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Education Minister Wants Infant Department in Every Primary School

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JIS: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says he intends to establish an Infant Department at each primary school that is currently operating without one.

 

Speaking with JIS News during a visit to Jack’s Hill Primary School in St. Andrew on Monday (January 15), Senator Reid said it is imperative for all primary schools to have an Infant Department attached, and to ensure that it is operating based on the 12 operating standards outlined by the Early Childhood Commission.

 

He said the Infant Department at Jack’s Hill Primary School is a good example of what he hopes to see being operated at each primary school.

 

“This is the kind of standard that we are promoting. I’m very happy to see this particular environment well used. The facility looks very conducive to our precious infants, and I know that good work is being done here. This is the kind of environment we are trying to promote within our public schools,” the Minister said.

 

“The Early Childhood Commission has been pushing this with 12 standards (staffing, developmental/educational programmes, interactions and relationships with children, physical environment, indoor and outdoor equipment, health, nutrition, safety, child rights, interactions with parents and community members, administration and finance), so when we look at the facilities for infant schools, they are now similar to private institutions,” he told JIS News.

 

Senator Reid said the Ministry has started renovating some Infant Departments at primary schools across Jamaica as well as implementing some.

 

“We are using money from the Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Education (CHASE) Fund to help establish these Infant Departments,” he said.

 

The purpose of the Minister’s visit was to announce that the Ministry has approved $10 million in the next financial year, to pave a roadway leading to the school and to construct a perimeter fence.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (second left), speaks with (from left) teacher, infant department at Jack’s Hill Primary School, Shawn Thompson; the school’s Board Chairman, Jermain Nairne; and Principal, Duane Forbes, during his visit to the school in St. Andrew on January 15.

Additional Support for Jack’s Hill Primary

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JIS: The Jack’s Hill Primary School in rural St. Andrew is to benefit from additional support from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information.

 

Portfolio Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, has committed to provide $10 million for infrastructural works.

 

“We want to ensure that the perimeter of the school is enclosed. We want to approve $10 million, starting the next financial year, to do that plus pave the roadway coming down [and] to improve the environment of the school,” he said, during a visit to the school in rural St. Andrew on Monday, January 15.

 

He informed that additional teaching support will be provided for the institution, which consists of grades two and three as a merged class, and grades four, five and six as another class.

 

“I have also approved for them to get a teacher assistant, because this is a multi-grade school, which means there are several grades of students in one class to be taught by one teacher. That is very challenging, but, nonetheless, this is a good environment to learn to teach and practise your craft,” Mr. Reid noted.

 

The Education Minister said he would like to see greater use of technology in the classroom.

 

“That would help in the case of differentiating instructions. As a teacher, we could have students in the different grades doing different activities at a different time on their devices. That is something that we would like to work with the principal on,” he noted.

 

The Education Minister hailed the institution, which has an infant department, on achieving the Early Childhood Commission standards. He commended the well-kept classrooms as well as the availability of adequate educational tools for the students.

 

Minister of Justice and Member of Parliament for North East St. Andrew, Hon. Delroy Chuck, who was also on the tour, thanked the Minister for the support.

 

He said the improvements to be undertaken will transform the school and motivate more parents to send their children to the institution.

 

“This is a very small school, and it can be expanded. A lot of the students who could come here are actually going down further into Barbican. We are hoping that the population will increase when we improve the facilities here, and, with that, I’m sure the school can continue to serve the Jack’s Hill community even better. It is a good school and they’ve had quite a few successes, but we are hoping that it will continue to improve,” Mr. Chuck said.

 

Principal of Jack’s Hill Primary School, Duane Forbes, added his words of gratitude.

 

“I am really and truly blessed. I’m just anticipating blessings… . I’m truly grateful for the visit. I know that the community of Jack’s Hill will benefit in the long run, and we do this not for the likes but for the love,” Mr. Forbes told JIS News.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, interacting with grade-one students at Jack’s Hill Primary School in rural St. Andrew during his visit on Monday, January 15.

