JIS: As part of measures by the Government to address youth unemployment, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information will be establishing 13 access points for youth seeking training and career development services.

 

“These access points will provide a ‘one-stop shop’ for our young people, whether they want improved literacy or are looking for job placement or certification and training,” State Minister in the Ministry, Hon. Floyd Green, told the House during his contribution to the 2018/19 Sectoral Debate on May 8.

 

The initiative is a result of the merger of four of the country’s national training institutions under the Ministry – the HEART Trust/NTA, National Youth Service (NYS), Jamaica Foundation for Lifelong Learning (JFLL) and the Apprenticeship Board.

 

Mr. Green said the merger is facilitating a broad range of opportunities for the development of Jamaica’s human capital.

 

“Because of this merger, we are going after increased numbers. We have targeted a 14 per cent increase in enrolment in the HEART Trust/NTA over the course of this year,” the State Minister informed.

 

He added that the merged entity has facilitated an increase in placement of young persons in summer jobs for this year, exceeding the target of 8,000 to 14,377 young persons engaged in summer employment.

 

Also, adjustments have been made to the stipend of summer workers, moving from a weekly sum of $6,000 for secondary-school students to $8,500, and the stipend for tertiary students increasing from $8,500 to $10,600.

 

CAPTION: Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, making his 2018/19 Sectoral Debate presentation in the House of Representatives on May 8

JIS: Jamaican students sitting Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) subjects will soon be required to take some aspects of their examinations online.

 

This forms part of the CXC Learning Hub, which was launched during a press conference at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on Thursday (May 10).

 

Through the hub, students will have increased access to CXC material as well as resources produced by the examination body’s external partners.

 

Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, in welcoming the move by CXC said that with the advancement of technology, it is only fitting for Jamaica’s education system to start testing the use of online examinations for students exiting the secondary level.

 

He said the plan to use audiovisuals, videos and animations in multiple-choice testing will provide a particularly attractive option for boys and will help them perform better in external examinations.

 

The Minister hailed the hub as an exciting development. “With a growing emphasis on incorporating information and communications technology (ICT) into the teaching/learning process, easier access to resources in multiple formats, such as audio, video, animation, text, images, hyperlinks, e-books and links to CXC social media platforms, should prove very attractive and useful to current students and teachers alike, and particularly boys,” he said.

 

CXC Registrar, Glenroy Cumberbatch, said CXC is utilising e-testing in the British Virgin Islands (BVI), where students’ physical records were destroyed during hurricane Irma.

 

“This year, [BVI] has decided to do all of their examinations – Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC), Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE), [and] Caribbean Certificate of Secondary-Level Competence (CCSLC) online, both paper ones and paper twos,” he said.

  

He noted that the students have already sat mathematics and English, “and they went through without any major challenges”.

 

Mr. Cumberbatch said that e-testing makes grading easier and enables saving examination papers in a database, which will ensure that they are preserved during natural disasters.

 

The CXC Learning Hub will provide an integrated system that will house myriad resources that can be accessed by learners free of cost (freemium) or for a fee (premium).

 

Resources that will be available free are interactive syllabuses, subject reports, practice tests and digital toolkits that contain resources for learners and teachers, including infographics, animations, audio, images and videos.

 

The premium content will include games, process animations and other multimedia learning objects that have been created by CXC.

 

Users will have flexibility in how they access the resources, whether through a micro or macro format.

 

At the micro level, users will be able to access a chapter in a book or an article in a journal, for example, rather than purchase the entire publication.

 

At the macro level, users can access a set of resources or a single resource in its entirety. Additionally, they will have the option of purchasing material and owning it or may opt for subscription access for a specific period of time.

 

Resources in the hub will support CXC’s suite of qualifications – Caribbean Primary Exit Assessment (CPEA), CCSLC, the Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ), CSEC, CAPE and associate degrees.

 

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information will provide information to the public about the CXC online tests once the system is in place.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (left) speaking at the launch of the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) Learning Hub at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on Thursday (May 10). Seated at the head table (from left) are Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dean-Roy Bernard; CXC Registrar, Glenroy Cumberbatch; Chief Education Officer, Dr. Grace McLean; and Pro-Registrar, CXC, Dr. Carol Granston.

JIS: The Ananda Alert Secretariat has recorded a decline in the number of children reported missing.

