Minister of Education, Skills, Youth & Information, Senator Dr. the Honourable Dana Morris Dixon, participates in the handover of digital devices at St. Martin de Porres Primary and Infant School on Labour Day (May 23).

 

Minister of Education, Skills, Youth & Information, Senator Dr. the Honourable Dana Morris Dixon (right), participates in painting the playground at St. Martin de Porres Primary and Infant School in Gordon Town, St. Andrew, on Labour Day (May 23). She is joined (from left) Executive Director, National Education Trust, Latoya Harris-Ghartey; Speaker of the House of Representatives and Member of Parliament for St. Andrew East Rural, the Most Honourable Juliet Holness; and Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Education (CHASE) Fund Director, Merle Donaldson, and Volunteers, Kaelen Allen and Kai-Leigh Allen.

The streets of Morant Bay, St. Thomas came alive on Friday (May 16) as the National Child Month Committee (NCMC), in partnership various stakeholders, observed National Children’s Day.

The activities included offering words of affirmation, greeting school children and distributing tokens to celebrate and uplift Jamaica’s youngest citizens.

“This day is just as special as Mother’s Day or Father’s Day. It’s a day to honour and celebrate our children, to boost their self-worth and self-esteem, especially in today’s challenging climate. We want our children to know that they are our focus and that they are truly loved by us as adults,” Chair of the NCMC, Nicole Patrick Shaw said.

Volunteers wore bright sunshine yellow—the official colour symbolizing children, and distributed armbands bearing the inscription ‘National Children’s Day’ in yellow and blue, the colours of the NCMC.

Children’s day activities were also held in Kingston, St. Andrew, Westmoreland, St. Elizabeth, and St. Ann, where NCMC committee members and volunteers handed out motivational stickers, armbands, snacks, water, juice, and fresh bananas.

Established in 1953 by the wife of the Governor-General, the National Child Month Committee was originally tasked with developing a theme and activities for Child Month each May.

Over the years, its mission has expanded to include year-round child empowerment, recognizing that building self-esteem, promoting mental wellness, and encouraging civic mindedness, must be a continuous effort.

For Child Month 2025, the Committee has coordinated a calendar of activities, including an Adolescents and Mental Awareness Day, Care Package Day, National Day of Prayer, and Children’s Day celebrations.

Beyond the month of May, the NCMC also marks Youth Month in November with academic awards and forums, that amplify the voices of young people and celebrate their resilience, particularly those who have triumphed over adversity.

“All our work centres on the belief that children have rights and a voice. We want to raise children who are not only resilient, but also civic-minded and empathetic. That means focusing on self-worth, mental health, and a strong sense of purpose,” Mrs Patrick Shaw stated.

“Whatever resources we have, we pour them back into our children. They are our present, and our future,” she added.

Child Month involves partnership from the Ministry of Education, Skills and Youth, the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA), and several non-governmental organisations and community groups.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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