPFSA) 12th annual Candlelight Vigil and Concert at Emancipation Park on November 19.

 

“The Joint Select Committee is in its final meeting and, already, I think we have agreed to recommend to Parliament that there should be a special change in our law to indicate that where the crime is committed against vulnerable groups, which include our children and the elderly, there will be the harshest penalties possible,” he said.

 

Mr. Green said the Government will continue to play its role in protecting vulnerable children.

 

“The Government clearly has a role to play, and we have been using our systems to see how we can remove the bureaucracy from our child protection system. We have merged the Child Development Agency and the Office of the Children’s Registry to form the Child Protection and Family Services Agency, and in so doing, we expanded the mandate of what used to be the Child Development Agency, to look more at proactive intervention,” he pointed out.

 

Mr. Green said they will be strengthening the parenting arm of the Child Protection and Family Services Agency by bringing on board the National Parenting Support Commission.

 

“We want to form what we will call a Super Child Protection Agency that not only looks at intervening when a child has been abused, but proactively looks at parenting sessions, parenting mentors, working with our parents to reduce the amount of abuse,” he added.

 

Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer, CPFSA, Mrs. Rosalee Gage-Grey, informed that a report on child mortality by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality states that an estimated 6.3 million children aged 15 years and under died in 2017. Child mortality is due to violence, health-related issues, motor-vehicle accidents and other factors.

 

She also noted that statistics from the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) show that a total of 70 children died under violent and tragic circumstances for the period October 2017 to October 2018.

 

This year’s vigil was staged under the theme ‘Every Child Deserves Protection’, in commemoration of World Day for the Prevention of Child Abuse.

 

Highlights of the evening included the ceremonial lighting of a candle in Emancipation Park, and children pinning the names of other children who were killed from across Jamaica on a large mounted map of the country.

 

CAPTION: Singer, Early Break Band, Rochelle Phillips (left), performing at the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) 12th annual Candlelight Vigil and Concert in Emancipation Park on Monday (November 19). Enjoying the performance (from second left) are State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green; Chief Executive Officer, CPFSA, Mrs. Rosalee Gage-Grey and Opposition Spokesman on Youth, Damion Crawford.

JIS: State Minister for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, has charged the incoming executive members of the National Secondary Students’ Council (NSSC) to be positive agents of change.

 

He challenged the student leaders to find creative and effective solutions to the issues that their peers face, particularly that of bullying.

 

He noted that the Ministry will shortly be rolling out an anti-bullying campaign to combat the increased incidence of cyber and other forms of bullying among students.

 

The State Minister was addressing the ceremony for the installation of 21 student leaders to the regional and national executive of the NSSC for academic year 2018/2019, at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Regional Headquarters, Mona Campus, on Tuesday (November 20).

 

Mr. Green, in commending the work of the past executive, said “there has been significant improvement in the number of student councils that are active across our schools”.

 

“This body really helps to shape policy to create a better Jamaica. I am a believer in how important the NSSC is, because I have found where you have well-functioning councils you have better schools,” he noted.

 

“You must never feel that this position is just for show or that you talk and we may not listen… . We take what you are saying very seriously, and so we want you to give serious thought in whatever you are going to say. We continue to look for that sort of collaboration. You are our eyes and ears on the ground, so that we can improve upon and fix what is not going right,” he added.

 

The NSSC is the umbrella organisation for all student councils in Jamaica. It aims to give students the opportunity to voice their opinions on matters that affect them.

 

The NSSC represents more than 160 secondary schools and over 300,000 students, advocating on their behalf and providing representation in the decision-making process of schools.

 

Meanwhile, the NSSC will be hosting a fundraising event aimed at raising $1.5 million to support its activities as well as contribute to the renovation of the Lister Mair Gilby School for the Deaf in St. Andrew.

 

The event is to be held on November 29 at the Ardenne High School in Kingston at 3:00 p.m. For more information, call (876) 618-5116 or email [email protected].

 

CAPTION: State Minister for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green (second left) and Director of Regional Educational Services in the Ministry, Captain Dr. Kasan Troupe (left), engage with the newly installed executive of the National Secondary Students’ Council (NSSC). They are (from third left): President, Fabian Morris; Treasurer, Aaliyah Campbell; General Secretary, Fabrizio Darby; and Public Relations Officer, Sandrene Campbell. Occasion was the installation ceremony for the NSSC’s regional and national executive held on Tuesday (November 20), at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Regional Headquarters, St. Andrew.

