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.

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: Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, is again encouraging Jamaicans to embrace and not fear the new Primary Exit Profile (PEP) which will replace the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) as the national secondary-school placement examination.

 

“We can understand the fears and the concerns. But I encourage all Jamaica to embrace this as an opportunity for the transformation of our people from mere consumers of technology and consumers of information to now being people who can create knowledge and who can create technology,” he said.

 

Mr. Holness was addressing an awards ceremony at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) on Wednesday (August 22) for children of OPM and Office of the Cabinet staff members who were successful in the final sitting of the GSAT earlier this year.

 

He said the thrust to create a digital society and a knowledge-based economy will require people who can innovate, think outside of the box, apply knowledge to real world problems, and are solutions-oriented persons, adding that PEP is designed to prepare youngsters for these engagements.

 

PEP, which students will sit for the first time in the upcoming 2018/19 academic year, is intended to provide an improved and more complete profile of students’ academic and critical-thinking capabilities at the end of primary-level education.

 

Prime Minister Holness emphasised that PEP will create a new type of Jamaica – “one (who) has a more curious mind… who is looking more for solutions, rather than being pedantic… is not afraid of technology, but believes in the process of investigation (and) discovery, and applying existing knowledge to current problems to come up with solutions.”

 

“I think the transition from GSAT to PEP will be better for the country and for the generations to come,” he asserted.

 

Mr. Holness explained that PEP, unlike GSAT, “won’t be one exam that will determine your fate”, instead, it will require students to sit a series of exams over three years.

 

“So you will not have one exam determine your life chance. The exam is not only geared for the brightest, those who can read and assimilate and then regurgitate; it tests a broader range of skills. So we want to know how you function in the real world. Can you take the knowledge that your have learnt and apply it to real world situations? That’s profound. That’s fundamental to the growth and development of the Jamaican economy and our society,” he said.

 

Mr. Holness pointed out, however, that the exam will take teachers out of their comfort zones because they will now be tasked with inspiring students to come up with their own solutions.

 

“So it is not just a different type of exam; it will really take a different kind of approach to teaching as well,” he said.

 

Meanwhile, Mr. Holness commended the GSAT awardees on their performance, noting that they “will have the distinction to be the last generation of Jamaicans to sit that…examination”.

 

“I know many of you would’ve gotten your school of choice. That means that you would’ve worked very hard and your parents are very relieved; and we at OPM are doing our little part to ensure that you can continue with your education,” he said.

 

During the event, the Prime Minister presented 10 students with back-to-school gift vouchers.

 

CAPTION: Mr. Holness was addressing an awards ceremony at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) on Wednesday (August 22) for children of OPM and Office of the Cabinet staff members who were successful in the final sitting of the GSAT earlier this year.

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.