JIS: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, is on a mission to create a national school bus system, which will provide transportation for students in all parishes.

Speaking at the signing of an $8 million Japan Grassroots Human Security Grant agreement with the Ambassador of Japan, His Excellency Hiromasa Yamazaki, on January 10 at the Office of the Prime Minister, Senator Reid said one of his dreams is to have a society where schools have buses assigned to them.

“We’re looking at an overarching plan to provide transportation for all students. We need 1,000 buses to cover the need of the schools. I have that particular aspiration of a comprehensive national school bus system for a number of reasons, not only for safety, but to get our students to school on time and in a managed and regulated way,” the Minister said.

“While we have this vision for the rural transportation system, we didn’t just sit back. We have committed over $204 million at the start of this academic year towards this particular rural bus system,” he added.

He emphasised that there is a great need for the national school bus system in rural areas, adding that students would be transported more safely, parents would save from the high cost of transportation, and there would be less burden on the rural transport operators with privately owned vehicles.

“The cost for transportation is extremely high in rural areas. We’re talking about small farmers who are essentially just trying to survive. There is a significant number of students in the rural areas who are on the Programme of Advancement through Health and Education (PATH), and they will need the transportation system,” the Minister argued.

Senator Reid pointed out that, on average, about 20 per cent of students are absent from school each day.

“In the recent Survey on Living Conditions, it wasn’t strange to us that an overwhelming majority of those who were interviewed said money was the main fault why they couldn’t send their children to school regularly,” he noted.

Senator Reid said he believes a new comprehensive national school bus system would support PATH.

“We’re doing a lot in trying to get the children to school [through PATH], trying to give them lunch for five days, trying to provide insurance, IDs and books. That’s wonderful, but if the children are not able to get to school, all of those efforts are for naught,” he said.

The grant will cover the cost to purchase a school bus for Oracabessa Primary School in St. Mary.

The Japan Grassroots Human Security Project was developed based on an alliance formed by the Embassy of Japan in Jamaica and the National Education Trust on April 20, 2015. This partnership is aimed at meeting education needs at the primary level in schools in need of assistance.

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (left), speaks at the signing of a grant agreement with the Japan Grassroots Human Security Project at the Office of the Prime Minister on January 10. Listening (from second left) are: Ambassador of Japan to Jamaica, His Excellency Hiromasa Yamazaki, and Principal, Oracabessa Primary School, Gregory Davis.

JIS: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, is expressing optimism with the results of examinations done at the national level in 2017.

In a national broadcast on January 7 to mark the start of the second term of the 2017/2018 school year, Mr. Reid said the results from the Grade Four Literacy and Numeracy Test were “particularly encouraging”.

He also acknowledged improvements in the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT), Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE).

Minister Reid hailed the development of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF-J), which aims to bridge the gap between academic and technical vocational qualification.

Launched last February, the framework will provide standardised recognition of all learning, knowledge and skills; enable cross-border recognition of certifications; recognise and benchmark informal learning; and improve access to higher education.

“Our aim is to create a track for the occupational degrees that is separate from traditional degrees,” Senator Reid said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Reid lauded the Jamaican diaspora’s continued partnership “in advancing the education of our children” and assured that “together more can be and will be achieved this year”.

JIS: A review of the Education Regulation of 1980, which outlines the framework under which all schools should operate, is at an advanced stage of completion.

The review is expected to address matters directly and indirectly impacting students’ performance.

These include guidelines regarding instruction hours across school days; safety precautions and equipment; and student behaviour, among other factors.

This was disclosed by Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, during a national broadcast on January 7.

Senator Reid said the Ministry has commenced rolling out examination preparation strategies such as workshops and public education campaigns as the Government moves to replace the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) with the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) next year.

He urges parents of students preparing for the 2018 GSAT “to give full support to the children” and encourage them “even when you think they are not taking their work as seriously as they should”.

Meanwhile, Senator Reid assured that the Ministry will continue to support the professional development of teachers as part of a capacity-building endeavour.

The Ministry will, to that end, be working with the National College for Educational Leadership.

“A certification programme with multiple pathways will be developed, including prior learning assessments for those principals who may need this as a requirement to become fully qualified, based on the criteria established for full appointment,” Senator Reid stated.

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

JIS: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says the Ministry intends to outline the proposed grooming and nutrition policy for schools this academic term.

In a national broadcast on January 7, Senator Reid said this is aimed at promoting a healthier lifestyle among students.

The Minister pointed out that last year, Jamaica did not have a persistent and consistent message regarding healthy lifestyles and good nutritional practices, which, unfortunately, permeated to the country’s schools.

It is in that regard, he noted, that discussions have been held with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to develop nutritional guidelines for schools.

This will also be done in conjunction with the Ministry of Health, with a view to rolling out the policy.

Meanwhile, Senator Reid informed that as part of a wider government policy, stronger emphasis will be placed 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,” the Minister said.

“Our focus is to support the birth to three-year-old group through the Early Stimulation Programme, allowing our babies to be developmentally ready for the three-plus years,” Mr. Reid added.

He pointed out that nutrition, stimulation and protection from violence are critical areas that should be addressed during the first 1,000 days of a child’s life.

“We at the Ministry 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 Minister said.

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

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.