Gov’t Provides Counselling, Relief Supplies in Wake of Fire

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JIS: The Government is providing counselling and relief supplies for children and staff of the Walker’s Place of Safety in Kingston, following a massive fire Monday night (January 15) that claimed the lives of two children.

 

State Minister for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, told JIS News this morning (January 16) that the other 34 children and staff have been temporarily relocated to a nearby church, and arrangements have been made for the delivery of supplies.

 

“The Walker’s Place of Safety was completely destroyed by fire late last night. The loss is quite devastating as two children died in the fire. Steps are being taken to contact the parents and to start counselling for them,” he told JIS News.

 

He said that counselling is being provided for the displaced children and staff because, “as you can imagine, they are completely devastated”.

 

He noted that “the priority now is to guide them through this difficult time and ensure that we get the essential items that they need. We have already started to get critical supplies, such as medication for those children who are ill. We are moving now to find a suitable location, so that we can move the children and ensure that they are more comfortable”.

 

Mr. Green said investigations have been launched to determine the cause of the blaze, which destroyed the privately owned facility located on Lyndhurst Road.

 

It serves as a transitional residence for children, generally up to 12 years old, who have been abandoned or removed from their homes because of unstable conditions.

 

“The fire service has also commenced their investigation. We are awaiting their report. The Child Protection and Family Services Agency will also do their own investigation to see what transpired,” Mr. Green told JIS News.

 

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

Grade Four Test results in rural schools show literacy surpassing numeracy

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OBSERVER: The percentage mastery figures for the better-performing rural schools across 12 parishes in the 2017 Grade Four Literacy and Numeracy tests are highlighted below.

 

Schools with very low school and grade four enrolment (under 30 students), while possibly achieving mastery of up to 100 per cent, were not included in this report.

 

ST THOMAS

 

Lyssons Primary, with 88.6 per cent mastery, performed best in the parish in the 2017 Grade Four Numeracy Test, while Trinityville Primary (73%) performed second best.

 

In literacy, high performers were again Lyssons (98.7%), followed by Port Morant (89.7%), Airy Castle (86.5%), Grants Pen (85.1%), Trinityville (84.2%), Duckenfield (83.5%) and Yallahs Primary (82.8%).

 

 

 

ST MARY

With 75.4 per cent of its 80 grade four students attaining mastery in the Grade Four Numeracy Test, Retreat Primary is the top St Mary School for 2017. Following behind is Free Hill (68.3%), Port Maria (65.4%), Goshen (63.3%), Boscobel (62.5%), Oracabessa (61.3%), and Labyrinth (61.1%).

 

In the Grade Four Literacy Test, performance was much better, with Water Valley Primary topping at 96.2 per cent, followed by Retreat (92.8%), Free Hill (89.7%), Clonmel (87.8%), Highgate (85.3%), Mount Angus (85.2%), Boscobel (84.8%), Port Maria (84.4%), Labyrinth (83.8%), and Goshen (80%).

 

 

 

ST ANN

 

In the Grade Four Numeracy Test, Lime Hall Primary (90.6%) and Servite Primary (88.5%) were the top performers, while in literacy, Beecher Town Primary with its 30 grade four students clocked 100 per cent mastery, followed by Lime Hall (90.3%), Charlton (82.4%) and Moneague (81.5%).

 

 

 

ST JAMES

 

In the Grade Four Numeracy Test, Howard Cooke (86.5%) was the top performer, with Bogue Hill and Corinaldi following with 83.3 per cent mastery each.

 

In literacy, Bogue Hill All-Age, with 97.3 per cent mastery, led the parish, followed by Howard Cooke (96.6%), Corinaldi (95.5%), Chetwood (94.4%), Springfield (93.8%), Success (93.2%), and Barracks Road (90.9%).

 

HANOVER

 

In the Grade Four Numeracy Test, top-performing schools were Riverside All-Age (73.3%), Lucea Primary (69.6%) and Esher Primary (61.5%).

