JIS: To reduce cognitive learning challenges among infants in the country, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, in partnership with the Early Childhood Commission (ECC), has launched the Jamaica Brain Builders Programme at a cost of approximately $540 million.

 

The launch took place on the playground of the Cynthia Shako Early Childhood Education and Day Care Centre, at the University of Technology (UTech), in St. Andrew, on Friday (July 6).

 

The Programme is a framework for action in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, which starts from conception in the womb to age two years. Under this initiative, the ECC will be responsible for establishing 126 ‘Brain Builder Centres’, with two in each constituency across the island.

 

The main objective of the Programme is to ensure that all Jamaican children get the best start in life by attending to their health, nutrition, total development needs, stimulation, social protection, child protection and early-intervention needs.

 

This project forms part of the plans for Jamaica to achieve Sustainable Development Goals 1, 2, 3, 4 and 16, as a means of ensuring that the children are prepared for life.

 

At the launch, Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, said research has shown that the most critical period for a child’s development is in the first 1,000 days of life.

 

“The Task Force Report dealing with early childhood, did ask for us to build out more Public Day Care Centres, so I’m happy that we are transitioning with the new narrative that we call ‘Brain Builder Centres’,” Mr. Reid said.

 

“I expect now, that you [the ECC] will go forward with our Chief Education Officer, who will continue to monitor you, and we will provide whatever funding that you need. We have the funding in place for the 126 institutions. That’s $540 million,” the Minister noted.

 

He said with partnerships with other organisations in the future, he is looking forward to more centres being established.

 

“We can find additional physical spaces across the country to retrofit and to build out Brain Builder Centres… [which will] build a strong foundation where you’re going to capture all our children and make sure their brains are properly developed, so that they can transition into the early-childhood system, the primary through the national standards curriculum and the PEP programme,” he said.

 

Executive Director of the ECC, Karlene DeGrasse-Deslandes, said the new programme will help Jamaica with the development of the early childhood sector.

 

“Early-childhood development is one of the most recognised means of helping to build a country by reducing the negative effects affecting the society. I thank the Minister for taking it on,” she said.

 

Following the launch, Senator Reid and Mrs. DeGrasse-Deslandes officially handed over ECC certification documents to the Cynthia Shako Early Childhood Education and Day Care Centre.

 

 

JIS: To protect and safeguard the lives of educators and students in schools from fire, the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) has purchased 80 first-aid kits, 120 fire extinguishers, 120 smoke detectors, 40 wash hand signs and 40 emergency assembly signs, which will be distributed among 40 schools across the island.

 

This donation, valued at approximately $3.3 million, forms part of JSIF’s Integrated Community Development Project’s (ICDP) sub-project, titled Schools Ancillary Workers Training Project.

 

The items were handed over to the Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid; members of the Jamaica Fire Brigade; and other stakeholders at JSIF’s headquarters on Oxford Road in Kingston on Thursday (July 5).

 

Senator Reid thanked JSIF for its donation, noting that at the Ministry, “our number-one priority is safety… and we’re happy that JSIF has been able to assist on the journey”.

 

He also commended JSIF for implementing the Schools Ancillary Workers Training Project, which has taken on the cost to train ancillary workers, educators and administrative staff at various schools on how to respond to fire with safety equipment.

 

“I endorse this particular initiative and training programme, where our auxiliary workers will be trained in fire and security,” Senator Reid said.

 

For his part, Managing Director, JSIF, Omar Sweeney, said his organisation is determined to assist with safeguarding the lives of the nation’s children against fires, thus the main reason it made the donation.

 

“The Jamaica Social Investment Fund is pleased to celebrate another milestone of impacting individuals in a positive way by providing support to schools in the various communities through the Integrated Community Development Project,” Mr. Sweeney said.

 

“Under this project, JSIF has taken the initiative to provide the schools with extensive training in specialised areas in order to support the Government’s policy of providing capacity building for citizens at the highest quality,” he added.

 

In addition to this donation, Mr. Sweeney said JSIF has forged partnerships for the training of teachers and ancillary workers with the Jamaica Fire Brigade regarding fire-prevention measures (valued at approximately $1.84 million) and the Heart Foundation of Jamaica as it relates to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and first aid (valued at approximately $4.3 million).

