JIS: Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, says education is one of the fundamental pillars on which successful societies continue to endure, and which persons use to take them from poverty to success.

 

Delivering the keynote address at the 160th anniversary celebrations for the Hampton School in Malvern, St. Elizabeth, on February 27, the Governor-General said that some of the social ills in Jamaica can be attributed to the lack of a good education.

 

He argued that this can be addressed once a solid foundation is built within the family structure and young persons are made to feel that they are the “nation’s hope”.

 

“Lay the solid foundation starting with the family and the result will be strong, confident and ambitious young people, but where we have broken homes, we have girls who are not so confident, who are not so sure of themselves and who are crying out through their actions for some form of support or simply a listening ear,” he said.

 

The Governor-General lauded the administrators of the Hampton School for creating an environment in which the girls have a voice and are given the opportunity to be well rounded.

 

“Hampton has earned her place in the top echelon of secondary educational institutions in Jamaica. I hope the school will continue to cater for girls holistically, while building firm moral and educational foundations and opening for them the windows to the world,” he said.

 

The Governor-General said the teachings of the Hampton School epitomise the core message of the ‘I Believe’ initiative, which serves to restore hope, belief and sound values in Jamaica’s families, youth and educational programmes… at the same time acknowledging the outstanding achievements of those who seek to effect positive change at the community level.

 

He underscored the importance of students being a part of initiatives of that nature, emphasising that “there is an urgent need for young people who will be called upon to take the reins of this country”.

 

“We must urgently motivate them to believe in themselves, to take all the steps necessary to pursue and reach their goals, so that they, in turn, can give back to Jamaica,” he added.

 

CAPTION: Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, plants a Poui tree in commemoration of the 160th anniversary of the Hampton School, in St. Elizabeth. The anniversary celebration was held at the school on February 27.

JIS: As the nation celebrated the 16th staging of Jamaica Day, at least one West Kingston educator believes in its continued relevance as a source of reinforcing the country’s heritage for future generations.

 

Principal of the Denham Town Primary School, Eugenie Brown believes the day’s significance, as well as its accompanying activities must be celebrated continuously.

 

“We want the children coming up to know about our heritage and so we do not want it (the day) to be lost any at all,” she told JIS News, at her school’s Jamaica Day celebrations, on February 23.

 

“The more we talk to the children about its importance, is the more they will know. The more we celebrate it, the more it will be in them. So Jamaica Day is still relevant,” she added.

 

The Denham Town Primary School Principal also indicated that she wanted her school to lead the charge in celebrating Jamaica’s rich heritage and culture by showing to the rest of the nation that “there are positive things happening in West Kingston as well as at Denham Town Primary”.

 

Ms. Brown is hoping that students and the rest of well-thinking Jamaicans will take a moment to “remember (the) ancestors” and their sacrifice for all.

 

“No other country has the rich culture that we have here. Our songs, music, dance, dress and sports we must keep them alive,” she said.

 

Activities at Denham Town Primary included: the playing of Jamaican ring games, dancing to music such as Ska, reggae and religious songs and the eating of foods and desserts such as the corn-based, asham.

 

Addressing students, at the school, Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid said they were privileged to reside in Jamaica and encouraged them to be proud of the nation’s accomplishments.

 

The Minister emphasised the contributions made by the National Heroes, as well as the many investments made by governments in the education system.

 

“We can proudly say we have early childhood facilities for every child in Jamaica. We also have primary and high school education for every child in Jamaica in order to develop your talents so that you can become useful,” Senator Reid said.

 

He further told the students that the Government is committed to building a better Jamaica, which starts with them as they are a part of “Jamaica’s possibility”.

 

In a February 21, 2011 proclamation for Jamaica Day, Governor General, His Excellency, the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, noted that the day is critical to the development of a strong spirit of patriotism and responsible citizenship.

 

He explained that Jamaica Day provides an opportunity for all Jamaicans to partner with young people to help define and create the most suitable context within which Jamaicans can be the best examples of humanity.

 

“The time has come to enhance the profile of Jamaica Day and thus broaden national participation in the activities in order to align with national development objectives,” the Governor General said.

 

Jamaica Day 2018 was celebrated under the theme: ‘Celebrating Jamaica: Nurturing our culture and Natural Heritage’.

 

CAPTION: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (left) interacts with students at the Denham Town Primary School in West Kingston during their Jamaica Day celebrations on February 23.

GLEANER: Director of the Safety and Security Programme in the Ministry of Education, Assistant Superintendent Coleridge Minto, is confident that Jamaica has the systems in place to deal with most emergencies in the nation’s schools.

