JIS: The Youth Employment in the Digital Animation Industry (YEDAI) Project has been relocated to the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) as part of a strategic move aimed at accelerating the growth of the local animation industry.

 

Formerly housed in the Ministry of Science, Energy and Technology, the project seeks to foster innovation and support youth employment in animation.

 

State Minister for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, said the decision was made to transfer the project “because we believe that under the OPM, which is focused on economic growth and job creation, we need to bring in all our strategic resources”.

 

“We have also put the HEART Trust/NTA under OPM; we have aligned that with our HOPE programme, which is focused on youth unemployment,” he noted.

 

“Now that we have all of these resources housed under the OPM with the attention and direction at the highest level of Government, we expect that the bureaucratic issues will be moved out as we see how we can get our animation industry right across the length and breadth of Jamaica,” he added.

 

Mr. Green was addressing stakeholders on the opening of the two-day Jamaica Digital Screen Business Conference at the Spanish Court Hotel in New Kingston on May 24.

 

Organised by the World Bank/Korean Trust Fund in collaboration with Youth Employment, the conference created an interface for industry-focused dialogue among business owners, policymakers, industry experts, academics and other animation stakeholders.

 

Discussion focused on matters relating to intellectual property rights, creating a regulatory framework for the local animation industry, certification and standards for training programmes, and incentive schemes for investors and animation studios/businesses.

 

The event was in keeping with the Government’s focus on supporting youth employment, innovation and entrepreneurship in the digital and animation industries in Jamaica.

 

State Minister Green noted that the 11 youth information centres (YIC) across the island will be transformed into innovation centres, which, he said, “will focus a lot more on the digital economy.” The first Youth Innovation Centre is slated to open on May 31 in Westmoreland.

 

“We have already received support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) (to ensure) that we have the necessary technology, equipment and software installed into our centres,” he said.

 

He noted that more rural youth will benefit from training in animation as part of the Government’s thrust to equip over 6,000 persons with such skills.

 

Meanwhile, Mr. Green said he wants to see more animation used in the communication of Government programmes and policies similar to the iCat character used by the Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica in its public education initiatives.

 

He said his Ministry has begun exploring ways to make this possible.

 

In his remarks, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Jamaica, Ambassador Young Gyu Lee, said his country has been supporting Jamaica’s animation sector through the Korea Trust Fund (KTF)/World Bank partnership.

 

“A Jamaican delegation, including animators, visited Korea for idea sharing and consultation and participation in internship programmes. Korean animation specialists also came to Jamaica to assist in training programmes for some Jamaicans,” he noted.

 

The Korean Ambassador indicated that his country “thinks of Jamaica as a valuable cooperative partner and will continue to pay attention to its development in animation”.

 

He expressed the hope that the conference will enable the sharing of insights “so that Jamaica gets more ideas for animation development”.

 

World Bank Co-Task Team Leader for the YEDAI Project, Karlene Francis, in her remarks noted that her agency has been partnering with Jamaica on initiatives to grow animation, including the annual KingstOOn Animation Conference and Film Festival.

 

For her part, YEDAI Project Manager, Margery Newsome, urged participants to take full advantage of the conference, as it will enhance “collective knowledge and understanding of  global animation and take us closer to achieving our goal of building the local industry”.

 

CAPTION: State Minister for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green (second right), observes as cosplayer, Rhea Rampair, demontrates her portrayal of Soraka, the Starchild from the videogame League of Legends. Occasion was the opening day of the two-day Jamaica Digital Screen Business Conference, at the Spanish Court Hotel in New Kingston, on May 24. Others from (second left) are Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Jamaica, Ambassador Young Gyu Lee and World Bank’s Co-Task Team Leader for the Youth Employment in the Digital Animation Industry (YEDAI) Project, Karlene Francis.

JIS: The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information will administer two sets of mock Performance Task tests as students are being prepared to transition from the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) to the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examination, beginning in 2019.

 

On June 18 and 19, students who are currently in grade five at the primary level and will be the first cohort to sit PEP in 2019, will do the mock test. Meanwhile, students who are now in grade four will do their test on June 22.