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (second right), examines one of the 120 fire extinguishers that were handed over by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) on Thursday (July 5) at their office in Kingston. Sharing in the moment are (from left): General Manager, Technical Services Division, JSIF, Loy Malcolm; General Manager, JSIF, Omar Sweeney and Acting Assistant Commissioner, Jamaica Fire Brigade, Floyd McLean.

JIS: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, is hailing teachers for their commitment to the improvement of students’ performance in various school assessments, and their increased participation in co-curricular activities.

 

The Minister was addressing teachers at the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) Golden Torch Awards ceremony, held at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on July 5.

 

Senator Reid noted that the improvement in performance is reflected in the 2018 Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT), which saw improvement over last year’s results in four of five subjects.

 

They include Language arts, Communication Task, Science and Social Studies.

 

The 2017 Grade Four Literacy and Numeracy Assessment also showed improvement, with increases in the percentage of students achieving mastery for both areas; and the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations, which recorded improved passes in 18 of 34 subjects at this level.

 

Participation from students in co-curricular activities, including national festival competitions, TVJ’s Schools’ Challenge Quiz, national debates, sports, speech and other activities have also been achieved.

 

“So, on behalf of a grateful nation, please accept our sincere thanks. The entire Jamaica appreciates your service to our beloved country. Someone’s life has been made better because of you. You have touched the hearts and minds of thousands,” the Minister said.

 

JTA President, Georgia Waugh Richards in her remarks said it is important to recognise the “yeoman’s duty and task that our (teachers) have done”.

 

She described those teachers before her as “trailblazers” and noted that “a debt of gratitude” is owed to them because they have “laid very strong and very firm foundations”.

 

“You are the bedrock of the Jamaican education system. You are the standard-bearers. Every time you step into the classroom you work a little miracle. You open a mind that others would see as difficult, impossible to do. You give love even when you are not a recipient,” she said.

 

During the ceremony, 150 teachers from across the island with over 35 years of service to education were presented with awards.

 

The brainchild of educator and former JTA President, Ray Howell, the Golden Torch Award was first instituted by the JTA in 1991 and the first awards presented in 1993.

 

Each academic year, forms are sent to schools at the beginning of the second term for Principals to indicate the teachers on staff who satisfy the criteria.

 

The award is normally presented at a special function during the first week of July each year.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (right), shares a light moment with Golden Torch awardee, teacher from Calabar High School, Joan McDonald, at the awards ceremony, held at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on July 5.

JIS: After almost four decades in the teaching profession, Vice-Principal of Calabar Infant, Primary and Junior High School, Claudine Evette Bowen, has been awarded the Prime Minister’s Medal of Appreciation for Service to Education (PMMA).

 

“I had no idea that I would have been given this prestigious honour. However, on May 28 when someone at the school told me that a lady from the OPM (Office of the Prime Minister) had called asking where I first taught, I started to wonder,” Mrs. Bowen tells JIS News.

 

“When I finally received the confirmation, I screamed,” she recalls with a broad smile.

 

“My visit to Jamaica House for the rehearsal was my first. I have seen the Prime Minister, but we have never interacted,” she says, noting that she was pleased to receive the Medal from him.

 

Mrs. Bowen began her career on April 1, 1979 at Grateful Hill Primary in Glengoffe, St. Catherine, as a pretrained teacher and steadily worked her way up the ranks of pedagogy from senior teacher to grade coordinator to her current position.

 

“I don’t see the work as difficult. For me, it’s more like a marriage. At times, teeth and tongue will meet, but that’s a part of the package,” says Mrs. Bowen to JIS News. “Moreover, I believe I was called to the vocation,” she asserts.

 

Taking care of the whole child is key, hence Mrs. Bowen finds ways to assist students with their various needs and inspire them to do well in school.

 

A ‘high performance’ cabinet, built by a parent, is used in motivating students to excel. The cabinet showcases the names of students averaging over 80 per cent in their subjects.

 

The students are enthusiastic when they see their names placed in the cabinet and other students are inspired to work hard to get their names there as well,” states Mrs. Bowen.

 

“Concomitantly, it motivates those who have achieved cabinet status to strive even more to retain their position,” she underscores.

 

Another source of pride for students is the Vice-Principal Award for the Top Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) Boy and Girl. “The award is given to these two pupils at the end of the academic year,” shares the PMMA recipient.

 

The multifaceted educator is not just concerned with her students but also about the facility.

 

With a love for construction, which she developed from remodelling her own house, she spearheaded the refurbishing of the office that serves her and a senior Vice-Principal, and the Bursar’s office, with help from donors such as Wisynco Trading and Mother’s.