 

For literacy, top scorers were Riverside (96.7%), Cave Valley (96.3%), and Lucea (90.4%).

 

 

 

WESTMORELAND

 

In the Grade Four Numeracy Test, top performers were Mount Airy (82.2%), Unity (77.4%), and Peggy Barry (73.9%).

 

In literacy, the 55 grade four students at Mount Airy scored 100 per cent mastery, followed by Unity Primary (91.7%) and Peggy Barry (91.3%).

 

 

 

ST ELIZABETH

 

In the Grade Four Numeracy Test, Glen Stuart (77%), Lacovia (74.1%), Goshen (73.3%), Mayfield (71.1%), Bull Savannah (70.7%) and Black River (70.3%) were top performers.

 

For literacy, top performers were Glen Stuart (95.4%) and Crawford (94.4%).

 

 

 

MANCHESTER

 

Frankfield Primary and Junior High had 100 per cent mastery for their 37 grade four students in the Grade Four Numeracy tests, with the next nearest schools being Ramble (85.7%), McIntosh (84.2%), Christiana Leased (81.6%) and New Forest (81.3%).

 

In literacy, Frankfield again had mastery for all its students, followed closely by New Green and McIntosh, both with 95.7 per cent. Other top performing schools were Christiana Leased (92.2%) and Villa Road (90.7%).

 

PORTLAND

 

In the Grade Four Literacy Test, Boston Primary had perfect scores for its 36 grade four students, and Hope Bay All-Age followed next at 91.3 per cent mastery.

 

For numeracy, Hope Bay was on top, with 87 per cent of students achieving mastery.

 

 

 

ST CATHERINE

 

In the Grade Four Literacy Test, Kensington and Angels had 100 per cent mastery, with other top- performing schools being Greater Portmore (99.5%), Southborough (96.3%), Ewarton (95.6%), Portsmouth (95.4%), St Catherine (95.3%), Ascot (95.2%), Waterford (93.6%), Jericho (91.5%) and Marlie Mount (90.8%).

 

In numeracy, Kensington was the top performer with 99 per cent mastery, followed by Angels with 93.2 per cent.

 

 

 

CLARENDON

 

In the Grade Four Numeracy Test, the 34 students at Sanguinetti Primary had 100 per cent mastery, followed by Kellits Primary with 80.9 per cent.

 

In literacy, top-performing schools were Ritchies Primary (97%), Mocho (96.3%), Kellits (94.7%) and James Hill (90.2%).

 

 

 

TRELAWNY

 

In the Grade Four Numeracy Test, Hague and Granville scored at 67.3 per cent mastery, while Duncans All-Age followed at 67.1 per cent.

 

In literacy, Hastings (84.4%) and Wakefield (82.9%) scored highest.

Literacy, numeracy results show girls outmastering boys

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OBSERVER: A total of 232 private schools with a sitting population of 4,365 students had 89.1 per cent mastery in the 2017 Grade Four Numeracy exams, compared to 64 per cent of the total public school students who achieved mastery. Nine point eight per cent of the private school students achieved almost mastery, compared to 27.1 per cent in the public school system, and just one per cent achieved non-mastery in private schools, compared to 8.8 per cent in the public school system.

 

However, there was a greater percentage point increase in students achieving mastery in numeracy in public schools compared to private schools when compared to 2016, with public schools showing a seven percentage point increase, while private school performance increased by 3.8 percentage points.

 

The Ministry of Education outlined that of the 765 public schools, 758 entered 33,652 students to sit the numeracy tests. Of the 21,550 students who achieved mastery, 54.8 per cent were girls, and 45.2 per cent boys. Some 19 per cent of the schools (146) performed in the highest quintile or fifth tier (80-100 per cent), and 1.7 per cent (13 schools) fell in the lowest quintile or first tier (0 to less than 20 per cent). The majority of public schools were in the third and fourth quintiles — that is between 40 and 80 per cent.

