JIS: The Government is working towards the development of a Special Education Policy in order to better fulfil the academic requirements of students with special needs.

 

This was noted by Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Shahine Robinson, in a speech delivered by Director, Industrial Relations and Allied Services at the Ministry, Gillian Corrodus, at the Regional Disability Studies Conference at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Regional Headquarters on March 12.

 

She said it is the objective of the Government to ensure that the educational system has accessible centres of learning for the development of all children, regardless of their circumstance.

 

“We believe that if we get the education right, identify the children with disabilities and put the provisions in place to deal with their needs, socially and otherwise, then the issue of inclusiveness will be less challenging,” she noted.

 

The Minister added that the Government is committed to the creation of a framework that is conducive to the advancement of persons with disabilities from an early age into adulthood.

 

“[Responding to] persons with disabilities cannot and should not be pigeon-holed… or put off for the future… so while we seek to grow our economy, simultaneously we must seek to grow those individuals who depend on society to give them even a much-needed start,” she said.

 

The biennial conference was organised by the UWI’s Centre for Disability Studies under the theme: ‘Advancing the Disability through Culture and Sports in the Caribbean’.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Shahine Robinson.

JIS: The allocation to the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information for financial year 2018/19 has increased by $2.7 billion, moving to $101.6 billion from $98.9 billion in 2017/18.

 

This was disclosed by Portfolio Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid in a statement read by Senior Education Officer in the Ministry, Sophia Forbes Hall, at the launch of the social enterprises in secondary schools programme at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on March 12.

 

He said the Administration is doing all it can, within the budgetary constraints, to provide access to quality education for all.

 

“We have already removed obligatory fees from the secondary school system. Through a special partnership with the Ministry of Transport and Mining, we are piloting a school bus system in eight parishes for some of our most vulnerable students,” he said.

 

He added that more resources have been pumped into early-childhood and primary development.

 

“We have made it easier for students at the tertiary level to access loans through the Students’ Loan Bureau (SLB) at reduced interest rates, and the Government has provided hundreds of millions of dollars in scholarships to our most needy students,” he said.

 

Senator Reid said the Government is committed to advancing the cause of education, and called on all Jamaicans to partner in the process.

 

“We know that poverty destroys the life chances of our people. This Administration is doing all that is possible to lift all our people out of poverty. For too long we have tried to tax and or borrow our way forward; that approach is not sustainable,” he said.

 

He noted that for the first time in 14 years, Jamaicans are not being called upon to pay new taxes, inflation is low and economic growth is returning to the economy after massive flood rains and other setbacks last year.

 

“More people are employed today than any other time in our history. Those achievements must be protected going forward. I call upon all stakeholders to appreciate the delicate balance that must be kept to ensure that we do not return to the times when Jamaica’s economic hopes stagnated year after year,” he added.

 

Minister Reid hailed the Social Enterprise in Secondary Schools programme, noting that it will equip students with all the necessary skills and tools to make them locally, regionally and globally competitive.

 

He noted that hundreds of lives will be improved as a consequence of the training that will be delivered over the coming months.

 

The Social Enterprise in Secondary Schools programme is a joint venture between the British Council and the Victoria Mutual Foundation, which will be implemented over three years starting in 2018.

 

During the first year, it will be piloted in six schools to benefit 300 students from grades seven to nine and 24 teachers. The institutions are Denbigh High, Clarendon; Montego Bay High, St. James; Charlie Smith High and Kingston Technical High, Kingston; Greater Portmore High, St. Catherine; and St. Elizabeth Technical High, St. Elizabeth.

 

The initiative is intended to reach 16,000 students from grades seven to nine and 272 teachers from 50 schools over three years.

 

CAPTION: Senior Education Officer in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Sophia Forbes Hall (second right), greets Country Director, British Council, Olayinka Jacobs Bonnick (left), during the launch of the social enterprise in secondary schools programme at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on March 12. Others (from second left) are President and Chief Executive Officer, Victoria Mutual Group, Courtney Campbell; and British High Commissioner to Jamaica and The Bahamas, His Excellency Asif Ahmad.

JIS: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says ground is to be broken in short order for five new high schools.

 

Addressing a meeting of the Standing Finance Committee in the House of Representatives on March 1, Senator Reid informed that the Ministry will be working to have them completed within three to five years.

 

Senator Reid noted that the Ministry will be seeking to remove schools from the shift system and that it will take a total of 17 new schools for this to be done.