 

The PMMA award recipient prefers to stay away from the limelight, but this has proven to be a difficult task.

 

She notes that a justice of the peace (JP) recently visited her with the newspaper listing of the honourees.

 

“He said to me: ‘A just come fi see if a really your name inna di paper,’. He hugged and congratulated me and left the newspaper at the house,” recounts Mrs. Bowen.

 

“As for my husband, he says I am a pusher, so he is not surprised,” she adds.

 

The distinguished teacher will be going off on retirement in a year. However, she has no plans to stop serving her country.

 

“I will still be around. I will now have more time to devote to being a JP and Lay Magistrate, board and committee member and deaconess. Moreover, I will be launching my own company,” the Vice-Principal says.

 

CAPTION: Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (left) presents Vice-Principal of Calabar Infant, Primary and Junior High School, Claudine Evette Bowen (right), with the Prime Minister’s Medal of Appreciation for Service to Education at the awards ceremony on the lawns of Jamaica House on June 27. Assisting the Prime Minister is Superintendent Michael Morrison.

 

JIS: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, is lauding the National College for Educational Leadership (NCEL) for outstanding work in preparing educators to be effective leaders, through its Aspiring Principals Programme.

 

At a graduation ceremony on June 28, some 96 participants successfully matriculated from the programme. The ceremony was held at the Mona Visitors’ Lodge, University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Campus in Kingston.

 

Senator Reid also commended the participants for taking this step in their careers.

 

“I must extend my heartiest congratulations to all of you graduates who have endured the rigours of this important programme. You have been well trained and prepared for the task that is ahead of us. You have now empowered yourselves to take on leadership roles,” he said.

 

He charged the participants to go forward with the newly acquired knowledge and skills, and to be transformational leaders.

 

“Wherever you serve and wherever you go, you are the finest principals in Jamaica and the world,” the Minister said.

 

For his part, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dean-Roy Bernard, also commended the graduates.

 

“With the changing dynamics, new paradigms and demands on the education system, teachers, and especially those that aspire to leadership, are better served when they commit themselves to a process of professional development and lifelong learning,” he said.

 

“Experience has shown also that while many of our teachers are prepared for classroom instruction delivery, and in some cases to take on additional administrative duties, the overall responsibilities of management often prove to be demanding. I am confident that in this professional development programme, you have acquired an appreciation of the task of school leadership and management, along with the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead,” the Permanent Secretary said.

 

For her part, Director/Principal of NCEL, Dr. Taneisha Ingleton, said the programme intersects practice and theories with the practical elements. These include personalised action plans, peer learning groups, reflective logs, teaching and creation of educational blogs. Participants also received training in public speaking, academic writing etiquette and decorum.

 

“This exposure helps participants to challenge assumptions, build their understanding and ability to discover for themselves, make connections and create solutions.

 

They, therefore, have these skills to build the same in their colleagues and students,” Dr. Ingleton explained.

 

Established under the Education System Transformation Programme (ESTP), the NCEL seeks to develop excellence in leadership as a common denominator in schools and support institutions.

 

The nine-month modular Aspiring Principals Programme aims to identify and prepare future school leaders. It is delivered through the UWI at both its Mona and

 

Western Jamaica campuses on a part time basis by way of face-to-face instruction, distance learning, coaching and mentorship.

 

The programme provides a standard credential, the Professional Qualification for Principalship (PQP) to which the Ministry of Education and school Boards will refer before authorising the hiring of principals of public schools.

 

The programme is designed to enhance key leadership competencies, such as financial acuity, community leadership, organisational leadership, transformational leadership, instructional leadership, strategic thinking, leading change, communication, collegial engagement, teamwork and fellowship, ethics and integrity, self awareness and technological skills.

 

CAPTION: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (right), presents participant in the National College for Educational Leadership (NCEL) Aspiring Principals Programme, Sophia Brown Sinclair, with her certificate during the graduation ceremony held on June 28 at the Mona Visitors’ Lodge at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Campus, in Kingston. The programme provides a standard credential, the Professional Qualification for Principalship (PQP), to which the Ministry of Education and school Boards refer before authorising the hiring of principals of public schools.

JIS: Sixteen students, who attend non-traditional high schools across the island, have been rewarded for their outstanding performance in academics by the National Child Month Committee (NCMC).

