JIS: With the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) slated to go ahead as planned for March 22 and 23, Education Officer in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Patricia Haughton, says preparations have been going extremely well.

 

Speaking to JIS News on Thursday (March 15), Ms. Haughton, who was specifically asked about the western region, added that the Ministry is truly impressed with the weekend camps and extra hour of lessons that have been made available for students, noting that “a lot of effort went into these preparations”.

 

“We have selected and trained our invigilators, so that too has been going smoothly. We do expect a full sitting of the GSAT by our students, and we are not anticipating any problems,” she said.

 

GSAT, to be replaced by the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) in 2019, is Jamaica’s national high-school entrance examination. It is usually taken in March, with the results released in June. GSAT replaced the Common Entrance Examination in 1999.

 

The national mean score per subject from 2017 shows mathematics, 62.4 per cent; science, 64.7 per cent; social studies, 70.6 per cent; language arts, 72.8 per cent; and communication task, 76.2 per cent. With the exception of science, which had a slight decline, there were improvements in every other area over the previous year.

  

Ms. Haughton further noted that the Ministry has also done its part in implementing programmes such as mock exams, deploying math coaches and literacy specialists, practice papers and other programmes and workshops to assist students with their preparation.

 

She added that she expects parents to also be conducting extra lessons with the students at home, so as to put on the finishing touches.

 

“Special workshops have also been implemented as part of our assistance programme,” Ms. Haughton further pointed out.

 

For her part, Principal of the John Rollins Success Primary in St. James, Yvonne Miller-Wisdom, said “it’s all systems go” at her school, adding that “we could not be more ready”.

 

“We have a very good feeling about this, as we have not left anything up to chance. Our preparations have been excellent, and the children have certainly put in the work,” she said.

 

Eleven-year-old John Rollins head boy, Okere Bremmer, who listed Herbert Morrison Technical in St. James and Munro College in St. Elizabeth as his top-two high school preferences, said he finds the mock exams and the practice papers useful, adding that “we now have a better idea what to expect”.

 

“Our teachers here at John Rollins Success Primary have done everything to get us ready,” he added.

 

 Eleven-year-old Elizabeth Minors, who also attends John Rollins, said that while there will be the expected butterflies and a little nervousness, all that should disappear “once we sit down to take the exams”.

 

“I have been studying very hard, and I am very confident,” she added, noting that her top-two high school preferences are Montego Bay High School and Mt. Alvernia, both in St. James.

 

CAPTION: Grade Six Teacher, Theresa Morgan Williams, at the Corinaldi Avenue Primary School in Montego Bay, St. James, interacting with her students in class on Thursday (March 15).

JIS: The Students’ Loan Bureau (SLB) is reporting that for the 2017-2018 academic year it received 13,679 applications. for which more than $3.09 billion was disbursed, with an approval rate of 99 per cent.

 

The SLB provides loans as well as grants to help with non-tuition expenses to students pursuing tertiary studies.

 

Addressing a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Think Tank’ on March 14, State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, assured students that the Government is working to ensure that all persons who qualify to access tertiary education will be able to pursue their goal.

 

“As a Government we want to see more youth accessing tertiary education, and this is a policy directive at the SLB,” he said.

 

There are three types of loans that students may access – Targeted; Pay as you Study and Postgraduate.

 

Executive Director of the SLB, Monica Brown, who also addressed the ‘Think Tank’, said that under the Targeted loan type, where a majority of the students would access tertiary financing, they are required to repay the loan on completion of their studies.

 

The loan repayment period has been adjusted from 10 years to 15 or 20 years, depending on the programme of study.

 

Ms. Brown said that although students accessing Targeted loans are not required to make repayments during the in-school years, the SLB encourages those who are able to make payments during the moratorium period to do so, as this reduces the amount that will be left to repay on completion of their studies.

 

She pointed out that effective April 2016, the Bureau switched from using the ‘add on method’ to using the reducing balance method to calculate the interest rate on repayment, and this has resulted in significant savings for those who borrow from the SLB.

