JIS: Over 30 young persons from communities across the Corporate Area have been certified after completing six months of training under the ‘Strengthening the Culture of Integrity Jamaica Project: Skills Building for Integrity Programme’.

 

The engagement, which was initiated and implemented by the Women’s Resource and Outreach Centre (WROC) Limited, targeted persons, aged 17 to 45, who were taught English Language, Mathematics, and social and personal development life skills, and offered psychosocial support.

 

The initiative, which qualifies the participants to enrol in HEART Trust/NTA programmes, also exposed them to training in information technology; integrity; human rights; gender, parenting and family planning; and covered several topics including sexual and reproductive rights, and how corruption influences lives.

 

Additionally, they were taught résumé writing, interviewing skills, dressing for the work environment, professional etiquette, and entrepreneurship.

 

The participants received their certificates during a graduation ceremony at Alhambra Inn in St. Andrew on Wednesday (August 22).

 

Youngsters involved in the WROC’s summer school programme were also presented with certificates of participation.

 

Speaking at the ceremony, WROC’s Executive Director, Nikeisha Sewell Lewis, said the training will enhance the lives of the participants by equipping them with critical knowledge and skills.

 

Ms. Sewell Lewis, in congratulating the beneficiaries, assured them that “at WROC, you have found a family who is going to be there to continue to support you, and we look forward to going to more graduations (with you).”

 

“We know at WROC that if you want to see a new Jamaica… if you want to see a Jamaica where corruption is spurned and integrity is number one, then you have to work with young people and we know that the youth, particularly in our communities, are very vulnerable. So we took on this project not to empower the youth, but to allow them to empower themselves,” she said.

 

Psychologist Deandra Brown, who was guest speaker, encouraged the graduates to always endeavour to strive for the best and implored “don’t give up on your goals and dreams…be the best (that) you can.”

 

National Integrity Action (NIA) representative, Hezekiah Hall, said the training will expose the participants to valuable life skills which will enhance holistic development.

 

Skills Building Coordinator, Ivan Coore, informed that of the 47 programme participants, 32 completed the six-month training component, while 23 gained passes in Mathematics and English.

 

In expressing gratitude for the initiative, beneficiary, Stephen McDonald, lauded the organisers for conceptualising the programme, noting that it provides a platform for youth development.

 

The programme was sponsored by the NIA and United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

 

CAPTION: Skills Building Coordinator, Women’s Resource and Outreach Centre (WROC) Limited, Ivan Coore (left), congratulates Mansfield Greensword (right), who successfully completed the WROC’s six-month ‘Strengthening the Culture of Integrity Jamaica Project: Skills Building for Integrity Programme’, during a graduation ceremony at Alhambra Inn in St. Andrew on Wednesday (August 22). Other participants (from 2nd left) are: Paulette Lyons Shaw and Stephen McDonald.

JIS: The first cohort of participants in the Youth Enrichment Programme (YEP) in St. James recently graduated after completing five weeks of comprehensive training and development in various skill sets.

 

The 540 youth, aged 17 to 35, were trained in food preparation, barbering, business process outsourcing, nail technology, and as waiters and waitresses. They are now ready to take their place among Jamaica’s employed labour force.

 

The initiative, which was implemented in July, is the brainchild of Custos Rotulorum for St. James, Bishop the Hon. Conrad Pitkin, and a Board comprising well-thinking residents and stakeholders of the parish, who share a common interest – advancing the welfare of Jamaica’s youth.

 

Their endeavours have been significantly underpinned by strategic collaborative support from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, in the overall quest to ensure that the programme will, as its motto affirms: ‘Leave None Behind’.

 

This underlying support has manifested through, among other things, partnerships forged with several secondary and tertiary institutions in western Jamaica to facilitate training of the initial student cohort.

 

The participating institutions were: Anchovy High School, Cambridge High School, Green Pond High School, Hopewell High School, Irwin High School, St. James High School, and the Western Hospitality Institute.

 

The Custos notes that the Principals of these institutions were among the many stakeholders embracing YEP.

 

Bishop Pitkin, who provided a programme overview during the inaugural graduation ceremony at Faith Temple Assemblies of God Church in Montego Bay on August 15, noted that while the initial goal was to enrol 1,400 participants, the 540 students accommodated was a “great achievement”.

 

“[The fact that] we could have kept 500 young people off the streets of St. James for five weeks… that’s success,” he contended.