 

In the private schools, of the 3,891 students who achieved mastery, 50.6 per cent were girls, and 49.4 per cent were boys. In an assessment of the results from 2013 to 2017, national percentages have shown girls consistently outmastering boys in the numeracy tests for each year.

 

The ministry outlined that in June 2017, a total of 38,049 students sat the test — 33,652 from public schools, 4,365 from private schools, and 32 from special schools. Approximately 67 per cent of this total achieved mastery, representing a total percentage increase by seven per cent over 2016. Twenty-five point one per cent achieved almost mastery, and 7.9 per cent non-mastery. Of the total 25,441 students who achieved mastery, 54.2 per cent were girls, and 45.8 per cent were boys. Of the 32 students from special schools who sat the exams, 22 per cent mastery was achieved. Boys accounted for 23.8 per cent of those who achieved mastery.

 

For the Grade Four Literacy tests, a total 49,960 students sat the test from public, private and special schools. Of this number, 38,083 sat the test for the first time (33,680 from public schools, 4,371 from private schools, and 32 from special schools). Some 85 per cent of the total students achieved mastery, 10.7 per cent almost mastery, and 4.3 per cent non-mastery. Of the 32,340 students who achieved mastery, 53.4 per cent were girls, and 46.6 per cent were boys. Approximately 56 per cent (18) of the students from special schools achieved mastery, with boys accounting for 42.9 per cent, and girls 81.8 per cent.

 

For public schools, the 765 schools with grade four enrolment entered 33.680 students, with approximately 83 per cent attaining mastery, 11.7 per cent attaining almost mastery, and 4.9 per cent non-mastery. The percentage of students achieving mastery increased by four percentage points over 2016.

 

Of the 28,104 students who achieved mastery, 53.8 per cent were girls, and 46.2 per cent boys. Some 62 per cent (472 schools) performed in the highest quintile or fifth tier, and 0.1 per cent (one school) fell in the lowest quintile.

 

The ministry said the majority of schools continue to attain mastery levels between 60 and 100 per cent, that is in the fourth and fifth tiers.

 

A total of 4,371 students from 232 private schools sat the test. These students achieved approximately 97 per cent mastery, 2.8 per cent almost mastery, and 0.3 per cent non mastery. The percentage of students achieving mastery increased by approximately three percentage points when compared to 2016. Of the 4,236 students who achieved mastery, 98.1 per cent were girls and 95.7 per cent were boys.

 

In an assessment of the results from 2011 to 2017, national percentages have also shown girls consistently outmastering boys in the literacy tests for each year.

 

Mastery is assigned to the child who has successfully attained the requisite mathematical and literacy knowledge and skills and is considered literate and numerate, while non-mastery means that the child has not mastered any of the combinations of skills tested, and is considered non-literate.

 

The ministry said achieving a numeracy target of 85 per cent by 2018 requires the collaborative effort of all stakeholders including parents, schools and communities.

Education Minister Wants Bus System for Students in All Parishes

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JIS: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, is on a mission to create a national school bus system, which will provide transportation for students in all parishes.

 

Speaking at the signing of an $8 million Japan Grassroots Human Security Grant agreement with the Ambassador of Japan, His Excellency Hiromasa Yamazaki, on January 10 at the Office of the Prime Minister, Senator Reid said one of his dreams is to have a society where schools have buses assigned to them.

 

“We’re looking at an overarching plan to provide transportation for all students. We need 1,000 buses to cover the need of the schools. I have that particular aspiration of a comprehensive national school bus system for a number of reasons, not only for safety, but to get our students to school on time and in a managed and regulated way,” the Minister said.

 

“While we have this vision for the rural transportation system, we didn’t just sit back. We have committed over $204 million at the start of this academic year towards this particular rural bus system,” he added.

 

He emphasised that there is a great need for the national school bus system in rural areas, adding that students would be transported more safely, parents would save from the high cost of transportation, and there would be less burden on the rural transport operators with privately owned vehicles.

 

“The cost for transportation is extremely high in rural areas. We’re talking about small farmers who are essentially just trying to survive. There is a significant number of students in the rural areas who are on the Programme of Advancement through Health and Education (PATH), and they will need the transportation system,” the Minister argued.