 

Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, says 1,674 children were reported missing in 2017, representing a three per cent decline over 2016.

 

“Of that total, 1,476 children were returned home, which amounts to approximately nine out of 10 returned. What we have recognised [is], when the children come home, we have to strengthen our intervention to ensure that they don’t leave again,” he stated.

 

To this end, Mr. Green said the Ministry has strengthened its partnership with other social service agencies, such as the Justice Ministry’s Victim Services Division, to ensure that these needs are met, while indicating that almost 600 children were referred for counselling services last year.

 

The State Minister was speaking during his 2018/19 Sectoral Debate presentation in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (May 8).

 

It was also noted that the number of children found dead in 2017, subsequent to the filing of a missing child report, totalled three, representing a 25 per cent decline when compared to 2016.

 

 

JIS: The Government will be scaling up youth training and employment under the National Service Corps Programme (NSCP) through a massive financial injection of $1.2 billion this financial year.

 

State Minister for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, made the disclosure in his contribution to the 2018/19 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (May 8).

 

“Last year, we put $200 million into the National Service Corps programme. Because we are seeing the results, this year, it is budgeted that we will put, from the HEART Trust/NTA, $800 million, and from the World Bank a further $390 million into the programme,” he informed.

 

The brainchild of Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, the NSCP aims to create an avenue for young people, aged 18 to 24, to be fully empowered through education, training and certification.

 

It falls under the Government’s Housing, Opportunity, Production and Employment (HOPE) initiative, targeting job and training opportunities for unattached young people.

 

Minister Green said that of the 6,345 applications received, a total of 4,762 youths have been trained in core skills and work-ready behaviours required by the labour market.

 

Approximately 1,200 persons have been placed across 23 ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), including the HEART Trust/NTA, Office of the Prime Minister; Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation; Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, National Land Agency; National Housing Trust; National Irrigation Commission; and the Ministry of Justice.

 

Mr. Green said that an estimated $200 million has been spent under the programme from June 2017 to February 2018 for payment of stipend, rental of venue, training costs, meals and refreshments.

 

He said the focus now is to transition the youth from training to employment, thereby creating a pathway for continued lowering of the youth unemployment rate.

 

The latest report from the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) shows that the youth unemployment rate has declined to 23.8 per cent from 33 per cent when the Government took office in February 2016.

 

“That is an almost 10 per cent drop; it’s not by chance,” Mr. Green said, crediting the decline to “a targeted and purposeful approach to youth unemployment” by the Government.

 

CAPTION: Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, making his 2018/19 Sectoral Debate presentation in the House of Representatives on May 8

JIS: Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, says the Administration is serious about ramping up training in order to ensure that persons are globally competitive.

 

Mr. Green, who was speaking during the Splashjamaica.com Career Fair and Job Expo at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, St. James on Wednesday (May 9), said it is the responsibility of Government to connect citizens with opportunities.

 

“What I find right across the length and breadth of Jamaica is that people are not looking for handouts, people are not looking for politicians to walk around and dole out money.

 

“What they are looking for is opportunity to get gainfully employed, so that they can help themselves and their family; that is what people really want in Jamaica,” he said.

 

In this regard, he noted that the Government has been working to reform the HEART Trust/NTA to ensure that individuals have easy access to globally marketable programmes.

 

“The HEART Trust is not a second-chance school; (it) is providing training for the job market. That is why the HEART Trust/NTA concentrates so much on skilled labour and those areas that we know are needed not just here, but abroad,” he outlined.

 

Mr. Green said it is important for individuals to seek to gain some sort of qualification that will make them marketable.

 

“Certification is important, so if you are not certified, get certified, if you are at a lower level, upgrade,” he suggested.

 

He further stressed the need for persons to analyse the job market and seek qualifications in areas where there are numerous opportunities for employment and job creation.

 

“Look back at the job market, because some of you are trained in areas that there are very limited opportunities. Right now, we have a big drive to get people employed in the business process outsourcing sector … we expect to have 15,000 jobs right here in Jamaica over the next five years,” he shared.

 

Meanwhile, the Minister underscored the importance of also gaining experience to supplement the qualifications one will receive.

 

These, along with the right attitude, he said, will help to advance persons within the job market.

 

CAPTION: Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green,

JIS: The Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) will be launching an anti-bullying campaign this month.

