JIS: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, has lauded the nation’s teachers for their outstanding contributions and continuous commitment to the profession.

 

He also praised them for their active roles in the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA), which this year presented awards to 16 educators in recognition of their excellent and steadfast service to Jamaica, above and beyond the call of duty.

 

The presentations were made during the JTA’s 54th annual conference awards ceremony at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Spa in Montego Bay, St. James, on Tuesday (August 21), at which the Minister was the keynote speaker.

 

“On behalf of the Government of Jamaica and team at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, I want to extend congratulations to (the) recipients (of) special awards, and in particular (for) your service to the Jamaica Teachers’ Association, an organisation I have been privileged to lead as President,” he stated.

 

Senator Reid, who encouraged the educators to continue their good work, said Jamaica is a better place as a result of the teachers’ dedication, professionalism, and commitment, which have left indelible marks on the lives of hundreds of persons.

 

“You have set a fine example for others to emulate. You have followed your passion and your calling and remained in a profession where, sometimes, the rewards rarely come in the form of material things. In your work with the JTA, you have committed to a role in advocacy not only for your colleagues, but for improvements in the education system,” the Minister shared.

 

Meanwhile, Senator Reid advised that as the mission to phase out the shift system continues, the Ministry has been able “to place every child into a full high school this year”, describing this as an “outstanding achievement”.

 

The three-day JTA conference, which concludes on Wednesday (August 22), is being held under the theme: ‘Promoting the Teaching Profession: A Beacon of Hope and Inspiration to Our Nation’.

 

CAPTION: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, addressing awardees and guests attending the Jamaica Teachers’ Association’s ( JTA) 54th annual conference awards ceremony at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Spa in Montego Bay, St. James, on Tuesday (August 21).

JIS: Chief Executive Officer of the Jamaica Teaching Council (JTC), Dr. Winsome Gordon, says the Government’s move to implement a regime for the licensing and registration of teachers is aimed at ensuring greater levels of accountability and professionalism in teaching.

 

“There is a global move towards professionalising teaching,” she says in a JIS News interview.

 

“[This is] so that it is recognised as a professional body, with teachers registered according to certain criteria, licensed to practise, and the profession assesses itself for its own quality, its own contribution, its own relevance. So it’s an agreement that the teaching profession should be licensed and to be held accountable,” she notes.

 

The licensing regime is expected to take effect with the passage of the pending JTC Bill.

 

The legislation will also facilitate the establishment of a governing body for the teaching profession.

 

Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, tells JIS News that “we are at the very last round of the review (of the Bill) before we send it back to Cabinet legislative committee”.

 

“I am hoping that before the end of this calendar year, we should be able to table it in Parliament,” he says.

 

Dr. Gordon says that the regime to be put in place will help address many of the challenges facing the sector, such as persons teaching subjects and grade cohorts for which they were not trained or certified.

 

She informs that registration will be free of cost while there will be a fee for getting the licence.

 

“Registration is registration for life. Licensing will be….for a period of about five years, and then the teacher will be required to renew the licence,” she notes.

 

She outlines that for renewal of licence, the teacher will have to demonstrate competence to teach, including ability to teach diverse groups, the ability to use modern technology effectively to bring about learning, and “that he or she reflects on teaching, does a bit of research and so on.”

 

She informs that teachers already in the sector will also have to be licensed.

 

“They will all need to be licensed and to operate within the licence. What we will expect is that those who have been in the system for years would have practised good teaching and so would not consider licensing a great challenge,” she points out.

 

A proposed teacher appraisal system is another component that will affect licence renewal.

 

Senator Reid tells JIS News that the Ministry is in consultation with the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) on the appraisal scheme.

 

“I have not signed off with that yet because it’s going to be a collaborative exercise between the JTA and our Ministry. So we are still at the review period. It is being (tested) but has not been made official yet,” he indicates.

 

The Education Minister is assuring teachers that the pending licensing and registration regime for the profession will serve to enhance their capacities and should not be feared.

 

“It will mean, therefore, in the licensing regime, that people are trained, certified and serving appropriately, based on their qualifications. So, you don’t have people who are early-childhood specialists teaching grade nine and subjects that they are not actually qualified to do,” he points out.

 

“I think it will further position the education system on a path for sustainable growth and development,” he adds.

 

Dr. Gordon agrees that licensing will serve to strengthen the teaching profession and ensure that persons pay greater attention to their practice.

 

“There are teachers, who are not worried about it because they have mastered the craft of teaching. They are not worried about it because they know that their practice is consistent with the expectation of the profession,” she points out.