 

He pointed out that the parish of St. Catherine has recorded the highest number of schools still on the shift system with 40, including 10 primary schools, one all-age and four high schools.

 

“In region five (Manchester and St. Elizabeth), we have four high schools still on shift; in the Montego Bay area, we have three primary, three high schools; Brown’s Town has two primary, one all-age and five high schools; and in Port Antonio (Portland), we have two primary and three high schools,” he noted.

 

The Minister identified Kingston as having two high schools still on the shift system.

 

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

JIS: Director of Sector Support Services at the Early Childhood Commission (ECC), Nordia Seymour-Hall, says the ECC remains focused on certifying approximately 300 basic schools by 2019.

 

She emphasised the importance of this against the background of the early-childhood phase being regarded as one of the most critical stages of the education system.

 

“This is what we call the formative years. This is where the brain starts developing and where education – the art of learning – actually begins. These life basics include mental and physical development and are essential building blocks for life,” Mrs. Seymour-Hall added.

 

She was speaking at the presentation of cheques totalling $4 million to cover tuition for tertiary students as well as donations to four early-childhood institutions in western Jamaica.

 

The presentations, representing proceeds raised from the 2017 MoBay City Run 5K/10K road races, were made during a brief ceremony at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Western Jamaica Campus in Montego Bay on Tuesday (March 6).

 

Mrs. Seymour-Hall said it is important that educational development be spot on during the early stages of a child’s life, arguing that if something should go wrong, “it can have an effect on how the person grows and develops later” during adolescence and adulthood.

 

She further contended that after age 25 it becomes extremely difficult, if not impossible, to alter or change what has become ingrained.

 

“This is why we have to reach the little ones. Studies have shown that when you invest in early-childhood education you will get the desired and also quick results,” Mrs. Seymour-Hall added.

 

Two cheques totalling $4 million dollars were presented. One for $3.5 was handed over to representatives of the UWI’s and University of Technology’s Western Campuses, Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College, and Montego Bay Community College to assist needy tertiary students enrolled at those institutions.

 

The other cheque, for $500,000, was presented for four early-childhood institutions.

 

“It is also important to point out that of the over 100 certified early-childhood institutions in the country, a third of them are in western Jamaica. This is why it is important to have organisations like the MoBay City Run (organising committee) lending support to the sector in this region,” Mrs. Seymour-Hall said.

 

For his part, Acting Director for the UWI Western Jamaica Campus, Patrick Prendergast, welcomed the gesture by the MoBay City Run’s organisers, whom he lauded for displaying “both the vision and virtues” of investing in education.

 

“There is really no substitute for a good education, and it is very encouraging to have organisations like these assisting students to realise their dreams,” he added.

 

Since its inception in 2014, the charity run has raised and handed out more than $15 million to needy beneficiaries.

 

CAPTION: Director of Sector Support Services at the Early Childhood Commission (ECC) Nordia Seymour-Hall (second right), displays a symbolic cheque for $3.5 million, courtesy of the organisers of the annual MoBay City Run charity event, during the presentation ceremony at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Western Jamaica Campus on Tuesday (March 6). Sharing in the moment (from left) are Acting Director, University of the West Indies, Western Jamaica Campus, Patrick Prendergast; Montego Bay Community College Lecturer, Vinette Fearon-Hall; University of Technology Western Campus Coordinator, Sophia McIntosh; and Executive Member of the MoBay City Run organizing committee, Conroy Thompson.

JIS: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says that higher education in Jamaica is evolving, with more institutions being established and offering new and in-demand courses.

 

“In addition, some of our local institutions have been improving their quality and are seeking to upgrade their status to degree-granting entities through the attainment of chartered status,” he said.

 

A charter institution is an independently run public school granted greater flexibility in its operations, in return for greater accountability for performance.

 

He noted that in recent times the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU) and the Caribbean School of Medical Sciences of Jamaica have emerged as chartered, higher educational institutions, while The Mico University College is on the way to achieving charter status.

 

Senator Reid was speaking at the opening ceremony for the meetings of the University of the West Indies (UWI) Technical Advisory Committees (TAC) at the Mona Visitors’ Lodge on March 6.

 

The Education Minister said the Government is pleased about its policy position in the establishment of the Jamaica Tertiary Education Commission (J-TEC), as the regulatory body for the tertiary sector, thereby adding impetus to the business of higher education in the region.

