JIS: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says the Government, through public and private institutions, is providing training for more than 20,000 persons in various skill areas that are needed by the labour market.

 

The move, he said, is in recognition that a trained and certified workforce is critical to the country’s quest for sustained economic growth and development.

 

“The Ministry’s remit is to assist in the development of policy and in building a trained and competent workforce, which will contribute to the development of the productive sector, ultimately attracting investments and thereby improving Jamaica’s economy,” Minister Reid said.

 

“Once the country can develop and maintain this platform of relevant and applicable skills, members of society will be provided with more opportunities to improve the quality of their lives,” he noted further.

 

Senator Reid was speaking at the HEART Trust/NTA’s College of Hospitality Services/Western Hospitality Institute trade show held on November 16 at the Cardiff Hotel and Spa, Runaway Bay, St. Ann.

 

The trade show displayed the work of students in the areas of food and beverage, and tourism and hospitality management.

 

This is under a programme being implemented through partnership between the HEART Trust/NTA and the Joint Committee for Tertiary Education (JCTE) for the training of students in areas targeted for economic growth, including business process outsourcing (BPO), agriculture, transportation and logistics and hospitality services.

 

Institutions involved in the project include the Western Hospitality Institute; Northern Caribbean University; The Mico University College; International University of the Caribbean; College of Agriculture, Science and Education; and the Caribbean Maritime University.

 

Senator Reid said the trade show provided an opportunity for the students to demonstrate their skills and also network with stakeholders in the agro-tourism sector.

 

He noted that “with the growth in the tourism industry, with more rooms being built, there is an increasing need for skilled workers at all levels in the sector. You are, therefore, taking the right steps in be in the right place at the right time”.

 

“Your project here today is a practical demonstration of this approach to education and training. We believe that Jamaica must move in the direction of supporting education and training that are aligned to industry needs,” he added.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, addressing the HEART Trust/NTA’s College of Hospitality Services/Western Hospitality Institute trade show held on November 16 at the Cardiff Hotel and Spa, Runaway Bay, St. Ann.

JIS: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, has called on the Jamaican Diaspora in the United States to partner with Government in establishing a national school bus service.

 

He said the Ministry is looking to acquire 100 school buses over the next five years, and encouraged the Diaspora to match this target.

 

The Minister was addressing members at a reception hosted in his honor by Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States, Her Excellency Audrey Marks, at the Jamaican Embassy in Washington, D.C. on November 10.

 

Noting that he envisioned a transportation system “that will take our students from home to school and back”, Senator Reid said the input of stakeholders, like the Diaspora, is pivotal to achieving this.

 

He argued that the service will go a far way in reducing student absenteeism and lateness which he attributed to the lack of a reliable school bus service and parents’ inability to afford public transportation costs.

 

Senator Reid assured that the initiative will be rolled out in the rural parishes where students “will benefit from the same level of subsidies enjoyed by (their colleagues) who use the Jamaica Urban Transit Company buses.”

 

While lauding members of the Diaspora and alumni associations for their ongoing contributions to the education sector through scholarships and other assistance to their alma maters, Senator Reid said it was also an opportune time for them to give consideration to other aspects of the sector such the construction of schools.

 

He indicated that although the education system requires 100 new schools over the medium term to long term, there is an immediate need to build 17 new institutions at a cost of $13 billion dollars.

 

Senator Reid advised that the Government has a four-year education budget from which five new schools will be built next year, and invited the Diaspora to, as best as possible, assist with the construction of the others.

 

CAPTION: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (right), addressing members of the Jamaican community in Washington, D.C,, during at a reception held in his honour by the Embassy of Jamaica on November 10. Looking on (at 2nd right) is Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States, Her Excellency Audrey Marks.

JIS: The Ministry of Labour and Social Security and the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to further improve the quality of services offered to vulnerable children and families.

 

The two-year MoU entails the establishment of a referral system that facilitates social interventions for persons who are assessed and determined to be vulnerable.

