JIS: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, has hailed 2018 Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) Roll of Honour Awardee, Sadie Comrie, for her exemplary leadership and service to the sector.

 

He noted that she has set an excellent example for others to follow, from New Works All-Age School in Westmoreland, where she established a Reading Club, to Lacovia High School in St. Elizabeth, where she served as a Teacher/Librarian for 13 years.

 

“Sadie became President of the JTA in 2002, and then serving the JTA and the Ministry of Education as a liaison officer [from] 2008 to 2010; and in all these capacities you have shown exemplary leadership within our schools and the wider Jamaican society,” Senator Reid said.

 

He was addressing the award presentation ceremony held on February 12 at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.

 

The JTA Roll of Honour Award recognises outstanding contribution to education, consistent with the Association’s Code of Ethics.

 

The Honour Roll demands of the awardee the highest level of probity, integrity and professional conduct. It also seeks to emphasise excellence in performance.

 

Senator Reid noted that in honouring one of its long-serving members, the JTA is showing not just “an appreciation for the long and dedicated service of the awardee, but also of the values that that individual, Mrs. Comrie, embodies”.

 

A passion for excellence in education, an enduring commitment to the mission of the JTA, and selfless service to community and country are the hallmarks of the professional journey that took Mrs. Comrie from her initial teaching job at Belfont Basic School in St. James, more than 50 year ago, to the pinnacle of the education system in Jamaica.

 

‘Lady Sadie’, as she is fondly called by her colleagues because of her impeccable deportment and fashionable style of dressing, is widely respected throughout the profession.

 

She is the recipient of the JTA’s Golden Torch; and the R.C. Tavares, and W.B.C. Ben Hawthorne Awards; the Association’s 50th Anniversary Award; as well as the JTA Lasco Salute to Teachers’ Award for Excellence in Education.

 

For his part, JTA President, Dr. Garth Anderson congratulated Mrs. Comrie for her contribution to education in the classroom, as an administrator, and for her 50 years as a member of the profession.“Her impact and legacy as a stalwart to the sector will live on for generations to come,” he said.

 

In her response, Mrs. Comrie expressed appreciation for the award and gave an undertaking “to be a vessel of cooperation [and] to continue to be a vessel of kindness and love”.

 

CAPTION 1: Jamaica Teachers’ Association 2018 Roll of Honour Awardee, Sadie Comrie, addresses the presentation ceremony on February 12 at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.

CAPTION 2: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (right), shares a moment with (from left: President, Moravian Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, Rev. Phyllis Smith-Seymour; Retired Teacher, Arthur Comrie; and the Jamaica Teachers’ Association 2018 Roll of Honour Awardee, Sadie Comrie. They were at the presentation ceremony held on February 12 at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.

JIS: Provisions will be made for students with special needs during the sitting of the new Primary Exit Profile (PEP), beginning on February 26.

 

The students will be among the first cohort at the Grade-six level that will be sitting the Ability Test component in 1,104 centres across the island.

 

Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, said psycho-evaluation reports have been submitted for 304 students, who have been assessed by the Special Education Unit.

 

“The recommendations, which have been made, have been communicated to approximately 95 per cent of the students. The remaining reports are being prepared to be sent to the (education) regions for the schools. In the interim, telephone calls are being made to the schools to inform the principals ahead of time. The regions have also been informed of the recommendations pertaining to each student,” he said.

 

The Minister was speaking at a post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House on Wednesday (February 13).

 

PEP is the series of tests that have replaced the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) as the national secondary school entrance examination.

 

It is intended to provide a better and more complete profile of students’ academic and critical-thinking capabilities at the end of primary-level education

 

In addition to the Ability Test, the other components are Performance Task, which will be administered on March 27 and 28; and the Curriculum-based Test on April 16 and 17.

 

Mr. Reid said that for the Performance Task test, students with special needs will be provided with a writer, as this is the only component where they are required to write. The other tests require students to shade in a response.