 

He also lauded the University Council of Jamaica (UCJ) for maintaining quality assurance in higher education in Jamaica through accreditation of institutions and programmes.

 

“Our Government’s support for these two agencies resides in recognition that greater access for more students is a desirable goal, but should not be encouraged at the expense of maintaining quality standards,” Senator Reid said.

 

The Education Minister noted that this week’s meeting of the UWI TACs take on added importance as “we seek to find consensus on new paradigms for funding and action”.

 

During the two-day meetings, the budgets for the biennium 2018-2020 for the university’s four campuses, its Vice Chancellery and the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) will be reviewed and recommendations made to the grants committees.

 

“The challenge will be to plan wisely and to direct the resources to the areas yielding the highest returns, whilst identifying, redirecting or eliminating cost centres that are not yielding the expected returns,” Senator Reid said.

 

He noted that the UWI’s ‘Triple A Strategy’ for the 2017-2022 period, which is built on the pillars of Access, Alignment and Agility, speaks to wealth creation and reduction of social inequality through greater and more affordable access.

 

“This plan… speaks to efficient and effective alignment with society, industry and economy, and enhanced agility in pursuit of opportunities for increased demands for UWI’s programme offerings,” he added.

 

Since its inception in 1948, the UWI has evolved from a fledgling college in Jamaica with 33 students to a full-fledged, regional university with well over 40,000 students.

 

Today, The UWI is the largest, most long-standing higher-education provider in the Commonwealth Caribbean, with four campuses in Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Open Campus.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (left), exchanges pleasantries with Pro-Vice Chancellor and Principal, University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona Campus, Professor Archibald McDonald, at the opening ceremony of the meetings of the UWI Technical Advisory Committees (TAC) at the Mona Visitors’ Lodge on March 6.

GLEANER: There has been confusion among some educators, parents, and students surrounding expectations for the National Standards Curriculum (NSC) and the exam slated to replace the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) in 2019 the Primary Exit Profile (PEP).

 

The confusion stems from a misunderstanding of the concept of modern-day teaching, learning, and skill development.

 

Additionally, there is a deep-rooted belief that policymakers and educators alike are not adequately resourced to effectively administer contemporary methodologies and assessments by the time PEP is to be rolled out.

 

While there is some truth to the latter, the Ministry of Education, Youth & Information (MOEYI) has taken the position that it is imperative for the students to be cognisant of the changes in the world at large.

 

The risk of being left behind and becoming irrelevant is far greater than that of making the move to make the adjustments, which are to be implemented in a phase-by-phase manner beginning in 2019.

 

 WHAT IS PEP?

  

PEP was designed to serve as an assessment tool to support the National Standards Curriculum for grades 1-13 that, according to MOEYI, is “aimed at improving the general academic performance and places direct emphasis on current methodologies.

 

These include project-based and problem-solving learning, which will allow students more hands-on experiences that are similar to real-world situations, making the learning experience less abstract and more concrete.”

 

Developing what are known as modern-day skills, i.e., critical-thinking, communication, creativity, and collaboration skills, and also NSC content understanding, will better prepare our students for a fast-evolving world.

 

PEP places increased emphasis on assessing the students’ demonstration of these skills. GSAT, on the other hand, is focused primarily on content for secondary-school placement.

 

The approach has to change in order to instil competencies relevant for today and tomorrow and to prepare students for the future. It will take time to move to the ideal, but PEP is a move in the right direction.

 

PEP will focus on the students’ demonstration of skills over a longer period of time (grade four to six), developing a profile of where each student is academically heading into grade seven.

 

This generated profile will begin the process of informing the child’s learning up to grade 13. PEP is essentially a passport for future success that will guide the MOEYI in preparing grade 13 graduates to obtain the equivalent of an associate degree.

 

This, however, will take time and effort.

 

Educators will require more resources to effectively implement the changes to come. They must ensure that students preparing for PEP continue to grasp optimum content knowledge in mathematics, science, language arts and social studies using multidisciplinary approaches outlined by the NSC.

 

A progressive education system is dynamic and can’t happen overnight. It is fluid and is ever-changing, and requires a willingness to channel funds towards new and creative ideas and provide support where needed.

 

In Jamaica, we may be challenged with the economics of making the transition from content regurgitation to skill development. However, it should not cause us to remain static or prevent us from moving in the right direction.