 

Senator Reid pointed out that, on average, about 20 per cent of students are absent from school each day.

 

“In the recent Survey on Living Conditions, it wasn’t strange to us that an overwhelming majority of those who were interviewed said money was the main fault why they couldn’t send their children to school regularly,” he noted.

 

Senator Reid said he believes a new comprehensive national school bus system would support PATH.

 

“We’re doing a lot in trying to get the children to school [through PATH], trying to give them lunch for five days, trying to provide insurance, IDs and books. That’s wonderful, but if the children are not able to get to school, all of those efforts are for naught,” he said.

 

The grant will cover the cost to purchase a school bus for Oracabessa Primary School in St. Mary.

 

The Japan Grassroots Human Security Project was developed based on an alliance formed by the Embassy of Japan in Jamaica and the National Education Trust on April 20, 2015. This partnership is aimed at meeting education needs at the primary level in schools in need of assistance.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (left), speaks at the signing of a grant agreement with the Japan Grassroots Human Security Project at the Office of the Prime Minister on January 10. Listening (from second left) are: Ambassador of Japan to Jamaica, His Excellency Hiromasa Yamazaki, and Principal, Oracabessa Primary School, Gregory Davis.

Exam Results Encouraging – Senator Reid

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JIS: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, is expressing optimism with the results of examinations done at the national level in 2017.

 

In a national broadcast on January 7 to mark the start of the second term of the 2017/2018 school year, Mr. Reid said the results from the Grade Four Literacy and Numeracy Test were “particularly encouraging”.

 

He also acknowledged improvements in the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT), Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE).

 

Minister Reid hailed the development of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF-J), which aims to bridge the gap between academic and technical vocational qualification.

 

Launched last February, the framework will provide standardised recognition of all learning, knowledge and skills; enable cross-border recognition of certifications; recognise and benchmark informal learning; and improve access to higher education.

 

“Our aim is to create a track for the occupational degrees that is separate from traditional degrees,” Senator Reid said.

 

Meanwhile, Mr. Reid lauded the Jamaican diaspora’s continued partnership “in advancing the education of our children” and assured that “together more can be and will be achieved this year”.

 

 

Education Regulation Review Far Advanced

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JIS: A review of the Education Regulation of 1980, which outlines the framework under which all schools should operate, is at an advanced stage of completion.

 

The review is expected to address matters directly and indirectly impacting students’ performance.

 

These include guidelines regarding instruction hours across school days; safety precautions and equipment; and student behaviour, among other factors.

 

This was disclosed by Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, during a national broadcast on January 7.

 

Senator Reid said the Ministry has commenced rolling out examination preparation strategies such as workshops and public education campaigns as the Government moves to replace the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) with the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) next year.

 

He urges parents of students preparing for the 2018 GSAT “to give full support to the children” and encourage them “even when you think they are not taking their work as seriously as they should”.

 

Meanwhile, Senator Reid assured that the Ministry will continue to support the professional development of teachers as part of a capacity-building endeavour.

 

The Ministry will, to that end, be working with the National College for Educational Leadership.

 

“A certification programme with multiple pathways will be developed, including prior learning assessments for those principals who may need this as a requirement to become fully qualified, based on the criteria established for full appointment,” Senator Reid stated.

 

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

Grooming and Nutrition Policy for Schools to Be Outlined

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JIS: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says the Ministry intends to outline the proposed grooming and nutrition policy for schools this academic term.

 

In a national broadcast on January 7, Senator Reid said this is aimed at promoting a healthier lifestyle among students.

 

The Minister pointed out that last year, Jamaica did not have a persistent and consistent message regarding healthy lifestyles and good nutritional practices, which, unfortunately, permeated to the country’s schools.

 

It is in that regard, he noted, that discussions have been held with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to develop nutritional guidelines for schools.

 

This will also be done in conjunction with the Ministry of Health, with a view to rolling out the policy.