 

Dr. Gordon says she hopes that with licensing the profession will return to the days when teachers were seen as icons in the society.

 

“Now we are losing that perception and we would like it to be reinstituted and for teachers to be held on that pedestal that they were. They are pivotal to the society,” Dr. Gordon states.

 

“They are pivotal to socio-economic advancement…and we want the teaching profession to be held in high esteem by the society,” Dr. Gordon adds.

 

For more information on the proposed licensing regime, persons may call the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information at 876-922-1400.

 

The JTC was established in 2008 as a part of the education transformation strategy to improve the quality and coverage of education. The council advocates for the teaching profession, and its ultimate goal is for the teaching to become the profession of choice.

 

CAPTION: Chief Executive Officer of the Jamaica Teaching Council (JTC), Dr. Winsome Gordon

JIS: Come the start of the 2018/19 academic year in September, about 100 current and prospective teachers of Spanish at the primary, secondary, vocational and tertiary levels will enter the classroom better equipped to impart the subject.

 

These individuals, including lecturers at teachers’ colleges and final-year student teachers, are participating in a four-day intensive training course now underway at Shortwood Teachers’ College in St. Andrew.

 

The programme was organised by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, the Embassy of Spain in Jamaica and Shortwood College, in collaboration with Spain’s Cervantes Institute.

 

The course, which commenced on August 18, comprises sessions being conducted by lecturers at the Institute, Professors Carmen Soria and Ines Soria.

 

The Institute was created by Spain’s Government in 1991 to promote the teaching of Spanish and advancing the cultures of all Spanish-speaking countries.

 

Speaking at the opening ceremony at Shortwood College on Saturday (August 18), Chief Education Officer of the Ministry, Dr. Grace McLean, said part of the Ministry’s plan is to facilitate the programme’s possible staging every two years, in a bid to further boost teachers’ capabilities to comprehensively impart Spanish.

 

“The Cervantes programme will assist in improving the intercultural pedagogical competence in our teachers, promote educational cooperation and collaboration among the related institutions and raise awareness of Spanish language competence as indispensable for personal and economic development as well as nation building,” she indicated.

 

Dr. McLean said the course is timely, given Jamaica’s overall focus on advancing the teaching and learning of foreign languages coupled with the benefits that will accrue to the education system.

 

According to the Chief Education Officer, teachers of Spanish will be better able to support their students with increased knowledge of the language.

 

“Jamaica will also have more teachers and lecturers who are prepared to deliver high quality teaching of Spanish which is aligned with international standards. This is extremely important, especially within in a globalised context,” she added.

 

Dr. McLean said the Ministry will also be exploring the possibility of staging a regional conference on foreign languages.

 

This, she added, in order to support other Caribbean countries’ embracing “new approaches to the teaching of foreign languages under the common European framework reference for languages.”

 

CAPTION: Chief Education Officer, Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Dr. Grace McLean

JIS: United Way of Jamaica has been working with its partners in doing extensive work to assist in improving early childhood education and institutions in Jamaica.

 

Board Chairman, United Way Jamaica, Dr. Marcia Forbes, said the organisation has provided safe indoor and outdoor equipment for children and staff.

 

She noted that through an investment from Jamalco, 357 teachers from 80 early childhood institutions in the mining areas of Manchester and Clarendon have been trained.

 

“These trained teachers will help to increase a number of students achieving mastery in numeracy and literacy on entering primary school. Teachers who are trained in early childhood education are better equipped to significantly improve the readiness of our children to enter primary school,” she said.

 

Dr. Forbes was speaking at a ceremony, where United Way of Jamaica provided grant funding of $1.472 million to six basic schools islandwide to assist the institutions with their preparations to become certified with the Early Childhood Commission (ECC).

 

The function was held at the offices of the National Volunteer Centre, Camp Road, in Kingston, on August 16.

 

In recent times, 76 Early Childhood Institutions received fire safety equipment that will benefit 2,735 students.

 

“Another of our partners 3M [Company] will be providing support for Nannyville Basic School (in Kingston) with the installation of industrial fans. We are very grateful for the support and investment being provided by our donors, volunteers and other stakeholders as we pursue our mission to mobilise resources to transform lives throughout Jamaica,” Dr. Forbes said.

 

Meanwhile, Chairperson of the ECC, Trisha Williams-Singh, called on Jamaicans and corporate Jamaica to partner more with United Way of Jamaica.

 

“They have done a tremendous job of helping to improve the early childhood sector in Jamaica,” she noted.

 

United Way of Jamaica was incorporated in January 1985 and is an autonomous non-profit Private Voluntary Organisation registered as a Charitable Organisation and an affiliate of United Way Worldwide.