 

There is no denying that there are challenges that lie ahead. The financial concerns weigh heavy, especially as it relates to the delivery of the curriculum. Increased projects and problem-solving-based activities require increased funding in the classrooms and at home. This leaves the question of whether or not this new curriculum and exam are, in fact, supporting equitable education for students and families from all levels of society.

 

Introducing A New Culture Of Learning

  

A transition to a sustainable and effective education system with changing and evolving practices is one that has to occur with a level of fluidity by all stakeholders.

 

It is for this reason that PEP will be implemented in phases to begin the development of learning profiles for the students while enhancing the development of the assessment tool over time.

 

With fluidity come a necessary investment in change and mindset management. As parents, we have to take the bull by the horns and focus on how we can transition our children in spite of an imperfect system.

 

Preparing children for fresh approaches to learning and citizenship is a team effort, and parents must begin to focus on the end goal rather than the exam itself. By reinforcing the importance of new skills through age-appropriate activities at home, the parents can help their children adapt to the renewed expectations for their learning.

  

COMMUNICATION

  

Apart from the obvious with regards to homework assistance, discuss current and local events and news with your child to get them engaged with what they may be learning in subjects, like, social studies. Have them share how the specific issue makes them feel and how they propose to solve the problem.

 

Engage your child with open-ended questions from every subject area.

  

GET HANDS ON WITH AT-HOME AND LOCAL ACTIVITIES

  

Travel the island. Expose your children to various Jamaican subcultures and communities. Have frank discussions about how people live; compare this with other cultures and languages.

 

 MODEL BEHAVIOUR

  

Be a role model and mentor to your children. Make working with others an open mindset priority.

 

 GET INVOLVED AT SCHOOL

  

Join the parent-teacher association or volunteer at afternoon activities.

  

MAKE CONNECTIONS TO AFTER-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

 

 Select extracurricular and out-of-school activities that reinforce problem-solving, collaboration, communication, and creativity skills.

 

There is no hard-and-fast solution to easing anyone’s concerns regarding an evolving education system. We must begin to see our individual and corporate roles in the journey to become relevant, and current and to keep pace with the developments in the world.

 

– Brittany Singh Williams is an education strategist and founder of SPARK Education. Feedback can be sent to [email protected]

 

CAPTION: Clipart 

JIS: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says 103 early-childhood institutions have, so far, been fully registered by the Early Childhood Commission, and that another 300 will be certified in short order.

 

Delivering the keynote address at the launch of the Ministry/Joint Committee for Tertiary Education (JCTE) Symposium and Expo on February 28 at the St. Hilda’s Diocesan High School in Brown’s Town, St. Ann, the Minister commended members of the Commission for their work in ensuring that early-childhood institutions across the island are compliant with the Ministry’s operating standards.

 

He emphasised that the Government is committed to ensuring that a high standard is maintained throughout the entire educational system, through the adoption of the National Standard Curriculum, starting at the early-childhood level.

 

“This Administration intends to promote and uphold standards. We want quality education for all, so we are working with the early-childhood institutions to ensure there is capacity for all our children… and all get an opportunity and are well prepared and stimulated from early childhood,” the Minister added.

 

Senator Reid said the Government is fully aware of the challenges being faced by the sector and will be doing all that it can to ensure that no one is “left behind”.

 

He pointed out that, this year, the Administration will be seeking to launch two day-care centres in each constituency and engage stakeholders to be able to better advance the thrust of the Ministry.

 

“There are some vulnerable households with mothers sometimes under stress. They need to go to work, but they have nobody to leave their children with, and some of them, when they have older children, those children suffer because the older child has to stay home to take care of those children, and their education suffers. This Administration says that we will leave no one behind,” he stressed.

 

According to Senator Reid, the Ministry will also be seeking to engage private institutions aimed at “rationalising some of the current basic schools to become infant schools or infant departments”.

 

Meanwhile, the Minister said that plans by the Government to ensure that all students go up to grade 13 are part of the strategy to make sure that all students have full access to education and training at the high-school level, which will ultimately reduce the cost for a college education.

 

“It is a very novel idea if we can ensure that you do some of your credits in high school to make sure that they can be transferred to your other institutions to reduce your cost, so you stay in those institutions over a shorter period,” he said.

 

“Instead of creating a pyramidal education system, we are creating an education system with equity, so that everybody gets early-childhood education, quality primary education, quality secondary, and all get an opportunity for tertiary education. What a revolution we are going to have in Jamaica,” the Minister added.