 

He noted, however, that in cases where students are impacted by a physical disability, special accommodation will be made for a writer.

 

“Students will be granted an extra 30 minutes beyond the allotted two hours to complete their Performance Tasks and an extra 20 minutes for other exams, which will range from one hour and 15 minutes for Abilities Test to one hour and 30 minutes for the Curriculum-based Test,” he informed.

 

A total of 41,423 students have been registered to sit the examination this year.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, addresses a post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House on Wednesday (February 13).

JIS: State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon Floyd Green, has called for church groups to join the thrust to get more children into foster care.

 

“I encourage all of our churches right across Jamaica… to join with us and provide homes for our children,” he said, while addressing the National Foster Care Week Church Service at the Ocho Rios Baptist Church in St. Ann on Sunday, February 10.

 

“We want more people with Christian principles to get involved because it is one thing to have a home, but what type of home will you provide? We prefer homes that are built on strong values, homes that are built on Christian principles – things such as kindness, teaching them respect, teaching them to love their neighbours as much as themselves and to be honest,” he added.

 

Chief Executive Officer of the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA), Rosalee Gage-Grey, echoed the call for greater involvement of the church in providing safe homes for children in State care.

 

“The significance of the church cannot be ignored, as, possibly, more than any other institution, you appreciate the value of family as well as the concept of substitution,” she noted.

“Unfortunately, for whatever reason, if the original family fails, we have a duty as the agency responsible for the care and protection of children in Jamaica to step in, and dare I say you too [the church], as well-meaning citizens and Christ followers to protect the most vulnerable in our society,” Mrs. Gage-Grey said.

 

She noted that while Jamaica has come a far way in advancing its foster care programme, more public-private partnership is needed to provide nurturing homes for children in the care and protection of the State.

 

“For that vision to come true, we need you (the church). We also need your friends, neighbours, co-workers to join us in giving love, inspiring hope and fostering a child,” she added.

 

Mrs. Gage-Grey expressed gratitude to the over 800 foster parents in Jamaica, whom she describes as “capable heroes, who have opened their hearts and homes… and shown compassion to our children”.

 

National Foster Care Week is being observed from February 10 to February 15 under the theme ‘Give love, Inspire Hope, Foster a Child’.

 

For the past 13 years, the CPFSA has been observing the week to heighten public awareness about the foster care programme, in an effort to encourage more Jamaicans to take children in State care into their homes.

 

CAPTION: State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green (left), shares a moment with Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA), Rosalee Gage-Grey following the National Foster Care Week Church Service at the Ocho Rios Baptist Church in St. Ann on Sunday, February 10.

JIS: State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, says the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) will assist in fostering entrepreneurship among young persons.

 

He contended that “it will cultivate more independent thinkers”, citing this as a “critical need” in business.

 

The State Minister was speaking during the recent LearnFest symposium at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.

 

PEP replaces the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) as the national secondary school entrance examination.

 

It is intended to provide a better and more complete profile of students’ academic and critical-thinking capabilities at the end of primary-level education, through a Performance Task, Ability, and Curriculum-based tests.

 

Mr. Green pointed out that the Ability Test will tap into students’ problem-solving competencies.

 

“It is a change that puts the student at the centre of learning and understands we… [as] individuals, learn differently… . Creativity and practicality have to be central,” he further stated.

 

The Ability Test is scheduled for February 26, while the Performance Task Test will be done on March 27 and 28, with the Curriculum-based Test slated for April 16 and 17.

 

LearnFest Caribbean 2019 was held under the theme ‘Level up and Set Yourself Apart’.

 

It sought to provide project managers and other professionals with the knowledge and inspiration to take action to develop themselves and their organisations in new ways.

 

CAPTION: Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green (right), greets Founder of LearnFest Caribbean and Chief Executive Officer of Project Management Global Institute (PGMI), Sherrone Blake Lobban, during the recent LearnFest Caribbean 2019 symposium at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in Kingston. Mr. Green was the keynote speaker.