 

With security at Jamaican educational institutions again in the spotlight following the latest school shooting in the United States and the voice note threat from a student at the Corporate Area-based at Wolmer’s Boys’ School, Minto underscored that Jamaica is ready for the possibilities.

 

“The ministry has what is called a Critical Incident Management Plan. Within this plan are a number of components which speak to the various types of incidents – from stabbing, shooting, disaster, some form of disturbance in schools.

 

“And so we are doing some reviews in terms of our plans, looking at whether or not we need additional training of some of our critical persons in the schools,” said Minto

 

He said the plan covers areas such as objectives, priorities, how do you manage a critical incident in schools, and establishing a critical incident management team.

 

“If something happens, there is not a panic mode that everybody goes into, but persons know what they are to do and how they are to respond in the various type of incidents,” said Minto.

 

He said the Critical Incident Management Plan has been tested in instances such as the 2017 emergency at the Glendevon Primary in St James, where gunmen were running through the school, shooting at each other.

 

SUCCESSFUL TEST

 

 “They managed that incident well, they kept all the students and the staff safe. For more than 30 minutes, they contained them and they waited until they got clearance from the Jamaica Constabulary Force before they allowed the parents to come in and remove the children safely and not one person was hurt in the school, although bullets were being traded in the proximity, so it does work.

 

“What we saw at Glendevon is what we would want to replicate in almost all schools where there’s an active Safety and Security Committee and an active Critical Incident Management Team in place,” said Minto.

 

CAPTION: Director of the Safety and Security Programme in the Ministry of Education, Assistant Superintendent Coleridge Minto

JIS: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid has reiterated the importance for today’s youth to be trained and certified in specialised skill areas that are in demand in an increasingly competitive labour market.

 

He made the call at the closing ceremony for the National Skills Competition held at the National Arena on February 22.

 

He encouraged the youth to make use of training opportunities at the HEART Trust/ NTA and other training institutions.

 

“This economy is poised for take-off. The rate of job growth is going way ahead of the labour force. We don’t have enough trained persons. In fact, we are running out of Jamaicans for the jobs that are becoming available,” Mr. Reid said.

 

Jamaica’s overall labour force comprised 1.34 million persons as at October 2017, according to the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) survey, reflecting a decrease of 6, 500, compared to the previous year.

 

Senator Reid stated that with new developments and the restructuring of some major sectors in Jamaica, more skilled-based job opportunities will become available for which Jamaicans need to be prepared for.

 

“If the Business Process Outsourcing (PBO) sector continues to grow at the rate it is going, and then it goes to 100,000 and 200,000 [employees], we are going to need enough workers for that,” he said.

 

Mr. Reid also mentioned the Chinese investment of US$6 billion to develop an industrial park and special economic zone alongside the JISCO/Alpart operations in Nain, the St Elizabeth and the proposed Vernamfield aerodrome in Clarendon.

 

“We can’t allow all these developments to occur in our country and not ensure that our young people are ready for these opportunities. So this Skills Competition is not only showcasing our capabilities, but also our possibilities, because equally, we as Jamaicans are competing for markets, investment, logistics and international business,” he said.

 

More than 6,000 students participated in the 2018 National Careers Week (NCW) and Skills Competition.

 

Under the theme ‘Building the Future by Guiding the Present, the initiative, organised by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information in collaboration with public- and private-sector partners, aims to promote and introduce new skills and entrepreneurial opportunities to youth.

 

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

JIS: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, has announced that grade-five students will sit the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) grade-six mock examinations in June.

 

In an interview with JIS News, Senator Reid said all the necessary arrangements have already been made for students islandwide to sit the examinations, of which they will be the first cohort to officially sit in 2019.

 

“We’re just working on the final Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) in March and then we will ramp up PEP,” Senator Reid said.

 

The Minister explained that administrators of schools and parents can expect ongoing updates regarding PEP, and reassured that there is no need for them to be alarmed about the new examination process.

 

“The first big ramp-up for PEP is to distribute what we call ‘learning material’ to schools and parents alike in their preparation for their PEP assessment in June, so people will become familiar with the type of questions and assessment that we will do under PEP,” he said.

 

PEP, which will replace 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.

 

The 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.

 

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

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, addresses a Primary Exit Profile (PEP) Town Hall Meeting at Jamaica College in December 2017.

JIS: Thousands of students from educational institutions across Jamaica will celebrate Jamaica Day on Friday, February 23.

 

Senior Education Officer in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information and Chairman of the Jamaica Day Planning Committee, Marlon Williams, told JIS News that Jamaica Day 2018 will be observed under the theme ‘Celebrating Jamaica: Nurturing our Natural and Cultural Heritage’.