 

They include current and former wards of the State; children remanded in government places of safety, pending court decisions; youngsters deemed at risk to be or have been neglected, abused or maltreated by their families; and those on the Programme of Advancement through Health and Education (PATH).

 

The MoU was signed during a ceremony at CPFSA’s head office on Duke Street, Kingston, on November 17.

 

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Collette Roberts-Risden, said the MoU will support the CPFSA’s delivery of much needed assistance to the target beneficiaries.

 

“What we hope to achieve…is that any child in need of support, we will refer them to the CPFSA and similarly, any child in need of the programmes in our Ministry, the CPFSA will refer them to us,” she said.

 

Meanwhile, CPFSA Chief Executive Officer, Rosalee Gage-Grey, said the partnership will assist in strengthening the family structure.

 

“We can’t treat with children without treating with their families; and we believe that if we give greater support to our families, then the children will be ok. As we seek to build the family structure in our country, we want to ensure that the most vulnerable who we both serve are protected and provided with services in a timely manner. We see this partnership as very valuable,” she said.

 

The CPFSA, formerly the Child Development Agency (CDA), is the entity under the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information that is responsible for enabling a stable and nurturing living environment for children who are in need of care and protection.

 

The Agency was renamed following its merger with the Office of the Children’s Registry earlier this year.

 

This was done as part of the Ministry’s plans to create a more efficient child protection sector with emphasis on the pooling of resources, timely service delivery, and increasing field services staff.

 

CAPTION: Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Collette Roberts-Risden (left), and Chief Executive Officer for the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA), Rosalee Gage-Grey, exchange signed copies of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) established between the entities that will serve to further boost the State’s delivery of child protection services. The MoU was signed at the CPFSA’s head office on Duke Street, Kingston on Friday, November 17.

JIS: Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, says the increase in the number of Around the Table activities during Youth Month this year is geared at ensuring that more rural youth are reached.

 

Speaking at an Around the Table dinner at the Guango Jerk Centre in Dunbar’s River, Westmoreland, on November 14, Mr. Green said he feels very passionate about the development and welfare of rural youth, being from a rural parish himself.

 

“I am from St. Elizabeth, and I… feel sometimes that rural youth are left out of what is happening in relation to the Ministry, to Youth Month, and all the activities. We have to change that, because oftentimes the people who really need the engagement are rural youth, because oftentimes there are less opportunities in the community, and that is why we have to create more entrepreneurs and create more opportunities,” he said.

 

Mr. Green said the dinner series, being held this year in keeping with the theme of Youth Month, ‘Substance over Hype’, was conceptualised last year in a bid to enable youth in various parishes to have a greater opportunity to share their ideas and learn from persons who have excelled in their respective professional fields.

 

He added that the Ministry decided to expand the series to cover all of the island’s parishes, and so moved from six last year to 14 this year during November, which is recognised as Youth Month.

 

“I think Around the Table really ties into that theme (Substance over Hype), because what we are saying to our young people is ‘invest in yourself, invest in your community, invest in your country; be somebody of substance’,” Mr. Green said.

 

The State Minister said among the objectives of the series is the creation of networks between successful business people who have excelled in various spheres of entrepreneurship and commerce, including entertainment, hospitality, petroleum and retail.

 

“We said, let us have an intimate sort of setting, so that young people can come, they can share, they can speak freely and they can hear from those business people,” Mr. Green said.

 

CAPTION: Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, addresses an Around the Table dinner at the Guango Jerk Centre at Dunbar’s River in Westmoreland on November 14.

GLEANER: Of the countless lessons The Mico University College has taught 22-year-old teaching aspirant Denielle Morrison, critical thinking is the most deep-rooted.

 

A third-year student reading for a bachelor’s degree in primary education, Morrison is the 2017-18 recipient of the prestigious Arthur Grant Scholarship.

 

But while her merits now afford her such academic honours, the youngster from Wild Cane, St Ann, recounts a time before she had been ingrained with critical-thinking skills, a time when the intricacies of mathematics, her current area of specialisation, threatened to derail her studies.