 

Similar sentiments were echoed by the graduates who expressed their appreciation and gratitude for the initiative.

 

Among them was Kaylia Hemmings, who enrolled in the food preparation course.

She noted that she learned much over the five weeks, including fundamentals of kitchen hygiene and etiquette, while declaring that “I enjoyed the experience”.

 

Bishop Pitkin tells JIS News, that while the programme does not currently have a job placement component, he is looking to change that soon.

 

“We are hoping that those [students who are] 18 years and older, we can assist them in finding a job. We are looking at directing them into areas of their choice where they can be gainfully employed… thereby empowering themselves… [and] can go back to school later on and further their education,” he states.

 

Meanwhile, work is underway to diversify the initiative’s offerings to target younger children, through a values and attitudes programme which Bishop Pitkin says is on the horizon.

 

“The planning committee [of YEP] met to look at how we can implement a programme in the infant and primary schools. If we are going to develop our education system in Jamaica in a way that we leave none behind, as is our slogan, we have to start at that level… the foundation,” he emphasises.

 

Bishop Pitkin also advises that YEP’s delivery over the initial five weeks will be evaluated and research undertaken to determine how best it can be expanded.

 

He hints that, to this end, there is the possibility that additional courses such as commercial food preparation and cosmetology could be introduced.

 

The next set of YEP courses will begin at the end of September.

 

CAPTION: Graduates of the Youth Enrichment Programme (YEP) listen keenly as Custos Rotulorum for St. James, Bishop the Hon Conrad Pitkin, provides a project overview during the inaugural graduation ceremony at Faith Temple Assemblies of God Church, Princess Street, Montego Bay on August 15. The five-week training programme, which was undertaken in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, certified the 540 participants, aged 17 to 35, in several skills sets including barbering, business process outsourcing, food preparation, and nail technology.

JIS: Schools located in the Denham Town Zone of Special Operations (ZOSO) will benefit from the implementation of a School-Wide Positive Behaviour Intervention and Support (SWPBIS) framework, when the 2018/19 academic year starts in September.

 

The SWPBIS, spearheaded by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, is a proactive, team-based initiative tailored to create and sustain safe and effective schools, by fostering a disciplined and structured environment to deal with challenges such as student violence.

 

It will, among other things, target issues such truancy, and behaviour modification among youth and adolescents.

 

The framework will place emphasis on preventing/solving behavioural challenges through a data-driven approach; and developing pro-social skills.

 

The beneficiary schools for the upcoming academic year include: St. Anne’s CAP; St. Albans and Denham Town Primary Schools; Denham Town High School; St. Anne’s Primary School; and Chetolah Park Primary, where the initiative is already underway.

 

The Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) and Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) are partnering with the Ministry on the initiative. 

 

Senior Education Officer in the Ministry’s Guidance Counselling Unit, Allison Cooke-Hawthorne, tells JIS News that the SWPBIS’ implementation will be underpinned by the formation of support teams in each institution where the programme is being undertaken.

 

She explains that teams comprise administrators and support personnel such as deans of discipline, guidance counsellors and parents.

 

Mrs. Cooke-Hawthorne says they are tasked to review the data for their institutions to determine the imperatives to be imparted to the students.

 

“They will develop three to five core values… and most of these (focus on) respect, excellence, values that you want to see and what you think the school represents,” she adds.

 

The Senior Education Officer points out that the SWPBIS utilises a tiered approach in addressing challenges with student behaviour.

 

She explains that once stakeholder consensus is reached on what the core values are, all parties should, thereafter, be in discussions for further enlightenment on these targets.

 

Mrs. Cooke-Hawthorne points out that if someone does not respond to what is outlined in the core values, the engagement will segue into tier two intervention.

 

“[Here] we will probably have to pull them aside and teach them [what the desired behaviour looks like]. You try [in this case] to check on the barriers [to determine] why they are not practicing the positive behaviour,” she outlines.

 

The Senior Education Officers further states that tier three level is resorted to if no positive response is forthcoming after the initial two interventions.

 

[Here,] perhaps, we [have to] go deep down into some more assessments… finding out what is happening at home. So we might have to get the social services involved,” she adds.

 

The success of the SWPBIS’ implementation is dependent on staff and stakeholder “buy-in” and an assumed paradigm shift for educators.