JIS: Government Senator, Kerensia Morrison, has called on all Jamaicans to create safe spaces for children, in light of the recent incidents that have resulted in the loss of children’s lives.

 

Closing the State of the Nation Debate in the Senate on Friday (February 8), Senator Morrison made specific reference to the loss of twin girls, Nahelia and Nahalia Pinnock, who perished in a fire in Grants Pen, St. Andrew, on January 31.

 

She expressed deep concern for children living in the island who are not being protected by their parents and guardians.

 

“It is heart-rending, and we use this platform to extend condolences to the grieving family and community, but so many of our children die or are seriously hurt within their homes, and this is a call for us to become more mindful about creating safe spaces, not necessarily in reference to that incident, but generally speaking. As a nation, we need to become more concerned about creating safe spaces and safe environments for our children,” Senator Morrison emphasised.

 

She said the Government is working hard to provide safe spaces and homes for Jamaicans, but that people too have a role to play in the upliftment of their surroundings and the preservation and protection of children’s lives.

 

“One of the best ways to change people’s lives is to change the condition in which they live. I believe that the housing situation where many of our children are living is inimical to their very growth and development. It is something that we must take into consideration when we consider our children, who are our future,” Senator Morrison said.

 

She emphasised that oftentimes parents do not intend to be negligent and leave their children at home alone, but they still have a duty to ensure their children are safe, and called on other persons to offer assistance with child protection to parents who are in need of help.

 

“It isn’t that many of these parents are bad. It isn’t that they are cruel why they leave the child alone in the home. They are often absent because they have to go out there and earn that bread to take back home; so we are looking at a bigger picture here – an issue where we have to talk about serious intervention, helping single parents and making a real difference in the lives of people,” she said.

 

CAPTION: Senators, Kerensia Morrison (left) and Aubyn Hill, speaking during the sitting of the Senate on Friday (February 8) in Gordon House.

JIS: The Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) is undertaking a number of activities in observance of National Foster Care Week under the theme ‘Give Love, Inspire Hope, Foster a Child’. Manager of Public Relations and Communications at the CPFSA, Rochelle Dixon, says the objective is to raise awareness about the foster care programme and to encourage more Jamaicans to take a child into their homes. She said that the week will also highlight “the important contribution that foster parents make to national development and to showcase the achievements of children in foster care”.

 

Activities kicked off on Sunday (February 10) with a national church service at the Ocho Rios Baptist Church in St. Ann, and a special benefit performance of the musical Annie at the Philip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts, University of the West Indies (UWI).

 

Other events throughout the week will include parenting workshops; community walkthroughs and interactive events at the CPFSA’s regional offices; and the launch of a foster care campaign, targeting 30 prospective foster parents from 20 major companies.

 

Promotional flyers will be placed in utility bills as part of an effort to encourage more Jamaicans to foster children in State care.

 

There are currently more than 800 parents and 900 families involved in the foster care programme.

 

For further information, persons may contact the CPFSA at 876-948-2841-2; visit the parish offices islandwide and the Corporate Office at 48 Duke Street; or visit the agency’s website at www.childprotection.gov.jm.

 

CAPTION: State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green (second right), and Chief Executive Officer of the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA), Rosalee Gage-Grey (left), look on as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dean-Roy Bernard (right), greets foster-parent Lorna Lawrence, and her four foster-sons. The occasion was the National Foster Care Week church service held at the Ocho Rios Baptist Church in St. Ann on February 10.

JIS: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says the Brain Builders Programme, which is designed to ensure that the nation’s children get the best start, has so far “yielded brilliant results.”

 

Making his contribution to the State of the Nation Debate in the Senate on February 1, Senator Reid disclosed that since the start of 2018, a total of 32 brain builder centres have been established.

 

The Brain Builders Programme aims to reduce cognitive learning challenges among infants in the country. It is a framework for action in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, which starts from conception in the womb to age two years.