JIS: State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, has reiterated his appeal for Jamaicans to report cases of child abuse.

 

“The anti-informer culture needs to end,” he said, noting that the lives of vulnerable children are at stake.

 

“I want to encourage more of us to speak when we know that a child is being abused. That’s the first step to really end child abuse and to ensure that every child gets protection. We have to speak up, and quite frankly, too many of us are still remaining silent.

 

“You know of the vicious crimes that we have been faced with very recently involving our children. It’s even more difficult when you see the reluctance among members of communities to speak what they know, to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice,” he lamented.

 

“Talk about children being abused. [We need] more people, who are willing to not put up with the neighbour who you know is abusing a child… . That is what we have to treat with, if we really believe that every child deserves protection,” he added.

 

The State Minister was speaking at the Child Protection and Family Services Agency’s (CPFSA) 12th annual Candlelight Vigil and Concert at Emancipation Park on Monday (November 19). The event was held to focus national attention on the issue of child abuse and the importance of protecting the nation’s children.

 

The CPFSA’s Chief Executive Officer, Rosalee Gage-Grey, said children have a special place in the society and need the care and protection of citizens.

 

She cited statistics from the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), which show that 70 children died under violent and tragic circumstances for the period October 2017 to October 2018. These include 50 males and 20 females, aged two to 17 years.

 

“The loss of these 70 children is a loss of 70 opportunities to build a better Jamaica; 70 less graduates from our prestigious universities and 70 hopes lost,” Mrs. Gage-Grey said.

 

On November 19 each year, the CPFSA joins countries around the world in observing World Day for the Prevention of Child Abuse by staging a candlelight vigil and concert.

 

This year’s event, under the theme ‘Every Child Deserves Protection’, included the ceremonial lighting of a candle and pinning the names of every child killed across the island over the 12 months on a large map of Jamaica mounted at the venue.

 

CAPTION: State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green (right) and children watch as Chief Executive Officer, Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA), Rosalee Gage-Grey (left), lights a candle in honour of children, who died under tragic circumstances over the last 12 months. Occasion was the CPFSA’s 12th annual Candlelight Vigil and Concert in Emancipation Park, St. Andrew on Monday (November 19).

JIS: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says that all basic schools must become certified with the Early Childhood Commission (EEC).

 

This, he noted, is in keeping with the Government’s commitment to improve the quality of early-childhood education “giving our babies every opportunity to be properly nurtured and to have highly trained teachers at their disposal”.

 

“We are not knocking the basic schools and the wonderful persons who have played their part in keeping them going for all these years. What we are saying, though, is that in order to get government assistance, they have to become fully certified and meet all the basic requirements,” he told JIS News in a recent interview.

 

He said that the work has already begun, noting that at the end of 2017, more than 100 institutions had met the 12 operational standards of the ECC. Only 34 of the island’s 2,700 basic schools were certified up to 2015.

 

The 12 Standards for the Operation, Management and Administration of Early Childhood Institutions relate to nutrition; staffing; development and educational programmes; interactions and relationships with children; physical environment; indoor and outdoor equipment; health; safety; child rights, child protection and equality; parent and stakeholder participation; administration and finance.

 

“We will continue the work to ensure that more of our basic schools achieve the set standards,” Senator Reid assured.

 

The Education Minister, in the meantime, argued that as more Jamaicans develop an appreciation for children having a solid early-childhood foundation “the better our society” will be.

 

“We have to continue working together to help our young children in developing good study habits, moral values, self-discipline, and the basic learning skills… literacy, numeracy, and thinking skills,” he pointed out.

 

He noted that the Ministry “has been outlining a K-13 strategy, which emphasises the importance of early stimulation in the life of children and continuing on through the various stages of the formal education system”.

 

The policy for the birth to 18-year-old population is as follows: age three months to three plus years – early-intervention/stimulation, pre-education and development; age three years and eight months to five years – early childhood; age six to 12 years – primary education; and age 13 to 18 – seven years of secondary schooling.

 

Meanwhile, Senator Reid told JIS News that 17 basic schools will be converted into 56 infant departments, with nine of them to be transformed during this school year at a cost of $389.3 million.

 

“The ECC is currently assessing another 1,500 basic schools with a view to converting at least 50 per cent to infant schools and departments for the next financial year,” he noted.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid