JIS: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, has called on teachers to incorporate physical activity and play into teaching at all levels of the primary and secondary school systems, in order to enhance students’ learning.

 

Speaking at the Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) Joint Alumni Professional Development Conference 2018, at the Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College in St. James on January 4, the Minister said engendering and promoting physical activity in the delivery of lessons, “inside the classroom and outside”, should be given prime consideration.

 

“Over the past decade, in study after study, in animals and people, exercise has been shown to improve the ability to learn and to remember. With our young people’s preference for computer games and a more sedentary lifestyle, obesity and lethargy have increased among the youth,” Mr. Reid noted.

 

“That is why we are encouraging more of our schools to look at having some form of physical activity at all levels. The tendency has been to make Physical Education (PE) optional after grade nine. We believe it should be mandatory up to grade 13. The aim is not primarily to force people but to encourage them to see the importance of a healthy diet and regular exercise to their overall well-being,” the Minister added.

 

He told the audience that the promotion of play and physical activities as part of the instruction process, ought to be undertaken in a manner that enables them to complement each other.

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Mr. Reid said this could also be integrated into the assessment process. “There are activities which students can do based on the direction given to them by teachers that can form part of the assessment regime,” he added.

 

The Minister pointed out that teachers can use the concepts of running or walking long distances and the lifting of weights to teach basic math and science.

 

“When we help our children to make the link between the theory and the practical, real education would have taken place,” he said.

 

On the issue of nutrition in schools, Mr. Reid expressed concern about the saturated fats and high sugar content in foods being served in many places of learning.

 

He said that, as a consequence, the Ministry is currently in discussions with the Ministry of Health to develop a nutritional policy, which is expected to be made public in short order.

 

“Some scientists are also pointing to a direct link between high saturated fat intake and mental performance. Tests have shown that many items popular in school cafeterias, such as hamburgers, chicken nuggets, pizza and French fries actually lower students’ ability to stay awake and concentrate. A dramatic drop in energy due to digestion of heavy foods leaves kids feeling lethargic, irritable and unable to focus,” the Minister said.

 

“That is one of the reasons why we at the Ministry have proposed that schools reduce the sale of drinks that have high sugar content,” he added.

 

The conference was held under the theme ‘Sound Minds in Sound Bodies: Physical Fitness for Optimal Learning’.

 

It was organised by the Eastern and Western Alumni Chapters of the CCSU, the Jamaica Educator Development and Support Network and Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, demonstrates physical activity as he accepts a gift and gym bag from Dr. Jean Beaumont, following his address at a Professional Development Conference, which was staged by the Central Connecticut State University Joint Alumni at the Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College in St. James on January 4.

JIS: As we begin this new school term, let me take this opportunity to extend Happy New Year greetings to all stakeholders in our education system including our hard working teachers, students, parents, board members, administrative, ancillary, and Ministry of Education, Youth and Information staff.

 

Each new year brings with it opportunities for renewal and a new focus, and this year will be no different.

 

Whatever is achieved nationally, will be dependent on what we do as individuals, working together as teams in an extended chain of activities.

 

Let us therefore go forward with a renewed sense of hope and belief in our collective abilities to find sustainable solutions to new and long-standing challenges in our education sector.

 

We can look back at the year just ended with some satisfaction that much was achieved in advancing access to education by more of our students.

 

We are pleased that with the allocation of more financial resources, our schools were better able to manage their administrative functions.

 

There was also increased support for additional infrastructure development and maintenance of selected primary schools.

 

With more money being put in the system, the Government now spends just over $37.6 billion, on secondary education alone. This includes funds for salaries, grants, TVET, ICT, science, infrastructure, furniture and nutrition. That means depending on the school population that some institutions have a higher per capita of $119,000 while others saw $176,994 per capita at the secondary level.

 

Through targeted intervention, teachers at the primary and secondary levels were helped in specialised workshops to better prepare themselves and their students for national exams. The results from the Grade 4 Literacy and Numeracy Tests were particularly encouraging and improvements were recorded in GSAT, CSEC and CAPE.