 

“Every year the Jamaica Day theme starts with the stem ‘Celebrating Jamaica’, because the Day is all about celebrating Jamaica, land we love. This year’s theme is really to bring about an awareness of Jamaica’s cultural and natural heritage and to encourage not only the students but every single Jamaican here and abroad to protect it,” he said. Mr. Williams explained that schools are allowed to plan activities based on their interpretation of the theme. For example, they may want to highlight practices and ways in which the environment can be protected, or create innovations through technology that can be used to protect aspects of the environment and preserve the cultural heritage. On the day, Principals will introduce the student who is assigned as the culture agent to the school population. This will be followed by the reading of the official Jamaica Day Proclamation at 9:00 a.m.to signal the start of the day’s activities. All radio and television stations are being encouraged to have a student read the proclamation simultaneously with the schools.

 

The Proclamation can be accessed by logging on to www.moeschools.edu.jm, the Ministry’s portal in the Civic Citizenship and Culture in Education Programme folder.

 

Mr. Williams said that while the day will be celebrated in all schools, Munro College in St. Elizabeth will be the featured school that will get national attention.

 

“The boys at Munro College will have on display their innovations depicting the theme, and, through partnerships with several organisations, will showcase these to Jamaica,” he said.

 

Mr. Williams noted that each educational region will select a focus school, which will lead the Jamaica Day charge in the regions. For Region 1, the focus school will be Golden Spring Primary in Kingston; Region 2, Port Antonio Primary in Portland; Region 3, St. Hilda’s High School, in St. Ann; Region 4, Green Pond High in St. James; and in Region 6, Old Harbour Primary in St. Catherine.

 

The Ministry has also partnered with the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport in the Culture Passport programme; therefore, the Culture Ministry will be promoting this initiative and issuing culture passports to students on the day. The culture passport allows students access to heritage sites across the country at a discounted cost or free of charge where applicable. Mr. Williams is appealing to Jamaicans here and in the diaspora to don the Jamaican colours – black, green and gold – or bandana on the day to celebrate and show their appreciation for the culture and natural heritage. Jamaica Day, which is part of the Culture in Education programme, was instituted in the nation’s schools by the Ministry of Education in an effort to celebrate what is called ‘Jamaicanness’ and the country’s contribution to the world.

 

CAPTION: Chairman of the Jamaica Day Planning Committee and Senior Education Officer at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Marlon Williams, giving an overview of Jamaica Day at the launch recently.

JIS: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, has commended the HEART Trust/NTA for preparing Jamaicans for existing and emerging technical jobs, through diversification of its programme offerings.

 

Speaking at a welcome dinner for international delegates participating in the National Careers Week (NCW) and Skills Competition at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on February 19, Senator Reid said technical skills certification is critical in moving the country forward.

 

He noted, therefore, that it is the skills and competencies of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) that will prepare students for the technology-driven future.

 

“Thank God we have HEART Trust/NTA to the rescue, because you are going to train and certify persons for the 10,000 jobs in Vernamfield; the 67,000 jobs coming out of the JISCO/Alpart economic zone, the tourism sector that is booming and the BPO sector. So, Jamaica is poised for great development,” the Minister said.

 

He added that with training and certification, the Jamaican workforce will be strategically positioned to take advantage of the investment opportunities in the country.

 

“It also impacts on our investment profile and attractiveness because, through JAMPRO, that is what we signal in terms of our workforce readiness, so we will attract even more higher investments if we can market to the world that we have a highly trained and skilled workforce,” he said.

 

Senator Reid said the traditional professions are becoming more saturated and will not necessarily generate significant income in the future.

 

In addition, he said with advancements in technology, some of the professions will not be available within the next five to 10 years.

 

Senator Reid noted that the NCW and Skills Competition is part of a Government-led intervention aimed at transforming Jamaica into a skills-driven society.

 

More than 6,000 students will put their technical abilities on display at the 2018 National Careers Week and Skills Competition to be held from February 18 to 23 at the National Arena.

 

It will feature technical and vocational education and training (TVET) students in the areas of construction and building technology, manufacturing and engineering technology, creative arts and fashion, and transportation and logistics.

 

Among the skills to be showcased are welding, electronics, visual merchandising, graphic design technology, computer-aided design and cooking.

 

This year’s staging will see the introduction of a suite of skills, including freight forwarding and logistics, mobile application development, digital animation and robotics.

 

CAPTION: C3 Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, addresses the welcome dinner for international delegates participating in the National Careers Week and Skills Competition at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on February 19.

JIS: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, has reported that there has been a decrease in the rate of youth unemployment over the last year.