 

Under this initiative, the Early Childhood Commission (ECC) will be responsible for establishing 126 Brain Builder centres across the island, with two in each constituency.

 

Senator Reid said the Ministry will provide trained early childhood teachers; upgrade facilities as needed; provide furniture and equipment, resource materials and any other support required. “Furthermore, children will attend these centres at no cost,” he added.

 

He further noted that the Ministry has also granted approval for those institutions that are part of the Brain Builders Programme to enrol children at age three months.

 

“We are asking that our Members of Parliament review and submit to us the schools they would like to see become Brain Builder Centres in their constituencies as soon as possible. We have therefore given permission for Infant schools to be able to enrol children as early as age three years, instead of waiting for them to be three years and eight months,” he said.

 

Senator Reid explained that the early childhood sector is being reformed into one that is focused on achieving optimal development for all children from birth to eight years.

 

“The Government recognises that socialisation starts at the home, and any form of intervention is best directed from the very start,” he said.

 

Senator Reid informed that that a record number of 140 early childhood institutions have been registered and certified, and the ECC has been carrying out inspections of these institutions.

 

The ECC has also engaged in numerous partnerships with stakeholders from the public and private sectors to meet other initiatives, such as ‘ECC Pon Di Cawna’, ‘Read Across the Region’, a ‘Curfew Initiative’ and the establishment of libraries in schools.

 

The State of the Nation Debate gives Senators the opportunity to address issues of national importance. It also gives Cabinet Ministers in the Senate an opportunity to address their portfolio responsibility, while highlighting government policies and programmes.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says the Brain Builders Programme, which is designed to ensure that the nation’s children get the best start, has so far “yielded brilliant results.”

 

 

JIS:  Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says that more than 150 specialist mathematics teachers will be deployed to the secondary education system following the completion of training and graduation in June.

 

They are the first cohort to benefit under the Government’s drive to increase the number of secondary level mathematics teachers trained locally.

 

More than 400 mathematics education scholarships were awarded to potential teachers between 2015 and 2018 at a cost of more than $600 million.

 

Senator Reid said that the Ministry will continue to sustain the programme.

 

He noted that the bonding period has been increased from three years to five years to ensure that those who benefit from the scholarships can give back to the country and assist in transforming the education sector.

 

“We will ensure in terms of policy that these areas that the country feel is of great interest and need for us, we will dedicate the resources and provide full scholarships (for training in) these areas in return for a guaranteed minimum of five years service back to the system,” he added.

 

The Minister was speaking at the launch of the Mico International Mathematics Summit at the institution’s premises on Marescaux Road in St. Andrew on January 30.

 

Turning to other matters, Senator Reid said that “significant resources, which can support lesson planning and delivery” have been developed and made available to teachers through the Ministry’s website and the newly launched Primary Exit Profile (PEP) website.

 

“The PEP website has (received) over 260,000 hits and growing,” he said.

 

PEP replaces the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) as the national secondary school placement test.

 

The main objective of PEP is to enhance the academic and critical thinking capabilities and creativity of students by the end of primary level education.

 

The Mico University College is collaborating with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information to host the inaugural International Mathematics Summit from March 25-27 under the theme: ‘Mathematics for Economic Growth and Job Creation’.

 

The summit, which will be integrated into the Ministry’s National Mathematics Week, will provide a forum for exploring, analysing and consolidating international best practices in the teaching of mathematics.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator Hon. Ruel Reid, addressing the launch of the Mico International Mathematics Summit at The Mico University College’s premises on Marescaux Road in St. Andrew on January 30.

JIS: The Government will be constructing 17 new schools at locations across the island to provide adequate and comfortable infrastructure for students and teachers.

 

Of the total, 10 will be primary institutions while the remaining seven will be secondary schools.

 

Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, who made the disclosure at a press conference at the Ministry in Kingston on Tuesday (February 5), said that the submissions for the undertaking have been made to the Public Investment Management Secretariat (PIMSEC).