 

We must again say special thanks to our teachers for their dedication and professionalism in going beyond the call of duty in delivering a high quality product to our children.

 

We are also pleased that we were able to develop the National Qualification Framework and this was launched in February.  In this way, we have begun to bridge the gap between academic qualification and technical vocational qualification. Our aim is to create a track for the occupational degrees that is separate from traditional degrees.

 

We ended the year with the good news that more than 100 early childhood institutions had met all the operational standards of the Early Childhood Commission to be fully certified. We will continue the work to ensure that more of our basic schools achieve the set standards.

 

In this new year we will have the opportunity to consolidate and finalize policy positions to support improved performance in the system.  The review of the Education  Regulations (1980) is far advanced and when completed will address matters which have a direct or indirect impact on students’ success.

 

As we move ahead with plans to replace the GSAT with PEP next year, we have already started to roll out our examination preparation strategies with workshops and public education programmes for teachers and parents.

 

With our students in Grade 6 now in the final preparation stages for GSAT, I implore all parents to give full support to your children. Encourage them; do not abuse them even where you think they are not taking their work as seriously as they should.

 

During the course of this term we also intend to outline the proposed grooming and nutrition policy for schools.  This is aimed at promoting a more healthy lifestyle among our students.

 

In addition, as part of wider Government policy, we have made a commitment to place stronger emphasis 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.

 

Our focus is to support the birth to three (3) years old group through the Early Stimulation programme allowing our babies to be developmentally ready for the three-plus years.

 

Nutrition, stimulation and protection from violence are three of the critical areas that should be addressed during the first 1, 000 days and we intend to step up the support in this area, this year.

 

We at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information 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 Ministry will continue to support the professional development of teachers as part of our capacity building programme.    In  this regard, the National College for Educational Leadership (NCEL) has trained over 2000 school leaders in various programmes who are making their impact in the system.

 

We are now working with NCEL to develop a certification programme with multiple pathways including prior learning assessment for those principals who may need this as a requirement to become fully qualified based on the criteria established for full appointment.

 

This will provide greater flexibility for principals in the system. NCEL is also embarking on policy specific training on a yearly basis.

 

Partnership is the key to achieving desired outcomes in the education sector and we will continue to build on these relationships this year.

 

I also take this opportunity to say special thanks to our friends and family in the Diaspora who have supported many initiatives to partner with us in advancing the education of our children. Together much more can be and will be achieved this year.

 

As we move into this second term of the academic year, we are mindful of current negotiations underway between the Government through the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service and the Jamaica Teachers Association.

 

We value and respect our teachers and wish for an amicable and speedy settlement to these negotiations that is satisfactory to all parties,

 

We advocate for mutual respect and wish to avoid any disruption to the education of our children – the future of our country.

 

Let us forge ahead confident that much work has already been done to improve school plants, to support the nutritional needs of our children and the most vulnerable among them.

 

We thank you all for your support and we look forward to a very good 2018.

 

Thank you and May God richly bless us all.

 

I wish for all Jamaicans a Peaceful and Prosperous New Year.

 

CAPTION: The Hon. Senator Ruel Reid, CD, Minister of Education, Youth and Information

GLEANER: On Thursday, December 14, seven trainees successfully ended a 12-week art and craft workshop project in a certificate ceremony held at Adult and Special Education Division of HEART/NTA, 47B South Camp Road, Kingston.

 

This division, which manages the project under the auspices of its parish office for Kingston and St Andrew, located at 124 East Street, Kingston, was formerly known as the Jamaican Foundation for Lifelong Learning (JFLL).

 

The workshop idea was conceived two years ago in a discussion about the “limited access of art to Jamaican children in socially depressed areas”. “The main concern expressed was the need to expose a wider cross-section of children and young persons … to various forms of art within the context of lifelong learning,” the organisers said.

 

Children were to be the target, but after much retrospection the initiators felt that “the project would have a greater impact in the long-term if parents were first engaged in these activities”. The overall aim of the project is to enable learners to plan, solve problems, and use and craft as a means of thinking and communication.

 

Classes are facilitated by a qualified artist and art instructor, who is also the coordinator of the workshop. The students who completed the recent workshop were trained by artist Mazola wa Mwashighadi.

 

Mwashighadi said there are many people who are making jewellery, therefore the approach to creativity must be different. Artisans, therefore, must thinking creatively to have an edge. The workshop he said suffered many “misfortune” including the drop in the number of trainees who had started.

 

The project started with 18 trainees, but only Muffin Bailey, Marcia Adams, Claudine Bowen-Black, Marie Taylor, Karen Miller, Novelette McKay and Kedeisha Johnson were present at the certificate ceremony, exhibition and sale.

 

On behalf of the trainees, Bowen-Black and McKay reflected on their experience. An emotional Bowen-Black graciously thanked the stakeholders, saying she did not know she had it “inside” of her to create the pieces on display. She was echoed by her colleague, who described their sojourn as an “exciting” and “grand” time.

 

The trainees were addressed by the guest speaker, retired conference interpreter, Annie Rose Kitchin, who was introduced by Althea Byll-Cataria, project initiator and sponsor.

 

Kitchin congratulated the trainees for the “courage shown” and the “vision demonstrated” in making sacrifices to undergo the training.  She said she was there to talk about their goals, and encouraged them to seize the many opportunities that might present themselves, while saying nothing is out of bounds in pursuit of their goals

 

After telling the story of a determined African woman who endured unspeakable abuse and hardship before obtaining a doctorate, she said, inter alia, “Whatever you dream, I encourage you to go for it. Let nothing hold you back. Don’t listen to people who discourage you, or tell you it can’t be done … Don’t listen to people who want you to be just like them, or to stay in your place.”

 

In moving the vote of thank Muffin Baily, who was participating in the project for the second time, profusely thanked everyone who was involved in the project. She also highlighted how she benefited from the programme.

 

Before her presentation Bailey and the other trainees modelled some of their own creations, which received positive feedback. Necklaces, wristlets, decorated bottles, metal and clay items, collages and paintings were all on display.  

 

CAPTION: From left: Lurene White, JFLL parish manager for Kingston and St Andrew; trainees Marcia Adams, Karen Miller, Claudine Bowen-Black, Novelette McKay, Marie Taylor, Kedeisha Johnson, and Muffin Bailey; trainer Mazola wa Mwashighadi, and Althea Byll-Cataria, initiator and sponsor.

JIS: In a bid to transform the 11 existing youth information centres (YICs) into innovation hubs, the ministry of youth recently signed a letter of intent with the Trust for the Americas, to partner on sourcing funding and expanding the Democratising Innovation in the Americas (DIA) Lab model now in Jamaica.

 

A non-profit establishment affiliated with the Organization of American States (OAS), the Trust for the Americas funds a number of projects in and around the Caribbean and Latin America involved in youth empowerment and engagement.

 

The DIA Lab project which was implemented by the Trust and the Institute of Law and Economics (ILE) earlier this year, seeks to equip urban youth to be innovators by training them in cutting-edge technologies and giving them the tools necessary to transform their communities.

 

“The idea for innovation spaces is really to help young people move from business ideas to business plans and actual businesses. It’s about creating the next generation of entrepreneurs,” remarked Floyd Green, minister of state in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information.

 

Green pointed out that the spaces would have both mentors and resource personnel in place to aid with funding of business ideas as well as to guide youngsters through operating a business.

 

While noting that the next step is to formalise a memorandum of understanding, Green stated that plans were already afoot to rollout a pilot in three centres across the parishes of St James, Clarendon and St Catherine.

 

“Both are actively in the field as partners looking for external funding so that we can expand much quicker than we originally forecasted. We also want to bring some new centres  on because we don’t have a youth centre in Kingston and St Andrew. So, we’re forecasting that by 2019, we’ll be able to construct a model youth innovation hub for Kingston and St Andrew,” added Green.