 

United Way brings donors, volunteers, community leaders and other stakeholders together to address pressing needs in the society.

 

CAPTION: Board Chairman of United Way of Jamaica, Dr. Marcia Forbes (left), in conversation with (from second left): Chairperson of the Early Childhood Commission (ECC), Trisha Williams-Singh; Chief Executive Officer, United Way of Jamaica, Winsome Wilkins; and Executive Director of the ECC, Karlene Deslandes, at a ceremony held at the offices of the National Volunteer Centre, Camp Road, in Kingston, on August 16.

JIS: The St. Catherine 4-H Club Parish Advisory Council on Saturday (August 18), awarded scholarships valued at $220,000 to 22 students in need of assistance.

 

The scholarships as well as gift baskets were presented to the students during a prayer breakfast, held at the Linstead Pentecostal Tabernacle, in St. Catherine.

 

Eighteen of the scholarships were presented to those entering secondary schools, while the other four were presented to students entering tertiary institutions.

 

The students hail from the four zones of the St. Catherine 4-H Club, including Portmore, Spanish Town, Old Harbour and Linstead.

 

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Jamaica Information Service (JIS), Mrs. Donna-Marie Rowe, challenged the students to “commit to being good ground every day after today,” as she compared the Parable of the Sower, found in the Synoptic Gospels, to the theme of the prayer breakfast: ‘Transforming lives through Educational Empowerment’.

 

“Do what you know is right and invest in yourself. Stir up the gifts within you and stir up your pure minds as you till the soil in preparation for planting,” she told them.

 

“Some of the tools you can use to prepare the ground include reading a book, getting rid of the stones of doubt and the weeds of laziness, taking charge of your mind, and never stop learning,” the CEO continued.

 

Mrs. Rowe further encouraged the students to read widely, including local and international news, and the biblical chapters of Proverbs, Matthew, Luke and John.

 

She also recommended inspirational books such as: ‘As a Man Thinketh’, by James Wood; ‘The Richest Man in Babylon’, by George Samuel Clason; and ‘Ask, Seek, Knock’, by Dr. Marcus Mottley.

 

“Young people, map out a structure as you go back to school. Transformation doesn’t happen overnight,” Mrs. Rowe told them.

 

In his message read at the function by Liaison Officer of the Jamaica 4-H Club, Holova Stubbs, Executive Director, Dr. Ronald Blake, said his organisation will continue to create opportunities for youth through innovative programmes, and to “continue to keep pace with issues affecting youth in agriculture and the sector at large.”

 

“In so doing, we will do a lot of work as it relates to specialised agricultural techniques as well as the effects of climate change on agriculture,” Dr. Blake said.

 

“We will also continue to ensure that more youngsters become a part of the Youth in Agriculture Programme, as we aim to continue to reduce the age of the average farmer in Jamaica,” he added.

 

Dr. Blake congratulated those students receiving bursaries and wished for them every success.

 

CAPTION: Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Jamaica Information Service (JIS), Mrs. Donna-Marie Rowe (second left), in discussion with Chairman of the St. Catherine 4-H Club Parish Advisory Council, Michael Bellamy (right), at a prayer breakfast, hosted by the Council, at the Linstead Pentecostal Tabernacle, in the parish, on August 18. Twenty two students in need of assistance received scholarships from the Council at the function. From left are scholarship recipients, Sandray Miller and Danique Plantt.

JIS: Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, says the Ministry will be pushing for even greater performance by students in external examinations, especially Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) subjects.

 

Speaking at TIP Friendly Society’s 2018 Scholarship awards luncheon at the Knutsford Court Hotel in New Kingston on August 17, Mr. Green cited the increase in students’ performance in CSEC, which showed an overall increase of 3.8 per cent this year when compared to 2017, and emphasised that Jamaica’s youth can improve their annual performance in all external examinations.

 

“We’re equally as happy, as you would have heard from the Minister of Education, Youth and Information. We’ve seen an improvement in our CSEC results. In fact, 22 out of the 34 subject areas saw improvement. In Mathematics, we saw improvement in the performance [and] improvement in English. That is something to celebrate,” Mr. Green said.

 

The State Minister said that Jamaica’s teachers should also be commended for the increase, as they, along with parents and guardians, play a major role in imparting knowledge for the students to be prepared for the external examinations.

 

“Our teachers work extraordinarily hard to ensure the success of our children. We have to remember the teachers in the journey. We have a lot of self-less teachers who go above and beyond to prepare students. Some of them take the pass results as serious as if the child was their own, and we must applaud our teachers,” Mr. Green said.