 

Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, in making the disclosure in his contribution to the 2018/2019 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on May 8, said that “the issue of bullying is real and has to be addressed”.

 

“Our anti-bullying campaign will highlight the prevalence of bullying, giving real-life scenarios and how children who are being bullied can get help,” he noted.

 

He noted that the safety in schools framework will also be strengthened with the introduction of a team of social workers who can assist in exploring the home situations of those who exhibit bullying tendencies, “because oftentimes, even the bullies are victims”.

 

The anti-bullying campaign is one of three major public-education initiatives to be rolled out by the CPFSA in May. The others are focused on corporal punishment and children protection.

 

Mr. Green said the messages will be transmitted via mainstream and social media. “The agency’s public relations team will be hosting road shows islandwide as well as school and community visits,” he informed.

 

Meanwhile, the State Minister said the Ministry is formulating a ‘Know your Policy’ campaign to educate the public about the National Youth Policy 2017-2030.

 

The policy is designed to address major needs, challenges and opportunities for young people, while seeking to define a common vision and framework for youth development.

 

“It also endeavours to provide all youth to have access to meaningful opportunities, so that they may reach their full potential, and gives direction to youth programmes and services provided by the Government and non-government organisations,” Mr. Green said.

 

CAPTION: Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, making his contribution to the 2018/19 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives today (May 8).

JIS: The Government is undertaking a pilot with Family Life Ministries for the establishment of the country’s first privately run foster-care programme.

 

Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, explained that under the arrangement, Family Life Ministries “will seek to do recruitment and training of prospective families, all of whom will be vetted by the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA)”.

 

He informed that Family Life Ministries will be providing additional stipends for families who are recruited through the programme “while the children will remain our children and their progress will be tracked through continuous assessment”.

 

The State Minister made the disclosure during his contribution to the 2018/2019 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on May 8, where he announced that the Government has doubled the monthly stipend paid for the care of each foster child from $4,000 to $8,000.

 

He called for more persons to open their homes and foster a child, noting that there are positive outcomes for children who are placed in a family environment.

 

He informed that the CPFSA has identified close to 200 children who are ready to be placed in foster care.

 

Turning to adoption services, Mr. Green informed that up to March of this year, a total of 217 children have been permanently placed with families – 171 locally and 46 overseas.

 

“This is a 26 per cent increase,” he indicated, noting there is a list of qualified persons waiting for children to join their families.

 

“We are committed to reforming the Adoption Act to ensure that unnecessary barriers to the process of adoption are removed,” he said.

 

Meanwhile, he informed that a transition living complex will open in June to accommodate about 40 female wards, who are set to leave State care.

 

The facility, located on Lady Musgrave Road in St. Andrew, was built through partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

 

Mr. Green told the House that work is set to start on the refurbishing of a house in Mona, St. Andrew, to serve as a transitional facility for 12 youngsters, while construction will begin in the last quarter of the financial year on another facility to house 40 males in Southfield, St. Elizabeth.

 

CAPTION: Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, making his contribution to the 2018/19 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on May 8.

JIS: The most recent tracer study and review for the Dispute Resolution Foundation (DRF) School Suspension Intervention Programme indicate that approximately 85 per cent of the beneficiaries maintain and utilise the conflict resolution and behaviour change methodologies imparted under the initiative.

 

Speaking at a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank on May 4, the DRF’s Content Delivery Leader, Paul Hines, said the programme has been successful over the years in helping suspended students to manage conflict, improve communication and re-enrol in school, through various interventions.

 

“More often than not, some of those students who have been suspended from school have had myriads of problems, (including) with authority figures, and are unable to adjust to the realities of what school is about.

 

“So we help them during that suspension period to look at what’s required, (in order) to see their environment differently. We also help them to work through how they go back to school and apply what they have learnt during the period,” Mr. Hines said.

 

The programme, which started in 2008, aims to provide a safe space for youngsters who have been suspended from school, while engaging them in structured activities, including capacity-building workshops and sessions, to prepare them for re-integration in the school environment.

 

The programme operates in St. James, St. Catherine, Kingston and St. Andrew and, to a lesser extent, St. Ann.

 

Students are normally referred to the programme by schools. However, referrals can also be made by parents or the police.

 

The Citizen Security and Justice Programme (CSJP) III, which sponsors the initiative, also makes referrals through its case management outreach in communities.