 

The applicable interest rate using the reducing balance is 7.8 per cent during the in-school years and 9.5 per cent when the loan enters repayment stage. Ms. Brown noted that there are areas given priority for the allocation of funds, particularly where the contributions to national development are greatest. They are agricultural studies, engineering, information technology and maritime and logistics studies. The interest rate repayment is six per cent on the reducing balance.

 

Applications, which are now open for persons who wish to access loans for the 2018-2019 academic year, will close on Thursday, May 31.

 

CAPTION: State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, addresses JIS ‘Think Tank’, on March 14. At right is Executive Director of the Students’ Loan Bureau (SLB), Ms. Monica Brown.

JIS: Restaurants of Jamaica (ROJ) has provided $4.5 million to further boost the operations of the Government’s national school-feeding programme, which will supply an additional 1,500 meals for students.

 

The funds will facilitate the provision of meals for the remainder of the academic year, which ends in June 2018.

 

The money was officially handed over to Nutrition Products Limited (NPL) during a ceremony at the National Heroes Circle offices of the Education Ministry on Wednesday (March 14).

 

Portfolio Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, welcomed the donation, noting that it will significantly help to fill gaps in the feeding programme, particularly at the early-childhood level.

 

He noted that the initiative, which represents good corporate citizenship, will go a far way in advancing the Ministry’s effort to provide greater support to students in need of nutritious meals, many of whom depend on the State to provide the only substantial meal they receive daily.

 

The Minister said this partnership with ROJ will ensure that more children attending school are provided with the appropriate nutrition that will improve their educational outcomes.

 

Minister Reid also praised State Minister in the Ministry, Hon. Floyd Green, who requested assistance with boosting the programme to support more children, for forging the partnership with ROJ.

 

For his part, Mr. Green noted that the Ministry has been working to expand the scope of the programme, by increasing the number of products that are provided in the system.

 

“That is why this injection will help us to do just that… . We’re now going into the final semester of the year, and this will enable NPL to roll out more products,” he said.

 

In the meantime, Marketing Director for ROJ, Tina Matalon, said the entity’s support to the school-feeding programme, is “a small but worthy contribution…which will make a difference in providing the nutrition that (children need)”.

 

“We don’t think any child should go to school hungry. We do believe that all children need proper nutrition and proper meals to be able to learn. As an organisation that feeds the nation, we want to make sure we do our part to feed the students,” she said.

 

Mrs. Matalon further informed that this support represents the first step in the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) Jamaica ‘Add Hope’ initiative.

 

Add Hope is an international initiative by KFC’s parent company, Yum International, which collects donations in-store to fund meals for undernourished children.

 

Mrs. Matalon noted that the ROJ is currently in discussion with the Education Ministry to launch a second phase of the programme in September 2018. The second phase will enable KFC customers to donate part proceeds from select menu items towards the school-feeding programme.

 

NPL, which is responsible for the production and distribution of meals to schools under the national nutrition programme, currently provides approximately 300,000 students in more than 800 schools with breakfast and/or lunch each week.

 

They include youngsters on the Programme of Advancement through Health and Education (PATH), and others deemed vulnerable.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (second left), accepts a representational cheque valued at $4.5 million from Marketing Director, Restaurants of Jamaica (ROJ), Tina Matalon (second right), during a ceremony at the Ministry’s National Heroes Circle offices on Wednesday (March 14). Also pictured (from left) are State Minister in the Education Ministry, Hon. Floyd Green, and Brand Manager, ROJ, Andrei Roper. The funds will provide support to the Government’s national school-feeding programme.

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 WHAT IS PEP?

  

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

This, however, will take time and effort.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Introducing A New Culture Of Learning

  

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

  

COMMUNICATION

  

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

 

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

  

GET HANDS ON WITH AT-HOME AND LOCAL ACTIVITIES

  

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

 

 MODEL BEHAVIOUR

  

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

 

 GET INVOLVED AT SCHOOL

  

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

  

MAKE CONNECTIONS TO AFTER-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

CAPTION: Clipart