 

“Youth unemployment is trending down by seven per cent over the last year. More youth between 16 and 18 [years] are in education training. We’ve seen some 8,500 additional full-time students and 3,500 part-time, and that’s very good,” Mr. Reid said.

 

He was addressing the inaugural Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Leaders’ Summit and Youth Forum at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on February 20.

 

The Minister emphasised that the Ministry is determined to reduce the rate of youth unemployment further in 2018 and beyond.

 

Earlier this year, the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) announced that the unemployment rate was at 10.4 per cent, the lowest it has been since October 2008. STATIN also stated in January that the youth unemployment rate of 25.4 per cent was also the lowest since January 2008.

 

Senator Reid said he intends to build an army of skilled youth across Jamaica, because skilled workers make Jamaica more marketable

 

“We are now in the fourth industrial revolution, which is high-tech, and so we need now not to have an army of unskilled and untrained labour, but we will now need an army of fully trained and highly skilled persons,” he said.

 

The inaugural TVET Leaders’ Summit and Youth Forum is one of numerous events being held as part of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information’s National Careers Week, being recognised between February 18 and 23.

 

The Week will highlight a range of career and skill-training opportunities for youth. On Saturday and Sunday, February 17 and 18, church services were held across the island to share the National Careers Week and Skills Competition message.

 

On February 19, there was a Jamaica Library Service Expo, which consisted of displays at each of the 14 Parish Libraries of the various career paths persons can pursue.

 

Between February 20 and 21, there will be a two-day National Skills Competition at the National Arena in Kingston, with approximately 190 competitors, including 36 from secondary schools, 11 from the Career Advancement Programme (CAP) and 13 HEART Trust/NTA competitors, Skills Demonstrations, Try-a-Skill, and an Innovation in Skills (InnoSkill) Competition between 13 primary schools.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (left), greets Chief Executive Officer, World Skills Americas, Professor Roberto Spada, during the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Leaders’ Summit and Youth Forum held at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on Tuesday (February 20).

JIS: A sum of $27.8 million has been earmarked for the ‘Support for Sustainability of Education Sector Reform’ project in the 2018/2019 Estimates of Expenditure now before the House of Representatives.

 

The objective of the project, implemented in September 2017, is to support the Government of Jamaica’s efforts to improve the performance of the education sector by assisting the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information to improve coordination across the system.

 

The funds allocated for the new fiscal year will support interventions at the early-childhood level, teachers’ colleges, and provide technical support to the Department of School Services (DSS).

 

At the early-childhood level, a consultant will be engaged to identify and develop a plan of action for the strengthening of partnership between the Early Childhood Commission and the National Parenting Support Commission, while training workshops will be conducted to benefit various stakeholders.

 

For the teachers’ collages, consultants will be hired to undertake improvements to the internal quality-assurance systems of 10 institutions.

 

Focus will be placed on building capacity for teacher education in numeracy and science, including provision of resources to support instruction and improve the ability of training institutions to screen students.

 

The support to the DSS will see experts being engaged to support the Alternate Pathway for Secondary Education (APSE), and staging of workshops to aid in the implementation of new approaches.

 

The project is being jointly funded by the Government of Jamaica and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and is slated to end in March 2020.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid. (FILE)

JIS: The Government of Jamaica has provided $461 million for continued implementation of the education transformation programme under the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information.

 

The allocation, which is contained in the 2018/2019 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives, will provide for execution of National Standard Curriculum (NSC) workshops for grades two, three, five and six; complete the revision of the National Assessment Programme (NAP) for grades two, six and nine; and commence the transition of staff to the modernised structure.

 

It will also provide for implementation of the human resource, school management, and documentation and file management systems; and support the modernisation legislative agenda, as well as policies on special education, security and safety, school improvement and placement.

 

Started in March 2010, the programme, which is being funded by the Government in partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), aims to transform and modernise the education system.

 

It will seek to provide approximately 2,100 additional secondary-school spaces in an effort to support the Ministry’s policy to expand compulsory education from ages 16 to 18, operationalise new agencies that are key to improving capacity for delivering high-quality education, and set up mechanisms to mobilise additional resources for the education sector.

 

A number of targets were achieved up to December 2017 and include roll-out of the NSC at grades one, four and seven to nine; 75 per cent completion of the National Assessment Programme (NAP) revision for grade six, five per cent at grade two and 10 per cent at grade nine; consultation on the drafted Special Education Policy; and the completion and preparation of a concept note for implementation of the ‘School to Work’ transition and APEX programme.

 

In addition, select Ministry offices were refurbished and a new system was procured to improve efficiency at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information.

 

The programme was originally slated to be completed in March 2014, but has since been extended to December 2018.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid. (FILE)