 

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

JIS: Over the next 12 months, more tertiary programmes will be introduced online, courtesy of the Council of Community Colleges of Jamaica (CCCJ).

 

The first programmes to be offered are Business Studies, Criminal Justice and Hospitality, according to the Council’s Executive Director, Dr. Donna Powell Wilson.

 

She tells JIS News that the Council recently mandated that in addition to the regular mode of delivering courses at its nine colleges, other persons need to be reached online.

 

“Wherever you are, we are giving you the opportunity to get a tertiary education that is on par with any other tertiary education in the world,” Dr. Powell Wilson says.

 

The Executive Director notes that partnerships have been formed to ensure that students can access internationally recognised qualifications, such as those offered by the United Kingdom (UK)-based Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA).

 

Representatives of the organisation recently came to Jamaica and reviewed the CCCJ’s Bachelor of Business Administration (Accounting), and the agency’s curriculum and examination papers.

 

“At the end of that review, we were granted exemption from five ACCA examinations,” Dr. Powell Wilson notes, adding that “we consider that to be a milestone achievement”.

 

The CCCJ, through its regulatory functions, determines and implements standards in the colleges to ensure the integrity of the courses. It prescribes the conditions under which persons may be admitted as students of the institutions, and recommends and approves curricula to be used in the system.

 

Meanwhile, Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, cites the growth in the number of community colleges, the expanded programme offerings and the partnerships with other stakeholders in the education system.

 

Noting the initiatives of the CCCJ to meet the training needs of the workforce, the Minister highlights the collaboration with the HEART Trust/NTA.

 

“You have also used initiatives to meet the needs of communities, and by extension, the country,” he said at a recent awards banquet, where scores of persons were recognised for their contribution to the work of the Council.

 

The Minister further adds that the agency has responded to “prevailing social challenges” by developing the Associate degree in Social Work, with support from practitioners, as well as the Associate Degrees in Business Processing Supply Chain Management, Digital Forensics, Plumbing Services and Technology.

 

He says the Council must continue to “vigorously” respond to national, regional and international needs, as they are strategically positioned to help in the growth of communities.

 

“Because of your flexibility in the acceptance of students, while maintaining standards, you have been able to accept some with very few qualifications, and facilitate their growth and development,” the Minister notes.

 

As an example, Senator Reid cites the case where a security guard at one of the colleges benefited from the organisation’s continuing education programme, and moved to a Degree in Business Administration, and now holds a senior position in a Ministry.

 

Three institutions in the region have incorporated the CCCJ’s training programmes – The Turks and Caicos Community College, the Bahamas Baptist Community College, and the Anguilla Community College. Talks are ongoing with Barbados and the Cayman Islands to join.

 

Dr. Powell Wilson says the cost to access their programmes is reasonable, adding that there is a strong emphasis on quality.

 

“Quality assurance is very high on our agenda and the necessary resources have to be in place. A programme cannot be offered if the labs are not in place, and the teaching staff must have the requisite qualifications,” she tells JIS News.

 

Principal of Brown’s Town Community College, St. Ann, and Member of the CCCJ Council, Mrs. Claudette Fletcher, says persons seeking tertiary training, who might have had challenges travelling to other locations, are being facilitated by community colleges.

 

“This Council facilitates programmes that prepare people at a reasonable cost, without compromising the quality,” she tells JIS News.

 

Another Council Member, and Principal of the St. Ann-based Moneague College, Howard Isaacs, says the CCCJ is the most responsive educational institution in the region, and that a big focus of the entity, outside of its academic programmes, is to facilitate community development.

 

He reasons that the community college system is dynamic in how it transforms individuals from basic college admissions to university degrees.

 

“Our responsiveness is like no other. So, we continue to look at ways in which to provide programmes that will make the learner, not only employable, but to create employment,” Mr. Isaacs says.