 

Addressing a JIS ‘Think Tank’, today (May 24), Manager of the Student Assessment Unit in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Terry-Ann Thomas Gayle, said the mock test seeks to sensitise and relax students as they prepare for PEP.

 

Grade-five students, who will transition into grade six in September 2018, will do the mock Performance Task test in Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies and Science. The grade-four students, who will transition to grade five come September, will do the Performance Task test in Language Arts and Mathematics.

 

“We have been preparing our teachers and the education system on a whole to be familiar with this assessment,” Mrs. Thomas Gayle said.

 

“Grade-four and -five teachers have been trained to interpret curriculum objectives, how to write assessments at the formative level (classroom level) to develop the critical-thinking skills,” she added.

 

Unlike GSAT, students will not only be assessed on content, but emphasis will be placed on the extent to which students are able to use their knowledge of content and skills they developed to solve problems.

 

Coming out of a 2004 Task Force on Educational Reform Report, it was recommended that the Jamaican education system embark on a radical transformation process to equip its citizens with the necessary skills and competencies that will give them a competitive advantage in the global marketplace.

 

The PEP will provide a profile of where students are academically, their strengths and weaknesses and their readiness for grade seven at the secondary level.

 

CAPTION: Manager of the Student Assessment Unit at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information , Terry-Ann Thomas Gayle (centre), addresses JIS ‘Think Tank’ today (May 24). Also taking part are Assistant Chief Education Officer at the Core Curriculum Unit in the Ministry, Dr. Clover Hamilton-Flowers (right), and Senior Education Officer, Maryah Ho-Young.

GLEANER: Education Minister Ruel Reid has indicated that greater effort is to be placed on educating children in their most “absorptive years” through reading programmes, which would, in the long term, help to steer the country away from the infestation of crime.

 

Speaking yesterday at the launch of the Early Grade Reading Conference at the Terra Nova Hotel in St Andrew, Reid said that he would have to redirect the mandate of the Early Childhood Commission to focus on the zero-to-three age group in order to bring about the needed change in the country’s construct.

 

The Early Grade Reading Conference is set for September 27 under the theme ‘Get Reading, Right From the Start!’ at the The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston. It will feature workshops and presentations, a kiddies’ village, and several display booths.

 

The conference will be hosted by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Latin America and the Caribbean READS Capacity Programme.

 

“Reading is very critical and fundamental to furthering the success in the education system, and while we have institutions such as the Early Childhood Commission, I will have to redirect their mandate because if we are going to be successful, we will have to focus on the zero-to-three age group,” he stated.

 

KEY STAGE OF LIFE

 

 Reid said that the first 1,000 days of a child’s life are the most important and that his ministry was keen on making the policy the foundation on which the education system is reconstructed.

 

“We need to continually ramp up all the various aspects of early stimulation, and early reading is critical to that process,” he added.

 

Andrew Coburn, the acting mission director for USAID, Jamaica, said that the agency continues to partner with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information to improve early grade reading in most primary schools across the country.

 

“The agency has been successful in raising the performance of boys, introducing assessment tools used by teachers, and empowering youth to grasp the opportunities provided by institutions to give them tools for success in the world of work,” said Coburn.

 

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CAPTION: Ruel Reid (left), minister of education, youth, and information, is being congratulated by Nicandro Juarez (right), president of Juarez and Associates, USA, shortly after giving the keynote address at the media launch of the Early Grade Reading Conference at the Terra Nova Hotel in Kingston on Tuesday.

JIS: State Minister for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, says that the Government continues to explore ways to enable greater youth participation in decision-making at the national level.

 

He said that in addition to reinstating the National Youth Parliament two years ago, 16 youth advisors have been appointed, who have sat on the policy decision-making  boards for the National Identification System (NIDS), reform of the Sexual Offences Act, and the Road Traffic Act, among others.

 

He noted that the National Youth Policy, which was revised last year, has among its objectives “that we must maximise youth participation in the decision-making process”.

 

The National Youth Policy outlines and explores areas for action and indicates six priority areas – education and training; health and well-being; employment and entrepreneurship; youth participation; social inclusion and reintegration; and institutional and youth sector arrangements.