 

Mrs Cooke-Hawthorne notes that the SWPBIS is a key strategy for abolishing corporal punishment in schools.

 

She points out that whereas traditional methods of discipline focus on the student’s problem behaviour and applies punishment with a goal of stemming the issue, positive behaviour intervention support applied under SWPBIS, replaces undesired conduct with new behaviours or skills.

 

Further, SWPBIS alters environments, teaches appropriate skills and rewards appropriate behaviour.

 

Meanwhile, Mrs Cooke-Hawthorne says the framework being implemented will not be duplicated in every institution, but rather individually tailored to “what exists at your school and creating [a] safe environment.”

 

“So for [example] if you have a playground area where you know it’s dangerous, but children love to climb on top of something and jump, you now have to look at that area and say what is the message we want to send to these children, instead of saying [to them] ‘don’t go over there’… because once you say that [they want to know] ‘why can’t I go over there?’,” she adds.

 

The Senior Education Officer emphasizes that the SWPBIS is about giving positive re-enforcement and rewarding students when they display the positive skills they have been taught.

 

Meanwhile, teachers and parents and other relevant stakeholders at the participating schools will receive training under the SWPBIS framework.

 

“We are quite ready for September. We have a plan we are now engaging our principals to get dates for the training. We have our training package… [so] we are ready,” Mrs. Cooke-Hawthorne assures.

 

Ultimately it is anticipated that the SWPBIS programme will create a culture in each school that fosters morally upright behaviour and academic excellence for all students, while engendering a harmonious environment of respect among all members of the school community, including students and teachers.

 

CAPTION: Senior Education Officer, Guidance Counselling Unit, Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Allison Cooke-Hawthorne.

JIS: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says a grooming policy for schools will come into effect when the 2018/19 academic year begins in September.

 

He says the Ministry has signed off on the policy that will provide guidelines to assist administrators and parents in determining the acceptability, appropriateness and suitability of students’ general appearance for school, particularly in relation to how hair is worn.

 

“The law allows the school to set rules, and then you are required to abide by them. Part of the guideline is to say to schools, they must review their rules so that they conform to the laws of the constitution and they must engage their stakeholders so that they can all agree about what rules are reasonable,” Senator Reid said.

 

He was speaking at a Ministry sensitization session at the Montego Bay High School auditorium in St. James on Thursday (August 23).

 

Senator Reid encouraged parents and other stakeholders to view the full policy on the Ministry’s website at www.moe.gov.jm.

 

Additionally, he anticipates that schools administrators will collaborate with Parent-Teachers Associations (PTA) to ensure consensus among all parties on policies being embarked on.

 

The sensitization session was also used to discuss the Primary Exit Profile (PEP), the provision of metal detectors in school, the expanded pilot rural school bus programme, the proposed nutrition policy, and commencement of the seven-year secondary programme, which is slated to begin in the upcoming academic year.

 

CAPTION: Education, Youth, and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, addressing stakeholders during the Ministry’s sensitization session at the Montego Bay High School Auditorium in St. James on Thursday (August 23).

JIS: Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, says the Government is investing more resources in education for the 2018/19 academic year in a bid to further improve students’ academic and developmental outcomes.

 

Mr. Green said the Government is pleased with the notable improvements in students’ performance in this year’s Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) external examinations and Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT), and anticipates that with increased funding and other resources, the 2018/19 outcomes will surpass those.

 

“Education moves generations and people forward. So we as (the) Government have to ensure that we’re doing all we can to create that excellence in education. That is why in the last two years, we have been putting significant resources into our education system,” the State Minister said.

 

He was speaking at Victoria Mutual Building Society’s (VMBS) 2018 scholarship awards presentation ceremony at The Knutsford Court Hotel, New Kingston, on Thursday (August 23).

 

Mr. Green said the Government has been meticulous and strategic in allocating significant resources at every level of the education system.

 

 “For example, in our primary schools, we used to give $850 per child for school operation… we have moved that to $2,500 per child for every school. At the secondary level, we used to give $11,500 per child… we have moved that to $19,500,” he informed.

 

Additionally, the State Minister said funding for school-feeding programmes has also been increased so that needy students can be offered at least one meal daily.

 

“When we look at our school-feeding programme, we were only feeding children three times for the week. We put $2 billion into that system so that we could feed our children at least five times – every day of the week,” Mr. Green said.

 

He maintained that the Administration remains committed to “putting much more resources into education to try and (engender academic) excellence (in our students).”