 

Community colleges offer University Council of Jamaica (UCJ) accredited programmes, such as engineering, business, hospitality and tourism management, agriculture, education, criminal justice, social work, logistics, business process outsourcing and management.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (right), in discussion with Chairman of the Council of Community Colleges of Jamaica (CCCJ), Dr. Orville Beckford, at the 15th Anniversary Awards Banquet of the Council recently.

JIS: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says the Primary Exit Profile (PEP), scheduled to commence in the 2018/2019 academic year, will help to tailor learning to meet the needs of all students, particularly those with special requirements.

 

“The profile [PEP] will allow us to identify the strengths and weaknesses of our students, and so we can customise our teaching and learning strategies… . So it’s going to be a very holistic, inclusive-type education system dealing with special needs as well as exceptional students. We can take care of those at the very top and those who are in need of support at the bottom,” Mr. Reid said.

 

“Our intention in this reform of the exit exam, coming out of the primary system, is largely to ensure that we are better preparing our students for the next level of the education system, which is the secondary system. We want every student to have the opportunity to go right up to grade 13 and forward to university,” he added.

 

Senator Reid was speaking at the final PEP town hall for the year held on December 19 at the Karl Hendrickson Auditorium at Jamaica College in St. Andrew.

 

PEP, which will replace the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) as the national secondary school entrance test, is intended to provide a better and more complete profile of students’ academic and critical-thinking capabilities at the end of primary-level education.

 

It comprises a Performance Task Test, Ability Task Test and a Curriculum-Based Test.

 

PEP will be rolled out on a phased basis beginning in September 2018, with students who are now in grade five to be the first cohort. They will do only the Grade Six components in 2019.

 

Students who are currently in grade four will do their Grade Five Performance Task in 2019, and in 2020 they will do the Grade Six components.

 

Students who are currently in grade three will be the first cohort that will have a complete profile generated. This means that they will do the Grade Four Performance Task section in 2019, Grade Five Performance Task in 2020 and all Grade Six components in 2021.

 

PEP grades will be made available to schools in the third week of June every year.

 

Minister Reid said PEP will prepare the nation’s children to be critical thinkers with good analytical and problem-solving skills.

 

He said the profile will better align with the objectives of the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

 

Minister Reid expressed confidence “in the ability of the Ministry based on the systems that we’ve put in place for us to be able to complete all the work (that) we have to do in terms of the final assessments and the final profile.”

 

“I expect a very smooth landing as we commence the roll-out of PEP in 2019,” he said.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, addressing parents, teachers and other stakeholders at the Primary Exit Profile [PEP] town hall held at Jamaica College in St. Andrew on Tuesday, December 19.

JIS: Cabinet has given approval for the establishment of a law school at the University of Technology (UTech).

 

This was disclosed by Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, at the official opening of a shared facility building at UTech’s Old Hope Road Campus in St. Andrew on December 14.

 

“I am quite aware of the agreement with CARICOM for the establishment of the Norman Manley Law School and its particular and special relationship with the University of the West Indies (UWI), so for us to change that arrangement to allow equity in access to the Norman Manley Law School, we will have to go back and have some amendments to the Treaty of Chaguaramas. That’s one option,” the Minister noted.

 

“So, although Cabinet is minded to pursue that option, the University of Technology has said that they are not necessarily pursuing that. What they would prefer is to have their own law school, and to that Cabinet has expressed its affirmative position. That is why I am able to indicate that the Government, by policy, is supportive of this particular development,” he added.

 

The Minister said this will allow for more trained and certified persons in the profession and can position the country to becoming a hub in providing services in knowledge process outsourcing and legal process outsourcing.

 

Senator Reid pointed out that this forms part of the Government’s position of expanding opportunities for education and training of the workforce.

 

He said the Norman Manley Law School is unable to accommodate all the students who have been pursuing law degrees.

 

In an interview with JIS News, President, UTech, Professor Stephen Vasciannie, said steps will be taken immediately to introduce the law school.

 

“We hope that we can begin in September of the coming year to take our first batch of law school students,” he said.

 

Professor Vasciannie noted that the school will allow graduates of the faculty of law at the university to proceed with their lifelong dream of becoming attorneys-at-law.