 

The Education State Minister, who has responsibility for youth, was speaking at the launch of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) U-Report at The Knutsford Court Hotel in New Kingston on May 22.

 

The free social-messaging tool provides a platform for young people to add their voices to matters of national importance.

 

Used globally by over five million people in more than 40 countries, U-Report is youth-led and fosters genuine youth participation, allowing them to speak out on issues affecting them.

 

The initiative is the first of its kind in the English-speaking Caribbean and targets young people between the ages of 13 and 29, who can sign up to be U-Reporters via social media platforms Facebook and Twitter.

 

Telecommunications giant Flow has partnered with UNICEF to allow young people to sign up via SMS text messaging at no cost to Flow users.

 

Once registered, U-Reporters are sent polls regularly on a wide range of issues, including crime and violence, health and education.

 

Mr. Green welcomed the launch, noting that it aligns with the Government’s plans for youth involvement.

 

He said that U-Report will serve as a tool for guiding decision-makers as well as justify implementation of policies for the benefit of young people.

 

Meanwhile, National U-Report Coordinator, Christopher Harper, informed that the platform’s accompanying website will allow the public to view the data collected from what young people are saying.

 

He noted that U-Report will provide an opportunity to hold the authorities accountable.

 

“If we’re getting the responses in high numbers… we now have an avenue to say ‘how are you responding to the findings’?” he pointed out.

 

UNICEF Jamaica Representative, Mark Connolly, for his part, said the tool will keep discussions ongoing among youth and enable the sharing of solutions to problems affecting them.

 

In a case study provided by UNICEF, over 3,000 U-Reporters in Chile in 2015 were asked what they thought the top priority for teens should be, and sex education emerged as important.  As a result, focus was shifted to give sex education precedence.

 

Executive Chairman of the Flow Foundation, Errol Miller, expressed support for the platform and noted that “by giving young people a voice they can take their rightful place in society as agents of change”.

 

CAPTION: State Minister for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green (third left) takes a selfie with United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Jamaica Representative, Mark Connolly (second left), and students from the Norman Manley High School following the launch of the UNICEF free social-messaging tool, U-Report, at The Knutsford Court Hotel in New Kingston on May 22.

JIS: The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information is working with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security to reach more children with special needs.

 

Education Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, who spoke with JIS News at the official opening of the $70-million Stimulation-Plus Early Childhood Centre in Rockfort, Kingston, on Friday (May 18), said the collaboration will ensure that all children who suffer from various disabilities or challenges receive the necessary early-intervention services.

 

He said he has requested data from the Social Security Ministry to ascertain the number of underserved children across the island. “We need to have that data, so we have everybody accounted for,” he noted.

 

Minister Reid is encouraging parents not to be ashamed if their children have any kind of disability, noting that “it is just how God made them, and we need to give them more love and care, so that they can become independent adults”.

 

He pointed out that with adequate early stimulation they can make a meaningful contribution to society.

 

“Your child may be born with these challenges, but, with support, they can make something good of themselves,” the Minister said.

 

Executive Director of the Early Stimulation Programme (ESP), Antonica Gunter Gayle, said the partnership between the two Ministries is welcome, as many more children will be reached.

 

“This data that is requested by the Minister is important in order for us to provide for them. Children with special needs have potential; they only need the opportunity. We ask that parents give them support to become the best that they can be,” Mrs. Gunter Gayle said.

 

The Stimulation-Plus Early Childhood Centre, operated by the ESP, comprises seven classrooms, administrative offices, sickbay, physiotherapy room and specialised play area, among other amenities.

 

It was built through funding from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (seated third right), observes as student at the Stimulation-Plus Early Childhood Centre, Aidane Lawrence (third left), completes a puzzle. Also looking on (from left) are Managing Director of the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), Omar Sweeney; Executive Director of the Early Stimulation Programme (ESP), Antonica Gunter Gayle; Chief of Operations at the Inter-American Bank (IDB), Adriana La Valley; and State Minister in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Zavia Mayne. Occasion was the official opening of the $70-million centre in Rockfort, Kingston, on May 18. 