 

The students, many of whom face various challenges, were feted at the NCMC’s annual Youth Academic Achievement Awards ceremony held on Wednesday (June 27) at The Knutsford Court Hotel in New Kingston.

 

They received gift baskets and certificates, book vouchers, plaques, among other things.

 

Chief Executive Officer of the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA), Rosalee Gage-Grey, who addressed the gathering said it was a pleasure to celebrate with the young people, who are being awarded for academic excellence, having attained five or more subjects at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) level in 2017.

 

“You have laboured long and hard, and now success is your reward,” she said.

 

“These youngsters, represented here today, are a signal of hope for a better Jamaica and a clear demonstration of resilience and perseverance despite the challenges faced,” she added.

 

Mrs. Gage-Grey said the CPFSA cares about the development of the nation’s children, and thus has remained a partner with the NCMC in the staging of the annual awards ceremony.

 

She encouraged the students to continue to pursue excellence. “As we congratulate and celebrate with you today, I want to implore you to continue the upward mobility in ensuring that you matriculate to higher education. This can only be achieved by staying focused,” she said.

 

Chairperson, NCMC, Dr. Pauline Mullings, said that the entity is committed to continuing the awards programme “because we are finding young people who are doing well academically. They have challenging situations, and they are involved in community service [and] giving back”.

 

“They are from non-traditional high schools… where many persons felt that they could not achieve. We set out to prove to our nation that we have young people who are excelling, who nobody knows, and so we decided that this is the route,” she added.

 

Britney Huie from Irwin High School in St. James and Emroy McKenzie from Kemps Hill High School in Clarendon, who were named the Top Girl and Top Boy, respectively, expressed gratitude for the recognition.

 

“I feel real good about being awarded today. My hard work and determination has paid off,” Britney told JIS News.

 

Emroy said he is “truly grateful for this award. I’ve worked really hard to overcome my challenges, and it feels good to be recognised”.

 

The other students honoured are Vernal Headley from Hopewell High in Hanover; Shadia Franklin from Troy High and Ramonia Downer from Albert Town High in Trelawny; Sadiki Lindsay from Aabuthnott Gallimore High in St. Ann; Janelle Hallwood from Port Antonio High in Portland; Dacia Dixon from Yallahs High in St. Thomas; Omarie Davis from Penwood High and Anthony Higgins from Tarrant High in St. Andrew; Tyra Hepburn from Bridgeport High in St. Catherine; Toriann Ellis from Denbigh High in Clarendon; Joshoy Stephens from May Day High and Jayda Morgan from Winston Jones High in Manchester; Deandrea Green from Roger Clarke High in St. Elizabeth and Deandra Smith from the Salvation Army School for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

 

The sponsors of the event are GraceKennedy Group, Kool Runnings Adventure Park, National Baking Company Foundation, Carlong Publishers (Caribbean) Limited, Chukka Foundation, Island Grill, and Insurance Company of the West Indies (ICWI).

 

CAPTION: Chief Executive Officer, Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA), Rosalee Gage-Grey (left), speaking with Britney Huie (second left) from Irwin High School in St. James and Emroy McKenzie from Kemps Hill High School in Clarendon, who were named the Top Girl and Top Boy respectively, at the National Child Month Committee’s (NCMC) Youth Academic Achievement Awards ceremony, held at The Knutsford Court Hotel in New Kingston on Wednesday (June 27). At left is Chairperson, NCMC, Dr. Pauline Mullings.

JIS: Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, has lauded this year’s recipients of the Prime Minister’s Medal of Appreciation for Service to Education for collectively giving more than 200 years of invaluable service to Jamaica.

 

Speaking at Wednesday’s (June 27) awards ceremony at Jamaica House, Mr. Holness said the 40 awardees are “most worthy” of the recognition bestowed on them.

 

“Your passion and ability to stir the intellectual curiosity of our students have seen them performing at the highest levels of excellence in national exams and in educational institutions across the globe. No matter what subject you teach, you are key to nurturing that ‘can do’ spirit that challenges and encourages our students to take risks, so that they can carve out their own pathway in the journey of lifelong learning,” he said.

 

Noting that no amount of medals or awards can adequately express the nation’s debt of gratitude for their sacrifice and dedication, Mr. Holness said the awards represent a “public thank you” for their extraordinary commitment to “shaping the lives and sharpening the minds of our children over these many decades”.