 

“I am elated. It is something that I have pushed for quite some time, and members of the Faculty of Law and of the University, generally, are very happy to hear this news,” he said.

 

UWI graduates with a Bachelor of Law (LLB) degree gain automatic entry into the programme at Norman Manley Law School. This is facilitated by Article Three of the Treaty of Chaguaramas.

 

Students earning LLB degrees from other institutions must sit an entrance test and earn a passing grade, which does not guarantee admission.

 

Turning to the significance of the state-of-the-art shared facility, the Minister said it will contribute to improved teaching and learning at the institution.

 

“This has been the single largest infrastructure development for the University of Technology since it transitioned from CAST (College of Arts, Science and Technology), so the Government is very happy about that and it is again consistent with our commitment to continue to invest in education,” he said.

 

The Minister added that the Government will continue to partner with UTech to further expand their capacity to welcome more students.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (left), cuts the ribbon to officially open the shared facility building at the University of Technology (UTech), Old Hope Road, St. Andrew, on December 14. Others (from second left) are President, UTech, Professor Stephen Vasciannie; Director General, Planning Institute of Jamaica, Dr. Wayne Henry; and Chancellor, UTech, the Most Hon. Edward Seaga.

JIS: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, is lauding the Council of Community Colleges of Jamaica (CCCJ) for making quality higher education accessible to all Jamaicans.

 

He said the entity is making an invaluable contribution to national development by ensuring the integrity of the range of certificate, associate and bachelor degree programmes offered at community colleges across the island.

 

“So relevant are these programmes that three Caribbean islands – Turks and Caicos, Anguilla, and The Bahamas – have begun to offer the CCCJ programmes,” he noted.

 

Minister Reid was delivering the keynote address at the CCCJ’s 15th anniversary banquet at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on December 14.

 

Noting that community colleges have become a vital part of the post-secondary and higher-education systems, Mr. Reid said the accessibility, flexibility and affordability of these institutions provide options for students who otherwise might not pursue tertiary studies.

 

“As you maintain the high standards expected of local tertiary institutions, you have been developing new programmes, sometimes in collaboration with the HEART Trust/NTA, to respond to the demands of the business sector,” he said.

 

The Education Minister said there is great value in working within the existing capacity of the community colleges, based on the programmes offered and the need to quickly train and certify the country’s workforce.

 

Community colleges offer University Council of Jamaica (UCJ) accredited programmes in areas such as engineering, technology, business, hospitality and tourism management, agriculture, education (trainers of primary-school teachers), and the humanities – criminal justice, social work, logistics, business process outsourcing and management.

 

The CCCJ’s 15th anniversary banquet was the culmination of year-long celebrations showcasing the work of local community and multidisciplinary colleges.

 

The function featured the presentation of awards of excellence to 29 former chairpersons, executive directors and principals/presidents of colleges; and faculty, administrative and support staff who have made significant contributions.

 

Awards for academic excellence were also presented to students as well as the longest serving member of staff.

 

The CCCJ supervises and coordinates the work of community colleges in Jamaica. Through its regulatory function, it seeks to determine and implement common standards in colleges to ensure the integrity of programmes.

 

CAPTION: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (left) is presented with a painting by Human Resource Coordinator for the Council of Community Colleges Jamaica (CCCJ), Pricilla Chambers, during the CCCJ’s 15th Anniversary Banquet on December 14 at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in Kingston.

JIS: Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says he supports the concept of occupational degrees, where persons can reach that level as a butcher, a chef or as a cosmetologist.

 

He argued that the country has suffered over the years as a result of society’s prejudice towards jobs and occupations that were deemed inferior.

 

Addressing graduates of the Ministry of Education Career Advancement Programme (CAP) at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, St. James, on December 7, Mr. Holness said that many young persons have fallen by the wayside as a result, and that the Government now has to do something to bring them back into the mainstream.