JIS: The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information will be intensifying its outreach for the ‘Zero-to-Three’ initiative, at an Early Grade Reading Conference to be held in the first month of the next academic year.

 

The launch of the conference, which is to be held on Thursday, September 27, took place at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in St. Andrew on Tuesday (May 22).

 

Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, said the conference will assist the Government to strengthen the ‘Zero-to-Three’ initiative and expose early-childhood educators to expert reading practices, which they will, in return, expose to the infants.

 

He cited a recent World Bank study which says that during the first few years of a child’s life, approximately 700 neural connections are formed every second.

 

“These connections are dictated by the interplay of a baby’s genetics, environment and experiences, especially the child’s interactions with adults. These are the connections that build brain architecture, the foundation upon which all later learning and behaviour depend,” the study said.

 

The Minister also noted that the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said that the first 1,000 days of life, the time spanning roughly between conception and one’s second birthday, is a unique period of opportunity when the foundations of optimum health, growth and neurodevelopment across the lifespan are established.

 

“Thus, this time period harbours the greatest opportunity to provide optimal nutrition to ensure normal development and also the time of greatest brain vulnerability to any nutrient deficit,” Mr. Reid said.

 

“If we do not catch our children during these first 1,000 days, many of them will fail,” he added.

 

Acting Mission Director, United States Aency for International Development (USAID) Jamaica, Mr. Andrew Colburn, said his organisation is pleased to be partnering with Jamaica to host this conference in September and to be present at its launch.

 

“USAID Jamaica is pleased to share in this exciting event to build the awareness with stakeholders…  .The launch of this Reading Conference is an opportunity to ground the endorsement of the stakeholders, and also to create more enthusiasm in the wider public domain for reading,” Mr. Colburn said.

 

He added that the USAID is pleased to be one of the foremost international development partners to have assisted the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information to improve early-grade reading in most of the primary schools across the island.

 

His organisation will continue to assist through the USAID/Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) Reads Capacity Programme, which seeks to increase the impact, scale and sustainability of early-grade-reading interventions in the Latin American and the Caribbean region.

 

The USAID/LAC Reads Capacity Programme is coordinated by the American Institute for Research, in association with Juárez and Associates and has been implemented in Jamaica by EduConnect Jamaica Limited (EduConnectJA).

 

To sustain effective early-grade literacy (EGL) initiatives, USAID/LAC Reads Capacity Programme and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information will also collaborate with other stakeholders in the early childhood sector to get buy-in and establish an EGL Community of Practice in order to create a ‘think tank’, share business success and evidence based research, and develop innovative materials.

 

The Conference will be hosted by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, the USAID, EduConnectJA and the LAC Reads Capacity Programme, at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston under the theme ‘Get reading, right from the start’.

 

CAPTION: Early Grade Reading Conference 1: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, addresses the launch of the Early Grade Reading Conference at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in St. Andrew on Tuesday (May 22).

JIS: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid says his Ministry will be working with the police to re-introduce the truancy officer programme in schools.

 

This, he said, is to ensure that all children are accounted for at all times which will lessen the likelihood of them being recruited by gangs or become involved in criminal activities.

 

“No child should be left behind, because if we fail to do that, all we are doing is leaving them to be taken over by the gangsters,” he said.

 

The Minister was addressing the first in a series of anti-gang workshops at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston on May 18.

 

Mr. Reid said the programme “is something that we have to put back in place” to ensure that once students are at the age for school, they must be attending school regularly.

 

The Education Minister stressed that students found to be out of school must be able to account for why they are not attending school regularly.

 

In the meantime, Mr. Reid noted that the education system must be the avenue through which troubled youth can lead a more purposeful life and transition out of a life of crime.

 

“We are saying that those who themselves are involved in organized crime, there is now an opportunity for you to come out, be trained, be skilled, be empowered, put down the guns, put down the crime, and let Jamaica be a crime free country,” he stressed.

 

For his part, Acting Commander of the Counter Terrorism and Organized Crime Branch, Superintendent of Police Anthony McLaughlin, said the police is serious about dismantling gangs and welcomes working with the Education Ministry to achieve this feat.