 

“We have submitted our 17 schools to PIMSEC, which is now a requirement for all government capital expenditure… and as funds are available, the projects will be approved,” he said.

 

The Minister, who was giving an update on school infrastructure projects, said that new institutions are needed in Montego Bay, St. James and other areas “right across the country”.

 

“In Manchester Northeastern, at both Mile Gully and Christiana High (there are) deficits; also at Holmwood. In all those areas, we need more schools. We have primary schools such as May Pen Primary (in Clarendon), which is the largest primary school in the Caribbean, and it is on shift. There are lands in the Clarendon area,” he said.

 

Senator Reid noted that the additional schools will “provide adequate infrastructure to make our children comfortable in the teaching and learning environment”.

 

“We have to make sure there are enough publicly funded institutions, so that no child will be left behind. All our children will have a seamless opportunity to pursue their education unhindered with full State support up to age 18, leaving with an associate degree,” he said.

 

Meanwhile, Senator Reid informed that close to $2 billion has been spent on school infrastructure and maintenance since 2016.

 

He said that over the past two and a half years, the Government has undertaken a massive infrastructure renovation and development programme, which has significantly improved the learning environment for students.

 

Additionally, he said that since 2018, a total of $888 million has been allocated to 381 schools to undertake critical repairs, with the bulk of the figure going to primary institutions.

 

These include roof work, renovating bathrooms, tiling of classrooms, repair of fencing, windows and doors, installation of whiteboards, among other things.

 

Senator Reid said that $738.6 million has been disbursed to carry out repairs by way of service-level agreements. “We cost the project, we send the money into the bank accounts (of the schools) and we have an agreement in terms of how those funds are to be expended,” he noted.

 

Furthermore, Senator Reid said that approximately $97 million has been spent for the completion of 35 new flush toilet systems, with procurement and additional works in progress for 16 others.

 

Just over $121 million has been allocated under the ‘Capital A’ budget to remove pit latrines in 51 schools.

 

Senator Reid said the National Education Trust (NET) has been one of the lead agencies in terms of school infrastructure upgrade.

 

The NET has been prioritising early-childhood care and development, safety and security, increasing uniformed groups as well as the provision of clean water to schools.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, provides an update on school infrastructure projects during a press conference at the Ministry’s Heroes Circle offices in Kingston on February 5.

JIS: The Government has spent approximately $533 million to build 69 classrooms and accompanying amenities in primary and secondary schools since 2016, to take students off the double shift system and ease overcrowding.

 

Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, made the disclosure during a press conference at the Ministry in Kingston on February 5.

 

He said in September 2017, Green Park Primary and Junior High; Kitson Town All-Age; Mandeville Primary and Junior High; Villa Road Primary and Junior High; Maggotty High; John Mills Primary, Junior High and Infant, as well as Pembroke Hall Primary, were taken off the shift system.

 

Additionally, he said Mineral Heights Primary and Port Henderson Primary Schools came off the system in 2018, while Exchange All-Age, Cedric Titus High, Papine High and Muschette High are slated to do so soon. Only 38 institutions remain on the system.

 

Meanwhile, Senator Reid said the Ministry has embarked on expansion and upgrading projects to convert some institutions to full high schools.

 

“Within that list, works have commenced at Nain, New Forest and Aberdeen, and funds have been mobilised for completion,” he disclosed.

 

The Minister also advised that similar work has been concluded at Stony Hill High School.

 

Meanwhile, Senator Reid said a technical planning team has completed preliminary activities at Discovery Bay All-Age, which is also being converted to a high school.

 

“Once finalised, a design will be completed and contracting will be done thereafter. The desired timeline for this upgrade is to have the first phase completed for the start of the new [2019/20] school year,” he said.

 

Senator Reid said $12.3 million was also spent to significantly improve the sewerage system at Glen Stuart Primary School.

 

He also disclosed that 33 ramps have been built in schools to improve access for physically challenged students.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, addressing a press conference at the Ministry’s National Heroes Circle offices in Kingston on February 5.