 

Meanwhile, Senator Reid informed that as part of a wider government policy, stronger emphasis will be placed on the development of Jamaica’s early-childhood education sector.

 

“To this end, we have provided increased funding, in partnership with the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, to reactivate the Early Stimulation Programme for mother and child from birth to age three,” the Minister said.

 

“Our focus is to support the birth to three-year-old group through the Early Stimulation Programme, allowing our babies to be developmentally ready for the three-plus years,” Mr. Reid added.

 

He pointed out that nutrition, stimulation and protection from violence are critical areas that should be addressed during the first 1,000 days of a child’s life.

 

“We at the Ministry see our mandate as that of helping our students to develop their intellectual capacity and social skills to advance their personal and national development. We cannot do this without the full involvement of parents and teachers,” the Minister said.

 

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

CXC trains teachers for green engineering subject

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OBSERVER: Educators from six Caribbean countries, including Jamaica, are in the island for a week-long capacity building project intended to improve their delivery of the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) Green Engineering syllabus.

 

The syllabus was launched in Guyana in July 2016, and the first papers sat in the exam period of 2017.

 

Dr Carol Granston, pro-registrar at the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), which administers CAPE, said green engineering was introduced among a list of new generation subjects.

 

“CXC has recognised that the learning population is changing as rapidly as cellphones (and other technology). To catch up with this constant change, CXC launched a set of new generation CAPE subjects. We started working on these subjects from about 2011. Animation & Game Design, Digital Media, Agricultural Science, Performing Arts, Financial Service Studies, Logistics & Supply Chain Operations, Tourism, Entrepreneurship, Physical Education & Sport, Green Engineering,” Dr Granston said.

 

The organisation also responded to this change by developing an E-strategy. Students and educators can now participate in exams electronically via E-exams, E-testing and E-marking. Already, students have completed paper one exams via the E-exams system. It is expected that the paper two components will be accommodated this year.

 

The method of teaching has also changed to match with the technology available, Granston said, pointing to the use of digital tool kits in the classroom, as virtual groups for students and teachers. One for principals is reportedly in the pipeline.

 

“We have developed digital tool kits for teachers and students. It includes animations, short video clips, info graphics and images,” she stated.

 

Dr Granston was speaking at the launch of the capacity building project at Knutsford Court Hotel last Wednesday.

 

The countries represented were Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Guyana, and Trinidad & Tobago.

 

Senior Assistant Registrar Jodine Williams explained that the project was being financed by German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) .

 

“CXC is a member of the Capacity Building and Research Working Group of the Caribbean Sustainable Energy Strategy Programme. As a member of that working group, we are pleased to partner with GIZ. We’re partnering with them through their Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Technical Assistance (REETA) programme. This partnership also directly involved the Organization of American States (OAS), specifically based on their sustainable energy sector programme,” she continued.

 

The REETA programme is implemented by GIZ and financed by German Federal Ministry for Economic Operation & Development.

 

This is not the first project that GIZ REETA has done in capacity building in the Caribbean.

 

“The programme has supported training workshops at UWI (The University of the West Indies) where faculty and students were trained in various area such as solar PV installation and entrepreneurship. Secondly, there was the development of a master’s programme in sustainable energy and climate change. This multidisciplinary programme is currently being offered at the UTech (University of Technology, Jamaica). Last year saw the first intake of students,” Amanda Harris, a representative from GIZ REETA noted.

 

She said further that: “The region is in an important phase of development, where its leaders have recognised the importance of keeping abreast of global trends in reducing dependence on fossil fuels, reducing energy cost, and preserving the environment by reducing carbon footprint. Our youths need to be exposed to the basic principles of sustainable energy issues that embrace innovation in a manner that involves aspects of technology as we currently live in the digital age.”

 

CXC says the study of CAPE Green Engineering will enable students to acquire the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes needed to sustain the natural environment. The course will enable students to apply Scientific, Technological, Engineering and Mathematical (STEM) principles to improve their environment at the local, regional and global levels.