 

“Like many, I dreaded math. There was a mental block, but at the same time, I knew it was essential. The breakthrough I needed after struggling with it for so many years came during my first year when a particular teacher taught me that it’s all about thinking critically and approaching problems in a systematic way. They instil critical thinking in you at Mico, and because of that, I’m an A-plus student in math,” Morrison told The Gleaner moments after receiving her scholarship during an awards ceremony on the school grounds on Tuesday.

 

Set to graduate in 2019, the Edwin Allen past student already has plans to complete her master’s at Mico.

  

 JUST ANOTHER SUBJECT

  

Thereafter, Morrison is keen to impart her critical thinking qualities to primary students in a remote area, similar to the one she’s from.

 

“I want to bring real-life experiences. I want them to understand that through critical thinking, math, in particular, is just another subject. It’s something we apply in our everyday lives,” she explained.

 

In the same breath, the scholar voiced her support for the partially implemented national standards curriculum aimed at shifting focus away from rote learning and towards critical thinking.

 

To this end, Morrison singled out the Primary Exit Profile (PEP), which is to replace the Grade Six Achievement Test in 2019, as a strategic move on the part of the education ministry.

 

“I’ve been in situations where the day of an exam, or the day before, something happened and I was so out of it mentally that what I produced on the exam wasn’t close to my best effort. With PEP, you’ll be able to utilise your cognitive skills while demonstrating your development over a period of time,” Morrison reasoned.

 

She continued: “So, having grades being accumulated over the years in different areas will be a better representation of the student rather than them just studying or swatting for a few weeks and writing an exam that will determine which high school they transition to.”

 

  

‘I’m Determined To Break The Stigma’

 

 For twenty-two-year-old Denielle Morrison, a tertiary education isn’t just a catalyst for personal development, but an avenue to uplift her family and the small community of Wild Cane in St Ann, where she is from.

 

“I’m the first of three children to be at the university level, and it’s safe to say

 

that just about seven of us from my community and the neighbouring community actually went to sixth form. Unfortunately, from that bunch, only two of us matriculated to [the] tertiary [level] ,” Morrison explained.

 

“It’s the norm to see a girl fresh out of school and pregnant, and I’m determined to break the stigma attached to my community,” she said.

 

A long-time lover of the teaching field, Morrison initially had no access to funds to further her studies after completing sixth form at the Edwin Allen High School.

 

  A GO-GETTER

  

“My parents, especially my mother, were always supportive despite the challenges. But my father made it clear that I would have to join the police force because he didn’t have the means to fund my schooling,” Morrison noted.

 

The Miconian, who describes herself as a ‘go-getter’, explained how she laboured at her past school, Mount Mariah Primary, immediately after sixth form to accumulate funds to kick-start her teaching pursuit.

 

Now well into her studies at the Mico University College, Morrison was awarded the 2017-18 Arthur Grant Scholarship valued at $200,000.

 

The scholarship, which is named after a former lecturer and vice-principal at Mico, was awarded to Morrison on Tuesday, after which she declared:

 

“Sir Arthur Grant has given so much to education in its entirety. I’ll do my best to honour the name of the great man through contributing positively to the sector when my day comes.”

 

Through more than 25 donors from the alumni and corporate companies, Mico awarded 23 students scholarships worth a combined $4 million.

 

[email protected]

 

CAPTION: From left, )Sharon Wolf, director, Alumni and development, The Mico University College; Claudia Campbell, recipient of the Earl B. Kennedy Scholarship and Denielle Morrison, recipient of the Arthur Grant Scholarship, at the awards presentation.

GLEANER: Rosalee Gage-Grey will continue to provide interim oversight leadership of the newly merged Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA). Youth Minister Floyd Green has said that no decision on leadership change has been made.

 

The CPFSA, which is the merger of the Office of the Children’s Registry and the Child Development Agency, became effective on November 1 and is expected address issues of accountability and the delays in dealing with child abuse cases.

 

At a press briefing held at the ministry’s offices in downtown Kingston, Green said that he expects that come next year, all the phases would be completed to fully operationalise the entity.