 

Meanwhile, Mr. Green commended VMBS for, this year, awarding scholarships valued at $1.82 million to needy students and those saving with the institution.

 

Teacher from Little London, Westmoreland, Treshana Weise, was awarded the VM Foundation’s 2018 Master Plan Scholarship valued at $160,000, to pursue tertiary-level studies.

 

Tertiary students, Jevaughan Carty, Tashae Bowes, Ricardo Dyke and Nicholas Nelson were awarded Future Plan Scholarships valued at $130,000 each.

 

The top-performing Grade Six Achievement Test student for each of the counties, who are also VMBS Junior Plan savers, received the 2018 Junior Plan County Scholarships.

 

They are: Afiya Morris from Cornwall; Rishona Williamson – Middlesex; and Karla Daley – Surrey. Their scholarships are valued at $40,000 each.

 

Fifty-one other top-performing students from all parishes islandwide, who also save with VMBS, were awarded scholarships valued at $20,000 each.

 

CAPTION: Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green (right), presents an award to Victoria Mutual Building Society (VMBS) tertiary level scholar, Tashae Bowes, during the institution’s scholarship awards presentation ceremony at The Knutsford Court Hotel, New Kingston, on Thursday (August 23).

JIS: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says the Ministry will be conducting a survey to ascertain schools’ readiness for the Primary Exit Profile’s (PEP) implementation in the 2018/19 academic year, which begins in September.

 

He says while he is confident that it is “all systems go” for some Regions, schools and teachers that are not ready to implement the new curriculum need to be identified so that the necessary resources and support can be deployed to get them prepared.

 

PEP will replace the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) as the secondary school placement examination.

 

The Minister was delivering the keynote address at the Jamaica Association of Education Officers’ Presidential Inauguration and Awards Ceremony at Royalton White Sands Resort in Trelawny on Thursday (August 23).

 

Senator Reid reassured Principals and teachers voicing concerns regarding details about PEP that the Ministry will provide the necessary support to assist them to better understand the examination.

 

Meanwhile, the Minister praised education officers for their sterling contribution to the sector.

 

In highlighting retired education officers who were recognised by the association for outstanding service, he said they have played a critical role in the sector’s transformation and expressed gratitude to them on behalf of the Government.

 

“I want to… thank you for your yeoman service. The business of education is a labour of love. We don’t do it for the ‘likes’… we do it for the love,” the Minister stated.

 

Senator Reid said he believed that the Education Ministry is, arguably, among the top-performing Portfolios of Government, by virtue of its performance, which he attributed to the education officers’ extraordinary support.

 

Eleven retired education officers received awards for their exceptional contribution to various areas of the education system, including curriculum development.

 

CAPTION: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (left), presents an award to retired member of the Jamaica Association of Education Officers, Molly Russell, for her contribution to the education sector. The presentation was made during the Association’s Presidential Inauguration and Awards Ceremony at Royalton White Sands Resort in Trelawny on Thursday (August 23).

JIS: Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, says the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) will help the nation’s youth to be more prepared for new jobs being created globally.

 

Speaking at Victoria Mutual Building Society’s (VMBS) 2018 scholarship awards presentation ceremony at The Knutsford Court Hotel, in St. Andrew, on August 23, Mr. Green not only reiterated his call for parents, teachers, school administrators and stakeholders at the primary level to embrace PEP, but to understand the difference it will make in the lives of the future generation, especially as it relates to employment.

 

“The reality is that entry [level] jobs are being taken away from the system, so unless you have higher skills, you just won’t survive. It is very important to make that point, because for too long we’ve talked about reform, and we have not reformed,” he said.

 

Mr. Green said the Ministry also believes the time is right for reforming early childhood institutions into Brain Building Centres, as this will complement the PEP system.

 

“Education has to start from the earliest point [zero to three years]. We have spent a lot of time focusing on our early childhood institutions, trying to ensure that all our early childhood institutions are certified, because if they [infants and babies] go to the basic school [and] the infant schools and they come out and they’re not ready to learn, then we’ll have a problem,” he said.

 

Mr. Green said the Government is as equally focused on the Brain Building Centres as PEP, because 80 per cent of development in the brain happens in early stages between zero to three years.

 

“It’s not just a place that you will carry your child and leave. It is somewhere that your child will be stimulated, because the Government is going to provide an early childhood practitioner to work with the children,” the State Minister explained.