 

“I would like to congratulate (and) express my deep and sincere gratitude to you all for your contribution to nation-building. Our students’ lives and, indeed, my own have been enriched by your dedication and commitment. Education has a special place in my heart, and I’m very happy to share with you on this special occasion,” the Prime Minister added.

 

Mr. Holness also expressed the hope that teachers already retired will avail their collective experience and wisdom to the education system “as we work together to advance the welfare of our country”.

 

“As educators, be role models in demonstrating this love for lifelong learning for our students. Your examples of hard work and commitment to lifelong learning will continue to be an inspiration for years to come,” he added.

 

In his remarks, Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, said the awards are an acknowledgement of the teachers’ contribution to national development through education.

 

“Whether in the classroom or working in administration, you have helped to shape the character of students through the values imparted and in helping them to awaken dormant dreams and aspirations. The great joy we get as educators in seeing when they make good use of the opportunities that education presents is indescribable,” the Minister stated.

 

He noted that the teachers’ tremendous effort in training Jamaica’s future manpower is invaluable, adding that “your work and sacrifices have enabled many students, who might have otherwise given up on themselves to catch a vision of what they could have achieved, to apply themselves to accomplishing those goals”.

 

“Jamaica cannot honour you enough. But we are grateful that through this special ceremony, you are getting more public recognition for your dedication and service above self,” Senator Reid said.

 

For her part, Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) President, Georgia Waugh Richards, said the awardees are practitioners who “pride themselves in excellent delivery and commendable student outcomes”.

 

“This evening’s function is testament to the fact that your work and worth have not gone unnoticed. The JTA is very proud of all that you represent (and) I challenge you to continue to be the role models and beacons of hope in this great nation,” Mrs. Waugh Richards said.

 

The 40 honourees were chosen from 70 nominees who have served from the early childhood to tertiary levels of the education system, by virtue of gaining the highest points from the Prime Minister’s Medal of Appreciation Nomination Committee.

 

CAPTION: Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, presents Principal of St. Aloysius Primary School in Kingston, Althea Palmer, with the 2018 Prime Minister’s Medal of Appreciation for Service to Education. Ms. Palmer is one of 40 educators who were recognised this year. The presentations were made during Wednesday’s (June 27) awards ceremony at Jamaica House.

 

JIS: Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, is calling on teachers and other critical stakeholders in the education system to come together to enable the success of the Primary Exit Profile (PEP).

 

He made the appeal as he addressed the 2018 Prime Minister’s Medal of Appreciation for Service to Education awards ceremony at Jamaica House last evening (June 27).

 

PEP, which students will sit for the first time next year, replaces the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) as the national secondary-school placement examination. It is intended to provide an improved and more complete profile of students’ academic and critical-thinking capabilities at the end of primary-level education.

 

The Prime Minister said the exam aims to prepare Jamaica’s students for the 21st century “(by) moving from rote learning to developing their critical-thinking skills and abilities”.

 

Coupled with this, Mr. Holness noted, is recognition of the need to deepen support for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) without diluting the importance of the liberal arts and humanities.

 

“As educators, you have long been adept at making the connection between and among various subjects. This we must do to a greater degree to address realities,” he said.

 

The Prime Minister further noted that the National Standards Curriculum is moving the education system in the “right direction” and invited the teachers’ support, adding that “through this curriculum, we must be intentional in encouraging our students to make the connections”.

 

Forty teachers, who have collectively given over 200 years of service to education, were presented with awards during Wednesday’s ceremony.

 

The Prime Minister, in commending the award recipients, said that Jamaica’s teachers have been at the forefront of social change through their work, which has spanned generations.

 

He said that not only has this been manifested through personal behaviour, but also in their lobbying for students’ access to quality education and amendments to instructional delivery, including methods and materials used, in keeping with the rapid advancement in technology.

 

“You have continued to mould the characters of present and future generations” he added, “providing our children with a well-rounded education, developing in them a thirst for the academics, curiosity for learning, (and) a consciousness for their own responsibilities to their families, to their communities, and to their country”.

 

Mr. Holness emphasised the need for continued encouragement of the nation’s children to be imaginative and inventive, noting that “flexible thinking outside of existing norms will inspire us to do things in a different way… a much better way”.

 

He said it is against this background that the Administration continues to increase financial support for the early-childhood sector in order to lay the foundation on which the children’s minds “can be fed and nurtured for the different stages of their education”.

 

Mr. Holness said the nation’s teachers have been instrumental in the national focus towards transforming the education system to make it more adaptable to 21st century requirements.