 

At the luncheon, 37 young persons, whose parents are members of the TIP Friendly Society, were awarded with scholarships for their outstanding achievement in their studies.

 

The youth included 28 students who sat the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT); six students in high schools, two students pursuing undergraduate degrees and one student pursuing a post graduate degree.

 

One of the GSAT awardees, Joel Barnett, scored a perfect 100 in all the subjects he took.

 

CAPTION: Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green (centre), with students who passed the final sitting of the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) and were awarded by TIP Friendly Society on Friday (August 17), at the Knutsford Court Hotel, in New Kingston. To the Minister’s right is President, Committee of Management, TIP Friendly Society, Mr. Ray Howell.

JIS: Public sector workers with children attending public educational institutions will not be required to pay auxiliary fees for their enrolment as of the 2018/19 academic year, which begins in September.

 

This was announced by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Dean-Roy Bernard, during one in a series of parent sensitisation sessions, which was held for Regions 1 and 2, at the Karram Speid Auditorium, Merl Grove High School, Kingston, on August 16.

 

Mr. Bernard told JIS News the decision is a negotiated agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service and unions representing public sector employees.

 

“That is a Government policy and this (Education) Ministry intends to give full support to (it). So we are sending out a bulletin to our schools just to highlight and remind them of this,” he said.

 

The bulletin is slated to be circulated to public schools by early next week.

 

Mr. Bernard noted, however, that beneficiary parents must present proof of employment at public sector institutions to which they are attached, in order to be exempted from paying the fees.

 

“We ask that you take a letter from your organisations and also take your IDs with you (to) properly identify yourselves so that the system can run smoothly. Where that occurs, we expect our Principals and our school leaders to ensure that our public sector workers’ children can be properly accommodated. They work very hard and they deserve that,” he said.

 

Mr. Bernard, who said the initiative was a “win-win situation”, described it as an “investment in education” which, he noted, “is the key to moving this country forward.”

 

As such, he said the move is “timely”, adding that the Ministry “supports full access to education.”

 

The sensitisation sessions, which are organised by the Ministry, aim to increase parent involvement in their children’s learning as well as broader educational policy initiatives.

 

The schedule for the other sessions are: Region 4, Montego Bay High School auditorium, St. James, August 23, 2:30 p.m.; Regions 4 and 5, Glenmuir High School Auditorium, Clarendon, August 28, 4:00 p.m.; and Region 3, York Castle High School Auditorium, St. Ann, August 29, 4:00 p.m.

 

CAPTION: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (right), addressing parents during a question and answer session at the Ministry’s parent sensitisation session for Region’s One and Two, at the Karram Speid Auditorium, Merl Grove High School, Kingston, on August 16. Also pictured is Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dean-Roy Bernard.

JIS: Chief Education Officer in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Dr. Grace McLean, says the roll-out of the National School Leaving Certificate will commence in September 2018.

 

Speaking at a parent sensitisation session on August 16 at Merl Grove High School, in Kingston, she explained that the Certificate will provide data on the performance of students over their five years of secondary education, which will take into consideration their academic achievement, co-curricular participation and behaviour.

 

“We are going to be embarking on a set of consultations (and) sensitisations with a view to issuing the first set of National School Leaving Certificates, which will capture all of the subjects that the students will sit, as well as information relating to their social, cultural and sport involvement at the (secondary) school level,” she noted.

 

The session, which covered Regions One and Two of the Education Ministry, is the first of several organised by the Ministry, with the objectives of informing parents on critical matters relating to educational policy initiatives, and to increase their involvement in their children’s learning.

 

Additionally, Dr. McLean informed that the Ministry will be moving forward with its three year-plan to remove all schools from the two-shift system.

 

“We currently have 42 schools on the shift system. Four of these schools will be removed for the 2018/19 school year in Regions Three and Six,” she said.

 

The Chief Education Officer noted that there is also an infrastructure plan in place to facilitate this.

 

Twenty-five schools were taken off the shift system during the 2015/16 academic year, including six primary, two all-age, 11 primary and junior high, and six high schools.

 

The shift system was introduced in the 1970s to provide high school access for all children.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (left), and Chief Education Officer, Dr. Grace McLean, at a parent sensitisation Session on August 16 at Merl Grove High School in Kingston. The session, which covered Regions One and Two, was the first of several organised by the Ministry, with the objectives of informing parents on critical matters relating to educational policy initiatives, and to increase parent involvement in their children’s learning.

JIS: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says the new school year, which gets underway in September, provides the opportunity to start with a new focus and an agenda for renewal.