 

“Previously, we did not consider these areas of vocational endeavours as occupation. The society didn’t accord the respect to these areas. So, our young people were exposed to only a very narrow range of what could be considered acceptable vocational or professional endeavours,” he added.

 

Mr. Holness said that what the society was actually doing was locking out “our young people” from the respect that a job gives them and forcing many to resort to wrongdoing.

 

“We, therefore, ended up with a situation where we would have young people who believed their only option was to sit on the roadside and dig a hole in their hand middle. I thought that was not acceptable, and that we have to do something in the education system to capture all those young people and give them an opportunity,” he said.

 

The Prime Minister noted that faced with such a stark reality, the Government went back to the drawing board and came up with the policy of compulsory education.

 

“It’s not compulsory in the sense where we are going to drag you off the road and lock you up in a school. That’s not what it means,” Mr. Holness said.

 

“What it means is that the Jamaican State must guarantee every single Jamaican citizen the opportunity to access high-quality education from their third birthday to their eighteenth birthday. We decided that we would put in place both the resources and the institutions to make this happen,” he explained.

 

The Prime Minister said the approach was to first look at the early-childhood institutions and to figure out how best to expand the Government’s “footprint” in the programme, ensuring that from the basic education age…”we would be giving our young people a good start”.

 

He noted that the results, so far, have been very encouraging, adding that at the primary level, ways must be found to end the situation where there is a high level of students leaving primary schools illiterate.

 

“Which is why we have launched a major programme around literacy. We nationalised the Grade Four literacy and Numeracy tests, and moved literacy from 56 per cent to where we have scores now from 85 to 90 per cent each year,” the Prime Minister pointed out.

 

Under the Career Advancement Programme, the Government provides additional educational and vocational training opportunities for secondary students, aged 16 to 18.

 

CAPTION: Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, addresses graduates of the Ministry of Education Career Advancement Programme (CAP) at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, St. James, on December 7.

JIS: The new state-of-the-art West End Infant School, in Negril, Westmoreland, was officially opened on Wednesday, December 6.

 

The facility, which commenced classes in September, is the result of a public-private partnership among the Sandals Foundation, the CHASE Fund and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information. The school has the capacity to accommodate 160 students, with 60 students on roll so far.

 

It was built at a cost of just over $111 million with funding from the Sandals Foundation and the CHASE Fund, and comprises eight classrooms with accompanying resource rooms and bathroom facilities, a large kitchen and dining room/recreational area, a staffroom, sickbay and principal’s office.

 

The property also has a garden and playground. All the furniture and educational resources were donated by School Specialty, a United States-based company that supplies school equipment.

 

In his address at the ceremony, Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, said he is extremely proud that the school has already met 98 per cent of the required standards set by the Early Childhood Commission (ECC), and within a month, following additional requisite teacher-training sessions, will reach the 100 per cent mark.

 

He also expressed gratitude to the two donor agencies for working with the Ministry to establish the school, which he said is crucial to national development. He called for the provision of further support to other Ministry initiatives, such as the nutrition and school-bus programme, which he said will greatly impact human development in the western end of the island.

 

Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer of the CHASE Fund, William ‘Billy’ Heaven, said his organisation, which has been a key supporter of the early-childhood-education sector for the past 15 years, provided $48 million towards the construction of the school.

 

He emphasised that early-childhood development continues to be of critical importance to the Fund, and that returns of investment in the sector can be as high as $17 for every $1 invested.

 

“We at CHASE understand and we underscore the value of early-childhood education not only to the individual but also to the society. Even more critical, we understand that this is the stage that determines what adult this child will become, and there is great need to maximise the future well-being of each and every child who attends this institution,” Mr. Heaven said.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (second left), with (from left) Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sandals Resorts International, Adam Stewart; Chief Executive Officer of the CHASE Fund, William ‘Billy’ Heaven; Principal of the West End Infant School in Negril, Sherida Malcolm; and Executive Director of the Sandals Foundation, Heidi Clarke, following the unveiling of the school plaque to mark the official opening of the school on December 6. With them are students of the institution.