 

He noted that the partnership with the Education Ministry is important, as the Ministry is seeking to go beyond what the police does in addressing the symptoms of criminal gang activities, to tackle the root causes.

 

“In dismantling the gangs, if we do not try to attack the root cause of the problem, then we will always be trying to dismantle gangs,” he said.

 

Noting that there are over 250 active gangs which account for between 60 to 70 per cent of homicides yearly, SSP McLaughlin said he was pleased that the workshop participants will be given the tools and knowledge to help steer students away from gangs and gang activities.

 

“We are not saying that gangs are in schools, but a large number of the students are impacted by gang activities and the gangs are out there recruiting these youngsters and we have to know what we are dealing with in terms of these children coming into school when we see the anti-social behaviours, we must know the signs we are to look for,” he said.

 

Research has shown that gangs recruit children as young as age eight.

 

The six anti-gang workshops scheduled, are being staged by the Safety and Security Unit of the Education Ministry. They are geared towards providing school personnel with the necessary skills to reduce the vulnerability of stakeholders to a range of potential threats.

 

One key issue the workshops will address is the formation of gangs and the effect on home, school, the community and by extension Jamaica.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (second right) emphasises a point to (from left): Permanent Secretary in the Education Ministry, Dean-Roy Bernard; Director of Safety and Security in Schools, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Coleridge Minto; Detective Inspector Clifton Green of the Gang Unit of the Counter Terrorism and Organized Crime Branch (C-TOC); and Acting Commander of C-TOC, Superintendent of Police Anthony McLaughlin. Occasion was the launch of the first in a series of anti-gang workshops at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston on Friday (May 18).

JIS: The Government has allocated $50 million for the installation of wheelchair ramps at public educational institutions across the island, with the work to start on Labour Day, May 23 at the St Ann’s Bay Infant School in St Ann.

 

State Minister for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, said that two schools in each of the island’s 63 constituencies will be retrofitted with ramps to facilitate improved access by children with disabilities.

 

He said that, in total, 126 institutions will be equipped with the amenities for the 2018/19 financial year.

 

Minister Green was speaking to JIS News at the launch of the Nathan Ebanks Foundation’s second annual Family Expo and Special Needs Resource Fair on Tuesday (May 15) at the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation in Kingston.

 

The building of wheelchair ramps at public schools is one of the national areas of focus for Labour Day under the theme ‘Ramp it Up – Fix it Up’. The other is on the upgrading of health centres to improve the environment for staff and patients.

 

“We are taking a targeted approach with our Labour Day project, which is a collaboration of the Ministries of Education and Health,” Mr. Green said.

 

“We want to say to our communities that we need to make our educational facilities accessible to persons with disabilities. The drive is to look at our schools, especially those at the lower levels – early-childhood institutions and primary schools,” he added.

 

Data from the National Education Trust (NET), which is the implementing entity for the project to install ramps in schools, indicate that of Jamaica’s 971 public infant, primary and high schools, and over 2,000 early-childhood institutions, only 138 primary and high schools are fitted with ramps.

 

Meanwhile, Founder/President of the Nathan Ebanks Foundation, Christine Staple-Ebanks, is encouraging members of the public to support the fair.

 

A National Child Month calendar activity, the event seeks to connect education, health and social services for children with special needs and their families.

 

“It is with great excitement that we stage this year’s Family Expo and Special Needs Resource Fair to bring together what is available and to connect families with these resources,” Mrs. Staple-Ebanks said.

 

Under the theme ‘Healthy Choices, Healthy Families, Healthy Children’, the fair will be held on May 26 at the Hope Botanical Gardens in Kingston. It will feature booths providing information about community resources to address disabilities and special needs, developmental red flags, child safety and protection, and health and wellness.

 

Free services, including developmental and academic screening, dental care and health checks will be provided as well. Admission is free.

 

The Family Expo and Special Needs Resource Fair involves collaboration with the Adaptation Programme and Financing Mechanism for the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience in Jamaica.