 

“We’re looking to set up 126 this year right across Jamaica, free of cost for our parents who need to have somewhere to bring their children, so that they can get [not only] the safety, but also the stimulation in those early years,” he added.  

 

Mr. Green congratulated the 59 students who were awarded by VMBS.

 

Teacher from Little London in Westmoreland, Treshana Weise, was announced the recipient of the highest cash scholarship the Building Society offered this year – the VM Foundation 2018 Master Plan Scholarship – which is worth $160,000 for tertiary level studies.

 

Tertiary level students, Jevaughan Carty, Tashae Bowes, Ricardo Dyke and Nicholas Nelson were each awarded with VM Foundation 2018 Future Plan Scholarships, valued at $130,000 each.

 

The three top-performing GSAT students per county, who are also Junior Plan savers with VMBS, were awarded with VM Foundation 2018 Junior Plan County Scholarships. They are: Afiya Morris from Cornwall, Rishona Williamson from Middlesex and Karla Daley from Surrey. They were each awarded with scholarships valued at $40,000.

 

Fifty-one other top-performing students from all parishes across the island, who also save with VMBS, were awarded with scholarships valued at $20,000 each.

 

CAPTION: Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green (right), greets Victoria Mutual Building Society’s 2018 Grade Six Achievement Scholar, David Hamilton (second right), along with other scholars at the Scholarship Awards Presentation Ceremony, held at The Knutsford Court Hotel in St. Andrew, on Thursday (August 23).

JIS: The total number of certified early childhood institutions islandwide will shortly increase to 113, up from 17 a year ago.

 

This, according to Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, reinforces the Government’s solid commitment to the early childhood sector’s development.

 

He was speaking at the Jamaica Teachers’ Association’s (JTA) 54th Annual Conference at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Spa in Montego Bay, St. James, on Wednesday (August 22).

 

Senator Reid said the Early Childhood Commission (ECC) has been crafting a strategy for the sector’s full transformation, which is slated to be rolled out when the 2018/19 academic year begins in September.

 

He said the Ministry has been working to streamline and align the education system, noting that “our focus is to support the birth to three years old group through the early stimulation programme, (thereby) allowing our babies to be developmentally ready (by age) three.”

 

Emphasising that the first 1,000 days are the most critical of a child’s development, Senator Reid said his Ministry will be partnering with the Ministries of Health, and Labour and Social Security, to undertake supporting engagements to be implemented by the ECC.

 

These, he indicated, include developmental assessments to understand competencies in order to create the learning environment that fosters early stage learners’ development, while assuring that “we are fully committed to improving the quality of our early childhood institutions as we firmly believe in providing a good start at this level.”

 

Meanwhile, Senator Reid advised that the 2018/19 Age Four Assessment will, for the second time, “allow us to identify, from very early, any development deficiencies to be corrected in our children.”

 

He said the Ministry also continues to make significant strides in advancing its K-13 Strategy.

 

Notable among its initiatives, the Minister pointed out, is the recently launched 0-3 Brain Builders Programme, which will benefit over 126 institutions. The programme is expected to be rolled out in the first 17 schools in September.

 

In the meantime, Senator Reid said primary level student preparations for transition to secondary education continues to trend in the right direction.

 

He noted that the outcome of the Grade Six Achievement Test’s (GSAT) final sitting earlier this year showed improvements in four of the five subject areas – Science, Social Studies, Communication Task and Language Arts.

 

This, he added, resulted in “100 per cent of our students (being) placed in seven-year high schools.”

 

“The Ministry was able to achieve this as a result of the provision of additional classrooms to a number of our schools and the upgrade to full seven-year high schools of Nain, New Forrest, Aberdeen and Perth Town Academy,” Senator Reid further pointed out.

 

He also said candidates who entered for 35 subjects in the 2017/18 Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) came out with satisfactory results.

 

“There was an overall increase by 0.2 percentage point over the previous year with a 91.2 per cent receiving acceptable grades. As was the case last year, there was improved performance in 23 subject areas,” the Minister stated.

 

Additionally, he said 30,343 or 88.9 per cent of the 34,139 students who sat the 2017/18 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination obtained acceptable grades.

 

Senator Reid noted that Mathematics and English Language recorded passes of 57.8 and 75.4 per cent, respectively.