 

He said that Jamaica has “come a far way and made good progress”.

 

“We have seen notable improvements in national exams at the primary level and in school administration. We have engaged in much dialogue to reach a common understanding of what needs to be done,” he pointed out.

 

He emphasised the need to “build on the achievements and continue to work to nurture our students, so that they can be innovative, creative, confident persons… ready to take on the challenges of their generation”.

 

CAPTION: Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen (7th right, front row), Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (centre, front row), and Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (7th left), with recipients of the 2018 Prime Minister’s Medal of Appreciation for Service to Education, at the award ceremony held at Jamaica House on Wednesday (June 27). Sharing in the occasion are: State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green (5th left); Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dean-Roy Bernard (6th right); South Manchester Member of Parliament, Michael Stewart (6th left), representing Opposition Leader, Dr. Peter Phillips; and Jamaica Teacher’s Association President, Georgia Waugh Richards (5th right).

GLEANER: The fears of parents, teachers and children that the Primary Exit Profile Examination (PEP) would interrogate primary-school children’s knowledge of foreign language has been allayed by the Ministry of Education, whose officials say that is not an area for testing in 2019.

 

PEP, which will replace the Grade Six Achievement Test, was widely expected to gauge students’ ability in a foreign language, reportedly Spanish. Schools, mainly in the rural parishes, expressed fears that their children would be at significant disadvantage, as the teachers have no training in Spanish or any other foreign language.

 

Responding to questions on the issue during a Gleaner Editors’ Forum on Monday, the ministry’s representatives put the matter to rest.

 

“As part of the curriculum, we recognise that different subject areas will provide a different kind of experience for the children. So, we group these disciplines based on the kind of experience they [students] will get.

 

“When you talk about the foreign-language component, it is treated as part of the enrichment experience for the children. So, they will not be assessed when they are doing their national examination on foreign language,” explained Clover Hamilton-Flowers, assistant chief education officer with responsibility for core curriculum.

 

Continuing, she said: “But by allowing them to interact in settings through games and songs at the early years contributes to language development. As they get older, when we allow them to interact in these ways, it becomes much easier for them than later on when they want to embark on a career pathway and they want to specialise in languages.

 

“At that stage, they are struggling. So, the idea is not that they will be writing a foreign-language examination for PEP, but it would be part of the experience they will get through play,” said Hamilton-Flowers.

 

[email protected]

 

CAPTION: Dr Clover Hamilton-Flowers

GLEANER: The performance task component of the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) seeks to minimise parental interference and allow students to apply analytical skills to make sense of the world around them through projects.

 

“… We are aware that many times, the projects that children get at the primary level is actually the parents’ projects. We see them [parents] going to school with them. We see the parents at the office getting all different kinds of things to assist them,” Dr Grace McLean, chief education officer, told a Gleaner Editors’ Forum on Monday.

 

Performance tasks will be administered during grades four and five during the summer and Christmas terms in grade six. Students will do performance tasks in language arts and mathematics in grades four and six and all four subjects, which include science and social studies in grade five.

 

She explained, “The performance task may involve, for example, a field trip to a corner shop in Brompton or Marley Hill or Sturge Town, and so on, while in Kingston, it may be a supermarket.”

 

The chief education officer noted that the students would examine the processes at play and then discuss links to principles they have learned in a particular subject.

 

McLean continued: “Now, when the teacher is satisfied that he or she would have generated enough discussion and there is some understanding in terms of the fundamental principles, then there will be a particular day when the students will be allowed to answer some specific questions … .”

 

The scripts will be collected and marked by select teachers in a standardised manner, similar to the process employed for the communication task in the Grade Six Achievement Test.

 

Terry-Ann Thomas Gayle, manager of the Student Assessment Unit at the education ministry, explained that the scoring for the performance task during the three years represents 20 per cent of the overall grade.

 

She outlined that parents would be able to request a review and an independent panel will rescore the script. There is a quality assurance framework to detect and address irregularities.

 

In addition to the performance tasks, the curriculum-based tests, consisting solely of grade six content, will account for 50 per cent of a student’s grade and the ability test has a weight of 30 per cent.

 

[email protected]

 

CAPTION ONE: Terry-Ann Thomas Gayle, manager, Student Assessment Unit, Minister of Education, Youth and Information.

CAPTION TWO: Dr Grace McLean, chief education officer, Ministry of Education, Youth and Information