 

CAPTION: State Minister for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green (right), speaking at the launch of the second annual Nathan Ebanks Foundation Family Expo and Special Needs Resource Fair on Tuesday (May 15) at the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation in Kingston. Looking on is Founder/President of the Nathan Ebanks Foundation, Christine Staple-Ebanks.

JIS: Over 900 board members representing 489 public educational institutions participated in training sessions conducted by the National Council on Education (NCE).

 

The NCE is a statutory body under the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information (MOEYI) responsible for the training of school board members, in collaboration with the National College for Educational Leadership (NCEL).

 

Executive Director of the NCE, Merris Murray, told JIS News that the training sessions, which were held during the period January to March, are legal requirements under the Education Act and Regulations and the NCE Act of 1993.

 

“The school board members occupy the highest level of authority within schools, and are responsible for the governance machinery,” she noted, adding that it is critical that these persons are aware of what the thrust of the Ministry is and what their responsibilities are in ensuring that schools are effectively governed.

 

The participants were exposed to various aspects of school management and governance, which include Legal and Regulatory Framework Governing School Operations; Administrative/Human Resources Management; Fiduciary Responsibilities with special emphasis on Financial Management; Promoting Positive School Ethos, and Conflict Management and Resolution.

 

Ms. Murray explained that the purpose of the workshops was to increase board members’ knowledge and understanding of educational issues and governance procedures, as well as to equip them with the necessary skills and expertise in order that they may carry out their work more effectively.

 

“We hope that the information shared will not only deepen school board members’ understanding of their role and responsibilities, but that it will also impact student outcomes in a positive way,” she said.

 

According to Ms Murray, the training was well received, and some of the participants indicated that they are now better equipped to go back to their schools to impact the education process.

 

“Some felt that the information shared in terms of promoting positive ethos was very critical, because it is important that they know what their roles and functions are, so that they can carry them out in keeping with the law, and impact student outcomes positively,” she said.

 

Research has shown that where schools are effectively managed and governed, they are better able to meet the needs of students in a holistic way. School boards are made up of representatives from student councils, academia, administrative and clerical staff, principals, church and Trust schools as well as council nominees.

 

The training covered the Ministry’s Regions Three, Four, Five and Six. Come September 2018, school Board members in Regions One and Two will begin training.

 

CAPTION: Executive Director of the National Council on Education (NCE), Merris Murray. 

JIS: Students and staff at the Stimulation-Plus Early Childhood Development Centre, located at Ostend Close, in Rockfort, Eastern Kingston, are now benefiting from the $75.79 million expansion of the institution’s facilities.

 

The development centre which was officially opened during a ceremony held on May 18, is comprised of seven classrooms and bathrooms, administrative offices, sick bay, Physiotherapy room, Caretaker cottage and a Specialized Play Area.

 

Currently, the centre accommodates 126 children with disabilities and with this expansion funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the centre will now be able to increase the facilities enrolment by at least 40 percent in numbers and thus cater to more children with disabilities on the waiting list.

 

Speaking at the opening, State Minister in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Zavia Mayne said the facility is a symbol of the Government’s commitment to children, especially those with development disabilities.

 

“Each of our children deserve access to a learning environment that caters to (their) total development, a learning environment which allows each one to unlock his/her potential,” Mr. Mayne said.

 

He added that the Ministry will continue to support children with special needs at every stage of their educational journey, while at the same time equipping their parents, guardians, and caregivers.

 

“I implore parents to support the Early Stimulation Plus staff, and to reinforce what is done throughout the day, in your respective homes,” the State Minister said.

 

Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, and Chief of Operations at the IDB, Adriana La Valley, were among officials who participated in the ceremony.

 

CAPTION: State Minister in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Zavia Mayne (right), is assisted by Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (2nd right), in cutting the ribbon to officially open the newest building of the Stimulation Plus Early Childhood Development Centre located at Ostend Close, in Rockfort, Eastern Kingston during a ceremony on May 18. Sharing in the moment from left are: Chief Technical Director in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Audrey Deer Williams, and Director, Early Stimulation Programme, Antonica Gunter-Gayle. Also pictured are students of the school and other officials.