 

This, he pointed out, is a 7.6 and 4.6 per cent increase, respectively.

 

CAPTION: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, delivering the keynote address at the Jamaica Teachers’ Association’s 54th Annual Conference at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Spa in Montego Bay, St. James, on Wednesday (August 22).

JIS: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) will help to create a more inclusive education system.

 

The PEP, which is scheduled to begin in the September 2018/19 academic year, will replace the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) as the national secondary school entrance test. 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.

 

Addressing the 2018 Sagicor Foundation Scholarship awardees on Thursday (August 23) at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel, in New Kingston, the Minister explained that PEP “is a new methodology and a better methodology, because what we are trying to do is reach everybody.”

 

“We want to break down barriers, so we have to cater to the different learning styles. The education system has to be flexible and agile. Some persons learn in abstract ways, some persons are visual, auditory and kinaesthetic, so it is an inclusive system. I don’t want anyone left behind, so we have to create an education system that takes everybody on board,” he emphasised.

 

The Minister noted that the new system is a better way for children to learn and apply concepts.

 

“When you begin to understand the concepts, you become far more creative and you will become the next engineer, the next architect, because you are creating, designing and applying the knowledge and the concepts you have learned to solve problems,” he argued.

 

This year, the Sagicor Foundation awarded 75 secondary and tertiary students with scholarships. The scholarships will cover the cost of tuition books and other related school supplies.

 

Meanwhile, Sagicor Foundation Chairman, Dr. the Hon. R. Danny Williams, commended the awardees for the attitude and values they displayed throughout the scholarship process.

 

“Being granted a scholarship is not something to take lightly… you are among the best and it is an achievement of which you should be very proud. Being a member of the selection committee, we were all impressed by the fact that you all exuded a sense of national pride and are eager to give back to your country and are looking forward to when you will be leaders of the country,” he said.

 

The number of scholarships awarded to students who completed the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) this year and have successfully matriculated to secondary school has increased from 37 last year to 50 this year.

 

In the GSAT category, 27 children of JDF employees were awarded with academic grants valued at $40,000 for this school year, while the other 23 GSAT awardees received full scholarships valued at $50,000 each annually for their five years at secondary school. The full scholarships are renewed per annum on the condition that the awardees maintain an average of 80 per cent and above.

 

For the tertiary scholarships, 25 students were selected based on academic performance, community involvement and voluntarism, strong leadership potential and financial need.

 

Each awardee received a renewable scholarship valued at up to $250,000 towards tuition fees for a maximum of four years.

 

The tertiary scholars will be pursuing their first degrees in various fields of study at The University of the West Indies (UWI), University of Technology (UTech), The Mico University College,

 

Northern Caribbean University (NCU), Caribbean Maritime University and the Edna Manly College of the Visual and Performing Arts.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, speaks at the 2018 Sagicor Foundation Scholarship Awards ceremony, held on Thursday, August 23 at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston

JIS: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, is hailing the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts as an important contributor to the development of Caribbean culture, and Jamaica as a brand.

 

Addressing a staff development conference at the school’s Arthur Wint Drive headquarters in Kingston on August 23, Senator Reid said the College must nourish and nurture Jamaica’s unique international brand for generations to come.

 

The Minister emphasised that all stakeholders must work together to ensure that the College achieve its individual and collective pursuits in a spirit of camaraderie.

 

“The College is certainly a great Caribbean centre of learning and development and it is important that we preserve (this) legacy while we embrace the challenges and opportunities of the future,” Senator Reid said.

 

“We must never forget that this noble institution is the leading regional voice as it relates to training in the arts, and it is no ordinary college,” he added.

 

Meanwhile, Vice Principal of Academic Affairs at the College, Carol Hamilton, told JIS News that the conference, which includes all categories of staff, is being held to “bring everyone back together to refocus and to look again at the College’s mission and objectives.”

 

“We have these conferences twice for the academic year at the start of each semester. It is essentially just to be ready to meet the students next week. We do workshops, we reflect on our past achievements, what worked and what didn’t,” the Vice Principal said.

 

CAPTION: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (right), in discussion with Principal of the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, Nicholeen DeGrasse-Johnson (second left), at a staff development conference at the institution’s Arthur Wint Drive headquarters in St. Andrew on August 23. Others (from left) are: Vice Principal of Academic Affairs, Carol Hamilton, and College Orator, Dr. Amina Blackwood Meeks.