 

“There will always be some level of ring fencing and separation of the registry because it is important for people who want to report anonymously, and we have to put in those safeguards. So there’s one head, who, in the interim, will be Mrs Gage-Grey,” Green said.

 

“It’s one agency, so if someone calls with a complaint to say that their report was not recorded appropriately, you send it to one agency and they do the internal work. I think that will help people who, oftentimes, unfortunately, will go to one and you’re told that you have to go to another, and quite frankly, people don’t want to hear that,” he said

 

Green also sought to reassure persons that there continued to be a renewed focus on ensuring that both rural and urban areas are given equal opportunities of child safety and protection.

 

“One of the things from the full merger report was a call to strengthen our system out of the urban centres and into our parishes. We have done a good job of identifying hot spots in relation to child abuse, and they span both centres and rural areas, and we recognise that it has to be a broad-based approach,” Green said.

 

CAPTION: Rosalee Gage-Grey

GLEANER: Education Minister Ruel Reid yesterday named the first four schools that will be fitted with walk-through and hand-held metal detectors as the Government responds to a rash of stabbing incidents at some of the island’s most troubled schools.

 

At the top of the list is the Edith Dalton-James High School in Kingston where 15-year-old Clive Matherson, a grade 10 student, was stabbed to death by a classmate last month. The incident allegedly stemmed from an altercation over a watch.

 

“The others are Brown’s Town High, Anchovy High, and Norman Manley High. These are for the walk-throughs (detectors),” said Reid, noting that 130 hand-held metal detectors would also be distributed to these and other schools plagued by stabbings.

 

All four schools reported incidents in which students had been stabbed, three fatally, in the last five years, and Reid said that the detectors would be part of a short-term strategy aimed at minimising the incidents.

 

The items were part of a US$3-million donation from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

 

“The long-term strategy is to socialise and to help build better resilience and self-control,” Reid said. “We have to try to transform our culture of aggression in our society by building self-regulation and self-control. We are continuing to put more resources in our schools to enable our stakeholders to better manage challenges.”

 

“We are the ministry that is responsible for solving that (crime) because it involves our children, parents, youths, and, of course, this is the group that eventually gives the problems,” said the minister, noting that the timely donation came as the Government was crafting a policy for dealing with school violence.

 

Yesterday, Maura Barry Boyle, acting deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy in Jamaica, welcomed the partnership between the United States and Jamaica.

 

“Obviously, these won’t solve the problem. They will go a far way in significantly reducing the number of weapons that make it into our schools and thereby reduce the incidents of violent behaviours on the school compound,” she said.

 

“Critics cite the psychological toll metal detectors can have on children, however, experts believe they go a far way in making the school community feel safer and more secure,” she said, noting that metal detectors have been credited with keeping firearms, knives, and other deadly instruments out of US schools.

 

Vice-president of the National Secondary Students’ Council Sarah-Lee Tucker lauded the initiative but warned school administrators to be cognisant of students’ rights during searches.

 

“Many of our peers have suffered and succumbed to injuries that were inflicted by colleagues. We find that many youth no longer see the need to employ basic conflict resolution strategies, and as such, the level of violence in our schools has drastically increased,” said Tucker.

 

“While this is aimed at preventing students from taking weapons on to school compounds, I encourage all school administrators to ensure that students’ rights are not infringed while searches are being done,” she said.

 

[email protected]  

 

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

JIS: The Ministry of Education’s National Mathematics Programme has been having a huge impact on the Green Island Primary School in Hanover, says principal of the institution, Vascianna Mosley.

 

Mr. Mosley told JIS News that despite the school being one of Hanover’s high performers in the area of literacy with 85 per cent mastery, it has had a problem with numeracy at the grade-four level.

 

Notwithstanding, he said the score now stands at 60 per cent mastery in the Grade Four Numeracy Test, which he described as “tremendous growth” from where the school was initially.

 

“Numeracy is a national problem. Since numeracy was a problem, last year we were given a mathematics coach for the entire year, and she worked wonders. Interestingly, because of the performance, last year we were given the certificate (signifying) where we had exceeded the expectations of the Ministry,” Mr. Mosley told JIS News.