 

To facilitate these plans, the Minister said that funding to the educational system was increased for the fiscal year.

 

“Our Ministry was able to increase the funding to our primary schools for our regular grant by 169 per cent. We increased the maintenance grant by a whopping 40 per cent; and we increased the contribution to our all-age and junior high schools from $11,150.00 per student to $19,000.00. We also distributed book vouchers for some of our very needy students up to $ 50 million,” he outlined.

 

The symposium was held under the theme ‘Creating Educational Opportunities to Enhance Sustainable Economic Growth and Development in Communities’.

 

Partners included HEART Trust/NTA, Centre of Occupational Studies, Jamaica Tertiary Education Commission, University of the Commonwealth Caribbean (UCC), Caribbean Maritime University, The Early Childhood Commission, Career Advancement Programme, National Parenting Support Commission, Sagicor, Irie FM and Power 106.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid with grade-10 student, Atoya Anderson, of Frome Technical High School after delivering the keynote address at the launch of the Ministry/Joint Committee for Tertiary Education Symposium and Expo held at the St. Hilda’s Diocesan High School, in St. Ann, on February 28.

JIS: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says the Government is in an advanced state of readiness for roll-out of the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) in the 2018/19 academic year, which begins this September.

 

Addressing the Standing Finance Committee of Parliament meeting at Gordon House on March 1, Senator Reid said stakeholders are being engaged to ensure “all will be well”.

 

“There has been a lot of training for teachers, and the training is still ongoing. Right now, we are working with grade-four and -five teachers to ensure they understand the design of the different assessments,” he informed.

 

Additionally, Senator Reid indicated that mock exams for grade-five students are scheduled to take place, with sample questions being made available to the youngsters and their parents, “so that they are familiar with the likely modalities of the questions”.

 

“We will make sure that we journey with our students and parents right into the execution of the first set of exams,” Senator Reid assured.

 

PEP replaces the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) and is intended to provide a better and more complete profile of students’ academic and critical-thinking capabilities at the end of their primary-level education.

 

PEP is designed to focus on what the Ministry describes as “higher order cognitive skills”. It will not just assess the student’s ability to remember information, but more importantly assess their ability to think critically, effectively process information, and be creative.

 

CAPTION: Senator Ruel Reid, Minister of Education, Youth and Information 

JIS: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, has commended the Embassy of Japan for its continued investment in Jamaica’s education system.

 

The Minister was making his keynote address at the official handover ceremony for the newly renovated and expanded facilities at the Warsop Primary and Infant School in Southern Trelawny on February 27.

 

The project, which falls under the Japanese Grassroot Human Security Projects, was funded by the Embassy of Japan at a cost of US$85,444.00 (J$10.3 million), in collaboration with the National Education Trust.

 

Mr. Reid said the investment would not only impact the direct beneficiaries, but the wider Warsop community and its environs, as has been the case with other schools in other parishes that have been provided with similar support.

 

He said the donation by the Japanese is in keeping with the Government of Jamaica’s thrust to continue to “invest in its people”.

 

In his address, Ambassador of Japan to Jamaica, His Excellency Hiromasa Yamazaki, said the Government of Japan is pleased to support Jamaica’s educational institutions, as education is one of the priority areas of the Official Development Policy of his country.

 

“As you will recognise from the name of our assistance scheme, by focusing on human security, it is Japan’s aim that no one should be left out of the development process and everyone should be protected and empowered to achieve sustainable development and inclusive growth,” Ambassador Yamazaki said.

 

“This holds true, especially as we have been assisting many other schools in Jamaica through building infrastructure and other rehabilitation works. It is the shared commitment by both our countries to the belief that education of our peoples is a pivotal cornerstone towards nation-building through continuous human resources development,” he added.

 

Chairman of the Warsop Primary and Infant School Board, Pastor Casbert Bryan, expressed gratitude to the Minister and Government for what he said was the unprecedented State support to primary education in the country.

 

“I have been in the education system as a Board Chairman and I have not seen so much resources being pumped into the primary schools,” Pastor Bryan said.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (second left) and Japanese Ambassador, His Excellency Hiromasa Yamazaki (third left), clasp hands following the unveiling of a plaque marking the official handover of the recently renovated Warsop Primary and Infant School in Trelawny on Tuesday, February 27. At left is Member of Parliament for Trelawny Southern, Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert and Principal of the school, Stephanie Codling-Smith.