 

Psychologist with CSJP III, Chaday Nelson, hailed the multifaceted approach by the DRF, through the programme.

 

She said the initiative is consistent with CSJP’s mandate to reduce crime, as it focuses on behaviour change and conflict resolution.

 

“In the Psychological Services Unit, we focus on how we can change attitudes and perceptions, (and) how we can give persons the tools they need, so that when they are faced with a conflict, they recognise that they have alternative ways of dealing with it,” Ms. Nelson said.

 

CAPTION: Dispute Resolution Foundation Content Delivery Leader, Paul Hines, speaking at a Jamaica Information Service Think Tank on May 4.

JIS: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says reading will help in preparing students for the Primary Exit Profile (PEP), which is scheduled to commence in the 2018/19 academic year.

 

“It is very opportune that as we are focused on the transition from the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) to PEP, we recognise that it is through reading and self-directed learning that we are going to get students to apply their knowledge that they would have acquired.

 

“In this way, we can see how they apply those concepts in real life and demonstrate their understanding… because that is part of how the exam is going to be structured. They have to be able to read, interpret and apply the concept, and explain themselves in a written form. This is a skill set that is at the very core of success in education,” he said.

 

The Minister was speaking with JIS News on May 8 at the New Providence Primary School in Kingston, where he read to a group of grade-four students in celebration of Read Across Jamaica Day 2018.

 

PEP, which will replace GSAT as the national secondary-school entrance test, is intended to provide an improved and more complete profile of students’ academic and critical-thinking capabilities at the end of primary-level education.

 

It will comprise a Performance Task Test, Ability Task Test and a Curriculum-Based Test.

 

Senator Reid emphasised that promoting literacy remains a top priority for his Ministry.

 

“The whole culture of reading is very important. It is in reading, particularly individual, self-directed reading, that (we grow). We encourage reading… for recreation, knowledge and empowerment,” he said.

 

Noting that there are many persons across society who have not achieved the level of education and training that is desirable, Senator Reid underscored that for this to be reversed, “we have to institutionalise the culture of reading to strengthen our human resource capabilities”.

 

Read Across Jamaica Day coincided with activities during May marking Child Month.

 

The annual day, organised by the Jamaica Teachers’ Association, aims to promote the importance of literacy and is part of activities in observance of Education Week 2018, from May 5 to 11.

 

CAPTION: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, shows a picture in a book to grade-four students of New Providence Primary School in Kingston during an interactive reading session at the institution on Tuesday (May 8) in observance of Read Across Jamaica Day 2018. The exercise, which is organized annually by the Jamaica Teachers’ Association, forms part of activities marking Education Week, being observed this year from May 5 to 11. Beside Senator Reid (from left) are Kebra Simpson, Marstaian Williams and Rasheed Tucker.

JIS: Work valued at $25 million is being undertaken at the Granville Place of Safety in Trelawny, where a multipurpose classroom is being built.

 

“This will be opened in the second quarter of this year and will offer our female wards skills training,” State Minster in the Ministry of Education Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green said.

 

He was speaking during his contribution to the 2018/19 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on May 8.

 

Additionally, Mr. Green said, $50 million has been allocated in the 2018/19 Budget for the continued renovation of residential State care facilities.

 

He noted that chief among the projects will be preparatory work for phase one of a therapeutic centre to be constructed at Maxfield Park Children’s Home in Kingston; and the construction of new dormitories at the St Augustine Place of Safety in Clarendon as also at Granville.

 

The improvement works are being done under a comprehensive five-year plan.

 

So far, the Muirton Child Care Facility in Portland was renovated at a cost of $40 million and reopened in March.

 

The home is the first Government-operated, purpose-built facility to cater to children with special needs. It can accommodate 25 boys, ages 11 to 16, with mild disabilities.

 

“We have already started the process of moving boys from other homes to Muirton so that they can get the specialised attention to enable every child in out care to unleash their tomorrow today,” Mr. Green stated.

 

Additionally, a new multipurpose facility at St. Augustine’s Place of Safety, was opened in April, which included new administrative offices as well as offices for social workers and councillors, and a new kitchen to be used for training the boys in food preparation. This was upgraded at a cost of $16.6 million.

 

CAPTION: Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, making his contribution to the 2018/19 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on May 8.