 

“We will therefore go forward with a renewed sense of hope and belief in our collective abilities to find sustainable solutions to new and long-standing challenges in our education sector,” he says in an interview with JIS News.

 

The Minister, who has been meeting with various stakeholders ahead of the reopening of school, says that the Government values education as a key ingredient for national development.

 

As such, he notes that the Administration continues to increase investment in the sector, which, he says, is “guaranteed to pay rich dividends down the road.”

 

He cites, for example, spending of just over $37.6 billion for secondary education alone, which includes funds for salaries, grants, science, infrastructure, furniture and nutrition.

 

This means, depending on the school population, that the Government has increased per capita allocation to as high as $176, 994 at the secondary level.

 

“We are pleased that with the allocation of more financial resources, our schools are now better able to manage their administrative functions,” Senator Reid says.

 

He tells JIS News that a lot of emphasis is being placed on the early childhood sector as “this is where it all begins and this is where it is critical that we get it right.”

 

“We ended last year with the good news that more than 100 institutions had met all the operational standards of the Early Childhood Commission (ECC) to be fully certified. We will continue the work to ensure that more of our basic schools achieve the set standards,” he pledges.

 

“We can look back at the work we have been doing with some satisfaction that much has been achieved in advancing access to education by more of our students,” he adds.

 

Senator Reid tells JIS News that while there continues to be challenges, he is pleased with the willingness being shown by stakeholders to do their part in ensuring that “our children are given every opportunity to succeed.”

 

He argues that whatever is achieved nationally will be dependent on “what we do…while working together as teams in an extended chain of activities.”

 

He stresses that it is the coming together of the various interests that will advance the sector and provide the ticket towards Jamaica’s sustained economic success.

 

“As we prepare ourselves for the start of the new school term, let me take this opportunity to thank all the hard-working stakeholders in our education system including our teachers, students, parents, board members, administrative and ancillary staff, and Ministry of Education, Youth and Information staff,” he says.

 

Principal of John Rollins Success Primary in St. James, Yvonne Williams-Wisdom, tells JIS News that the Ministry must be commended for its openness and eagerness to maintain meaningful dialogue with stakeholders.

 

She also hails parents “for doing their part and for giving us some much-needed assistance in our quest to achieve our goals and in giving our students a quality education.”

 

The view is shared by Senior Teacher at Beecher Town Primary in St. Ann, Carmen Brown, who is attributing the academic and cultural successes at her school to a great community support system.

 

“Our nation’s future depends on how well we do in education…no doubt about that,” she notes.

 

“Show me a highly developed nation and I will show you a nation that invests heavily in its education system. We have to ensure that all hands are on deck and that we take the time as educators to nurture the many talented students, who have been placed under our care,” she adds.

 

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

JIS: The National Parenting Support Commission (NPSC) is getting much-needed assistance for its home-school relationship programme. Through the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Safety Security Project, several Parent Places will be established.

 

Addressing a recent JIS ‘Think Tank’, Chief Executive Officer of the NPSC, Kaysia Kerr, said that it is evident that irrespective of the interventions which are put into the schools, if these are not supported and reinforced at home, then the interventions are compromised.

 

Under the effective parenting intervention framework, the NPSC has implemented several programmes to target parents to ensure that the home-school relationship is improved and that behaviours that are desired from children are evident.

 

Parent Places are usually attached to schools, faith-based institutions or libraries. Miss Kerr said that through the Parent Places, tools are used to analyse data to customise intervention.

 

She explained that the interventions may look at literacy not only for the students, but also for the parents who sometimes may have issues with literacy, and they also focus on elements which encourage antisocial behaviours in schools.

 

Miss Kerr noted that the NPSC has realised that coercive parenting is the main reason that causes children to exhibit aggression and other violent behaviours in schools.

 

“Through the Parent Places we are not only focusing on education, re-educating and retooling parents, but we are offering psychosocial support and ongoing training in terms of skills,” she said. Miss Kerr is also reporting the Commission’s progress in the Parent Place that was established in Mount Salem community in Montego Bay, St. James

 

“We have been continuing the mobilising and coordinating, because we have to make sure that we are speaking to the needs of that particular community,” she said.

 

Statistics have shown that in communities like Mount Salem, coercive parenting is used a lot, so the Commission has gone into the Zone of Special Operations and set up a Parent Place to treat with certain issues as they relate to violence. To date the NPSC has established 125 Parent Places attached to schools across the six educational regions.

 

Under the USAID/Ministry Project, Parent Places will be attached to faith-based institutions.

 

CAPTION: Chief Executive Officer of the National Parenting Support Commission (NPSC), Kaysia Kerr, addresses a recent JIS ‘Think Tank’.