 

“What she did was to sit in the classes and observe how lessons are taught. She did workshops with the teachers to sensitise them to different techniques that they can use in teaching. She literally participated in the teaching-learning process, so she did not only tell us what to do, she showed us how to do it, So, that is working,” he added.

 

Mr. Mosley also lauded the Education Officers of Region Four of the Ministry of Education, who are only a “text message away” whenever guidance on education matters is being sought.

 

Education Officers are responsible for ensuring that educational policies, programmes and support services are delivered in each region under the governance of the School Boards.

 

They are also responsible for training schools and providing guidance in the interpretation and use of examination data and for initiating the development of tools and techniques for the effective and efficient delivery of educational services.

 

“The Education Officers visit on a regular basis. They ensure that everything goes well in terms of administration, the performance on a daily basis and how the plant is being managed. They are doing a very good job, and what I like about them is that they supervise us, but they are so very professional,” Mr. Mosley said.

 

“We have direct communication with them. There is a WhatsApp group that hosts all the principals in the clusters that the Education Officer works. Best practices are always discussed, and so it is easy for you to see or hear what other persons are doing and you can use aspects, based on the culture of your school,” he added.

 

Mr. Mosley also acknowledged the work of his “strongest maths teachers”, who are used as “specialised teachers” to aid other teachers to impart certain concepts to the students.

 

He likened the parents to a pillar of strength, adding that they have been extremely supportive in their contributions to the school and were strong supporters of the parent-teacher association and other school-related activities.

 

“Partnership with the parents may be our strongest area, because at the end of the day, these kids will be going home to their parents; and when they leave school, it is now the parents’ responsibility, and I can’t overemphasise that,” he said.

 

CAPTION: Principal of the Green Island Primary School in Hanover, Vascianna Mosley, interacts with grade-six students at the institution.

GLEANER: On November 1, Education Minister Ruel Reid used the post-Cabinet media briefing to provide an update on the system for the transition towards the new assessment of students at the primary level ­ the Primary Exit Profile (PEP).

Here are the lightly edited details:

 

What is PEP?

PEP will provide a profile of where the student is academically, the student’s strengths and weaknesses, and their readiness for grade seven.

 

PEP will assess students’ knowledge in addition to placing increased emphasis on assessing students’ skills of communication, critical thinking and creativity.

 

As the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information seeks to have students staying in school longer (up to grade 13), the provisions of PEP is a forward-thinking approach that will make students better prepared for the workforce. Students will be exposed from an early age to critical thinking.

 

The endgame is that everyone will graduate with the equivalent of an associate degree at the end of grade 13. PEP’s assessment process will measure students’ performance through demonstration of 21st-century skills aligned to the National Standard Curriculum and generate an academic profile of each student.

 

Advantages of PEP

– More accurate evidence-based information in terms of students’ performance will be available.

 

– Students’ completion of the curriculum and their progress will be monitored more regularly.

 

– More opportunities will be provided for teachers to identify students’ strengths and weaknesses and therefore plan lessons to meet the specific needs of students.

 

– Students will become aware of their progress and teachers will work with students to improve their learning.

 

What are the components of PEP?

PEP consists of three key components: a Performance Task (PT), an Ability Test (AT) and a Curriculum-Based Test (CBT):

 

The Performance Task consists of real-world scenarios that will require students to apply their knowledge and skills from the following subject areas: mathematics, science, language arts, and social studies. The PT will be administered in grades four, five and six. It will be administered within the student’s classroom by their teacher.

 

The Ability Test requires students to read analytically and use quantitative reasoning skills in responding to items. Ability tests generally assess students’ aptitude in areas of numeracy, verbal and non-verbal ability, and abstract-thinking ability.

 

The Curriculum-Based Test will be curriculum based and will assess grade-six content only in the areas of mathematics, science, social studies and language arts. This test will consist of multiple-choice items along with other item types. The CBT will be administered in April.

 

Suggested weighting

Ability Test ­ 30%

 

CBT and Performance Tasks ­ 70%

 

Implementation Plan 

PEP will be implemented on a phased basis.

 

Students who are currently in grade five will be the first PEP cohort. They will do only the Grade six components in 2019

 

Students who are currently in grade three will be the first cohort that will have a complete profile generated ­ that is, they will do the grade four PT in 2019, grade five PT in 2020 and all grade-six components (PT, CBT and AT) in 2021

 

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.

 

Pre-administrative actions

In an effort to prepare the system for the roll-out of this new assessment, a number of activities will take place during this school year to prepare students, teachers and parents to allow for a smooth implementation.

 

We currently have assessment coordinators in the field.

 

 

Schedule FOR administrative activities and training

 

Training of assessment coordinators ­ October 24-November 1

 

Publication of sample item types­ 2nd week in November

 

Town hall meetings ­ November 13-January 31, 2018

 

Training of grade-five teachers on assessing the 21st-century learner­ November 6-24, 2017

 

Cognitive labs and small scale trials ­ December 4-20, 2017

 

Training for grades four and five teachers in administering the Performance Task ­ February 1-23, 2018

 

Training for grade-six teachers on assessing the 21st-century learner ­ May 1-11, 2018

 

National pilot of Performance Tasks for grade four ­ June 18 – 22, 2018

 

National pilot of Performance Tasks for grade five ­ June 4-7, 2018

 

Training of grades four and five teachers in interpreting and scoring rubric ­ July 2018

 

Training of grade-six teachers in administering the Performance Task ­ July/August 2018 

 

CAPTION: Ruel Reid (right), minister of education, greets students of Half-Way Tree Primary School while principal Carol O’Connor-Clarke looks on during his visit to the school recently.

JIS: Approximately 100 youth from across the island will be officially appointed as National Youth Parliamentarians on Monday, November 27, during an Investiture Ceremony at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston.

 

This announcement was made by State Minister for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, on November 8 at Ardenne High School in Kingston, following his Motivational and Empowerment Session at the institution.

 

He said this Investiture Ceremony is in keeping with the Ministry’s Youth Month activities during November.

 

In an interview with JIS News, Mr. Green said that unlike previous years, the format of National Youth Parliament 2017 will take a different form over a one-year period.

 

“We’re back with the Youth Parliament this year. We restarted it last year. We’re making a number of changes this year. These changes would have come on the basis of feedback that we have got from our young people. We actually have young people who are in charge of the programme, so they have met with me and told me what they want to do,” Mr. Green said.

 

“The big change is that our youth parliamentarians will go through a one-year training period, where they will be given proper research techniques. They will be able to really delve into what the Government is doing, so that when they make their presentations and make their suggestions, [these] are really things that may be happening or a critique of what may be happening. They’ll actually present in Parliament next year, so that is one of the big changes,” he added.

 

Traditionally, the focus of National Youth Parliament of Jamaica (NYPJ) was intensive training in parliamentary procedure for youth to participate in the annual mock sitting held at Gordon House.

 

Mr. Green also told JIS News that the NYPJ has been restructured to enable youth parliamentarians to have a more sustained engagement beyond training and a sitting of the Parliament, while building their capacities for research, policy analysis and project management.

 

The structure for the Youth Parliament will now include the Investiture Ceremony, where the participants will be officially inducted and receive an instrument of office.

 

Throughout the year, the youth parliamentarians will receive training in the areas of public speaking, parliamentary procedure, policy paper writing and policy review, project management and speech writing.

 

Along with the Youth Advisory Council of Jamaica, they will develop work plans to focus on youth development projects in their communities and parishes, while preparing for the sitting of the Youth Parliament in November 2018.

 

The National Youth Parliament was initially implemented in 2003 as a Youth Month activity of the National Centre for Youth Development (NCYD). After a brief hiatus, the Youth Parliament was revamped in 2016 and has undergone further restructuring to ensure that the selected parliamentarians are better able to carry out their mandate.

 

CAPTION: State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green (right), accepts a token from Ardenne High School student, Jada West, after his Motivational and Empowerment Session at the institution on November 8.